Boxing Helena (1993)

I don't understand why people don't appreciate this movie. You have to realize that the beginning of the movie establishes how obsessed the main character is with Helena. She reminds him of his mother. Then he does not just have a "dream" about what happens like some people suggest. He is taking medication and drinks it down with a glass of wine. It is suggested that if he does not take the meds strange things happen to his mind. The hallucination helps him to realize how he needed to stay away from Helena before his obsession made something bad happen. It is established in the movie that he has some serious psychological problems to deal with because of his mother. I also find it amazing how they managed to turn the tables and have Helena realize that no one would ever love her the way he does. The seen where Bill Paxton comes in and is repulsed and Helena begs him to leave is amazingly powerful. I loved Julian Sands and Sherilyn Fenn. They were both perfect. He was pitiful and she was raw. Keep an open mind and watch for the meanings behind what the actors are doing.

Fmovies: One of the most intriguing concepts imaginable is brutally mangled by Jennifer Chambers Lynch's highly incompetent and infuriatingly redundant direction and appalling writing, which (combined with Greame Revell's score) makes ‘Boxing Helena' seem like a particularly ham-fisted episode of ‘The Red Shoe Diaries'.

Doctor Nick Cavanaugh lacks any kind of character definition or motivation and the titular Helena is portrayed an insufferable hag, incapable of inducing even the slightest bit of empathy in the viewer. In fact, my apathy was almost palpable all through the maddeningly predictable plot, a feeling confirmed by the even more maddening cop-out ending.

I love David Lynch to death, but the spawn of his loins apparently didn't inherit a smidgen of his talent.

My recommendation is to ignore the negative comments and see it for yourself. Ignore the artsy-fartsy crowd whose dislike, one feels, has more to do with the bad press and criticism by the liberal crowd than it has to do with the film's actual merits.

I make no pretence to artsy film credentials, and I'm not a big fan of David Lynch, though v enjoy most of his work, bizarre as it is. However, I think his daughter did a respectable job, especially for the first time out. Some of the symbolism was a bit obvious, but I suspect that made the symbolism more accessible to the average viewer and not just the snooty film buffs. As far as the inconsistencies the critics love to point out -- big deal. The whole "Rosebud" schtick in Citizen Kane was ludicrous and silly, but let's at least allow the same literary license to others.

I thought Sands and Fenn did superb jobs, and I thought the direction and music was far better than average. I enjoyed the movie enough to see it three times so far, and my opinion hasn't changed. I also believe the "trick ending" was essential to the movie and not just some shabby trick. Without it, it's just a gross slasher film and not a think-piece. There's a lot of unpleasant truth about male-female relationships in this film, and Lynch brought it out very well.

Boxing Helena fmovies. After first viewing this film, I was more than a little disappointed. Then the deep and profound nature of the film began to sink in more deeply. Whatever was really meant by the film's makers, I took it to be a great statement of the frustration men and women feel toward relations in today's society. The depth of feeling, as well as the "on the edge of your seat" scenes really are great. Maybe "being male" I am already emotionally retarded, so the absorption time for the movie's really great statements were meant to be. Either way, this movie is definitely worth every thinking person's time.

Poorly-made, scrappy and off-putting erotic drama executed without the courage of its own idea. Lurid story concerns an obsessed surgeon's relationship with an indifferent vixen. Amusing in parts, the film occasionally goes out on the proverbial limb, but it's also messy and unfocused. Perhaps the behind-the-scenes troubles with original star Kim Basinger got in director Jennifer Lynch's way. In any event, Lynch hasn't been given the chance to purge this demon from her resume...one look at it and you'll know why. It's a curious mix of sex, fantasy and horror, but so perplexing and muddled, the provocative angle of the whole scenario gets lost. *1/2 from ****

This film takes a screenplay that pushes the boundaries of the status quo and lets it run wild. Surrealistic, erotic, and darkly disturbing this film goes places most people won't admit they've been. For those few that are comfortable with who they are it presents an entertaining journey thru the extreme reaches of human eroticism. Suspense driven it takes the rider thru dreams and reality never quite allowing you to tell which is which until the very end. If you only enjoy movies with well defined good and evil you might find this an uncomfortable journey but for the adventurous soul rest assured, it is a journey worth taking.