Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

TheMarwood James Woods wasn't just chewing the scenery around him -- he ate the props, the lights and despite being filmed in 2D, popped out in 3D! He starts off playing a sober man, even though he seems to be juggling tics, explosive gestures and has eyeballs that seem ready to pop out of his sockets. Then 20 minutes into this flick, his character gets hooked on coke and the real comedy begins. His downward trajectory of drug addiction is the stuff of comedy gold. Then there is Sean Young as his loyal coke-head wife which is unintentional hilarity! Her delivery of the line "I thought I was going to have to get an abortion" with a smile -- is so amazingly misguided and funny -- it belongs on midnight screenings with drunken audience members throwing stuff at the screen. I don't know how I haven't watched this train wreck of a film until tonight -- but if you want to point and laugh at one of the worst movies ever, look no further than THE BOOST.

Scott LeBrun Fairly compelling movie, scripted by Darryl Ponicsan from a book by none other than Ben Stein, is overall worth catching if for no other reason than to see the always excellent James Woods deliver another intense performance. He plays Lenny Brown, a hotshot salesman recruited by businessman Max Sherman (Steven Hill of the 'Law & Order' TV series) to sell real estate in California. Lenny has great success selling tax shelter investment deals to various people, but when the tax laws are changed, this marks the beginning of a sharp decline for Lenny. He ends up with very big money problems, and to try to forget his problems, he decides to start snorting cocaine and popping Quaaludes. As Lenny's situation just grows increasingly more grim and untenable, it becomes harder and harder for his wife Linda (Sean Young), an occasional user, to stand by him.Were it not for an actor of Woods's caliber, one may find it not too easy to sympathize with his character. As it is, Leonard Maltins' guide to movies points out that there's no major difference in Lenny before and after his drug addiction begins. Still, director Harold Becker, who'd previously worked with Woods on "The Onion Field" and "The Black Marble", does manage to keep you watching through all of the melodrama that develops. The film may be most notable for the off screen drama involving co-stars Woods and Young, but on screen they work together well enough. She's not exactly his match as an actor, but does look beautiful at all times. Hill is a standout in the decent supporting cast including John Kapelos, Kelle Kerr, John Rothman, Amanda Blake (in her final feature film), Grace Zabriskie, and an uncredited John Philbin. The music by Stanley Myers is one worthy component. In the end, it *is* commendable that the filmmakers are willing to get as grim as they do get, with seemingly no hope in sight.As a cautionary tale, this works to a degree, although the Maltin review is also right when it says that the film goes on for quite a bit before it becomes clear that's it's about dependency on drugs. It's an okay movie, with Woods raising the rating a bit by himself.Six out of 10.

Robert J. Maxwell An interesting movie, particularly if you enjoy seeing someone suffer even more than you.The tale is a familiar one. Ambitious salesman has devoted wife whom he loves. He gets into making money -- big money. Mercedes, a modest multi-million dollar house in a fashionable section of Los Angeles. Magnums of rare champagne at fancy restaurants. Half a million non-refundable dollars invested in real estate in Cabo, where they serve, in Sybaritic establishments, elegantly prepared and formally presented authentic Mexican dishes made entirely of ingredients from cans of Rosarita products.But the sales business hits a bump. Not a bottomless pit, just a kind of tombe. Down in the dumps, the salesman takes some cocaine to get a temporary boost. His wife advises him devotedly, "Why don't we get out of here? Can we just stay home and talk?" But his career continues to drop erratically downward into debt and degradation. He talks his devoted wife into trying cocaine. (She stares at the apparatus and asks, "Is that what I think it is?") Pretty soon they're doing several lines a day. He begins to slap her around, though she's pregnant now. (One guess at the fate of the fetus.) He spazzes out on some bad street s***. He humiliates himself in a public place. When he spills his coke on the floor he throws himself on his knees and begins sniffing furiously at the shag like a coyote in a garbage dump. They find a dead body on their doorstep. Their dog runs away. That kind of thing. I forget the end, but I suppose there was an epiphany. Something along the lines of "Money Doesn't Mean Everything," or, "Just say no to drugs," or both.In order to fully appreciate this film you have to perform a thought experiment. Think of the salesman, James Woods, the hypomanic, speech-pressured human-perpetual-motion machine. Got the image? Good. Now imagine James Woods on coke.If you've seen "Days of Wine and Roses" you've got a good idea of what this one is like, a kind of "Days of Coke and Roses." Did Ben Stein really write this thing? Did Darryl Poinicsan do the screenplay? Not that it's insultingly bad. It's just that it's so thoroughly pedestrian. Years ago, before anyone knew anything about drugs, I kept running into plants in Pago Pago that people said were magic "koka". I collected an armload of leaves, made an infusion of them, and applied the stuff to open sores and sometimes asked people to drink it. Nobody's pain went away and nobody got high, although I had my notebook at the ready. As I was told later, they weren't coca plants but cocoa plants. Humped by a single whimsical orthomeme and a complete ignorance of cultigens.

MarieGabrielle While today this movie may seem a bit dated, and yes, it is a little over the top, with a thin story line, the message is important.James Woods is excellent, always assimilates the character he is portraying (I was reminded of his film "The Story of Bill W.", about the origins of Alcoholics Anonymous). Sean Young is also good, looks lovely, and portrays the put upon wife who ends up saving herself.The business deals, and his rapid rise and fall are probably exaggerated, but the audience sees a former success "hitting bottom", which for some substance abusers, can take either a year, or a decade. The fact that Woods portrays an "äverage guy" who is just trying to get ahead, is realistic; he doesn't plan to live in a seedy apartment near Hollywood Boulevard; it is a long way from NY , or Wilshire Boulevard.Some cameos are also excellent; Steven Hill is Woods' mentor, starting him on the fast track, Grace Zabriskie portrays an eccentric neighbor; John Kapelos plays the former "friend" from Woods' halcyon days.Initially this movie was panned mercilessly; I find that over the years certain movies resonate the time period they depict, and while this was not a blockbuster film, like Oliver Stone's "Wall Street", (which was released the year before) it at least has a message, and several decent performances which deserve credit.