The Boy Who Cried Bitch (1991) User Reviews

Great Movie, great performances

[MovieMaddis · 6/10 · 15 April 2004]

After seeing the Boy Who Cried Bitch, you might be left wondering what happened in 1991 that they couldn't release this film. This movie is one of the few effortlessly fused Theater Release with TV Movie of the Week that perhaps it lost it's footing in both venues. A shame that more people didn't get the chance to see what is surely a great performance by a young Harley Cross. This is before "Shriek If you know what I did Last Friday the 13th" but shortly after Believers.

Harley was a young actor to watch with notable films "Cohen and Tate" peeking with "Perdita Durango" and an otherwise downward slide to obscurity since. He certainly shines in this role as a confused and psychotic adolescent on the brink of madness struggling to find a place in the outside that compliments his inner demons. Rarely have we seen a young actor display such range and for this reason alone, this movie should have shucked the title and some of the cursing for something a bit more palatable to the mainstream public.

BWCB was unique in that it explored some of the complexities of child abuse, manic depression and a mother's ultimate failure to connect with her child in a way that is not cliché. For example a good scene early on has Dan (Cross) being seduced by a groundskeeper who obviously tries to fill a father's role and lure the boy into a man-boy relationship. Dan turns the power position around and immediately uses the man for beer and food for his brothers and friends. This film takes an honest look at young teens, not shying away from the way they talk and the amount of insight they have with their adult relationships.

I recommend this film for those looking for a good hearted, insightful, sometimes dark and emotional journey through a troubled teen's life.

6/10 Maddis

This never appeared on video

[gunnarvl · 10/10 · 11 August 2001]

The Boy Who Cried Bitch was an extremely limited release film from 1991. It was playing in one theater in Manhattan and I saw it four times. It features a terrific performance by Harley Cross as the disturbed child. The film is very depressing. It never was released on any format and I rarely find other people who know anything about it. I'd love to find a copy. I highly recommend this film.

Very depressing...and fascinating

[preppy-3 · 10/10 · 12 April 2004]

Disturbing movie of a child (Harley Cross) who slowly begins to go crazy...and drags his family down with him.

This got no release back in 1991 (probably because of the title and subject matter). It had only one showing at the Boston Film Festival. We actually had the director introduce the film and take questions afterwords. Most of the audience was stunned and speechless and VERY depressed at the end. The director acknowledged the film was disturbing--but that's why he made it. Also the original ending of the film was even WORSE than what was filmed.

**SPOILER AHEAD** In the release version the mother has to kill her own child. In the original script, the kid killed his whole family before killing himself! The director thought that was going TOO far and changed it. **END SPOLIER**

The whole cast was superb--especially Cross. Naturally this film was (as far as I know) never released on video so we'll probably never see a DVD version either. That's really too bad. I saw this film over 10 years ago and I've never forgotten it. I really wish I could see it again.

Powerful performance all the way through~

[SoapWatch · 20 May 2002]

HARLEY CROSS gives an amazingly powerful performance as a young boy with a psychotic mental problem. This is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat one minute and almost crying the next. It is beyond belief at how the most amazing movie performance of the young actor's career would get absolutely no recognition. The movie goes deep inside the boy's crazed mind through some heavy suspenseful scenes which if anything helps one truly understand someone with a mental problem a little better. Also it's probably the first time JASON BIGGS has ever been seen in a movie at a very young 9 years old. If you ever find the rare chance to watch a copy of this hard-to-find unreleased movie on video----do not pass the chance. The shock-ending will blow you away.

Extremely Powerful Film About A Family In Turmoil...

[EVOL666 · 9/10 · 4 November 2006]

Honestly, I'd never even heard of THE BOY WHO CRIED BITCH until a few days ago. I grabbed it from a friend with no prior knowledge or expectations - and I have to say that I was EXTREMELY impressed with this rare find. I'm surprised that the film hasn't gotten a wider release considering how powerful of a film that it is - but I also can see that it may not garner wide-spread acclaim as many "mainstream" viewers would probably find the subject-matter and extremely realistic portrayals a bit too much to handle...

Dan is a kid who suffers from some SERIOUS mental issues. It's never addressed as to what exactly his problem is - but it seems to be a mix of psychosis, some sort of "rage" disorder, and perhaps a touch of Tourette's syndrome. Dan is completely out of control and can't seem to control his violent outbursts, which puts a strain on his mother and two brothers. His mother eventually commits him to a private mental hospital where no progress is made in helping either identify or treat Dan's condition - in fact, he seems to only get worse in the institutional environment. After becoming violent to the staff of the institution, they decide that they can not keep him there any longer, and if other arrangements aren't made - he will be turned over for lock-up into a state-run facility. Unable to find proper care or treatment for her son, the mother brings him home, which with no boundaries or professional help to keep him in-check, turns out to be a bad move...

THE BOY WHO CRIED BITCH is one of the more powerful films I've seen in a while. Strong performances by all the leads (especially Harley Cross as Dan), and some notable supporting roles by a young Adrien Brody and also Moira Kelly elevate this film to near-perfect status. The downbeat and uncompromising nature of the film is a refreshing change from all the Hollywood happy-ending bullsh!t that assaults the cinema these days - another reason whey this film will probably never receive the recognition it deserves. A damn good film for those that enjoy more "challenging" material - don't pass this one up if you have the chance to see it...9/10

wow, what a great movie!!!

[jesse-james · 8/10 · 18 January 2005]

i bought a copy of this movie at ebay. i did not expect much from that title and to my big surprise it turned out to be a great psychological thriller. i can't believe that this movie did not find any distributor. if i had the money i would distribute it myself... my advice, if you get the chance to watch it then don't miss it. i also liked that movie because it shows a huge famelyproblem. a problem i'm experiencing in my own family too. it shows how hard it is for a family to live with a emotional disturbed child. you can't just get rid of your own kids by putting them into a psychic institution. i mean their your kids and you love them. however, thanks god that my problem is not as big as the mothers problem in that movie. and that is the shocking thing about that movie. it is made so realistic and the plot and actors are also very realistic so it scared me...

A very potent, unnerving and unjustly neglected indie drama gem

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 16 February 2007]

A very stark, sad and sobering drama about angry, surly, fatherless, alienated, stuttering and oppositional misogynistic 12-year-old Dan Love (a frightfully credible and exceptional performance by Harley Cross), a malcontent adolescent who's ignored and unloved by his neurotic and equally unstable mother Candice (excellently played by Karen Young). Dan gets sent to a mental institution so he can be cured of his violent, psychotic mood swings. Alas, he only becomes increasingly crazed and volatile due to the woefully impersonal, ineffective and uncompassionate psychiatric treatment he receives. Director Juan Jose Campanella pulls no punches and offers no easy answers in this deeply disturbing and ultimately quite tragic tale of teenage misery beget by severe parental neglect. Moreover, Campanella also illustrates in chillingly lucid terms just how miserably ill-equipped most professional institutions are in properly rehabilitating a borderline psychopath. Catherine May Levin's sharply observant, provocative and confrontational script likewise hits hard with its stinging social commentary, pointing out that Dan is the toxic product of a horribly lackluster upbringing and how his basic poignant need for love and affection gets continually overlooked by so-called "experts" who are supposed to help, but more often really make things much worse instead. A then unknown pre-stardom Adrien Brody impresses in an early substantial co-starring role. A genuinely unnerving and extremely powerful film.

There's A Parrot In My Croissant!

[danieljfenner · 10/10 · 3 May 2015]

Watching The Boy Who Cried Bitch left me with the same reaction after seeing Hal Hartley's "Trust" more than fifteen years ago.

"Where are the awards?"

1991 was quite a year for these grim, character-driven indie films. As "Silence of the Lambs" dominated the year critically, films like Trust and The Boy Who Cried Bitch were hanging from the helicopter rafters of Hollywood. With its modest production value and emphasis on the performances of the actors, this family drama offers more of a meditation of childhood mental health within the context of family dysfunction. It's terse and brilliant script penned by Catherine May Levin, was supposedly based on true events but I cannot find a lot of other information about the author. Is she the mother of a child with a mental illness? Was she the child, but she made the character into a boy for the film? I don't know how this story connects to her life and I am interested in knowing more about the author because it really is a well-written piece of celluloid

While the leading role of the stuttering, violent, maladjusted Dan Love - played bey Harley Cross receives most of the well-deserved accolades, the real show stealer here is the role of Candice Love, the mother played by Karen Young. This is truly one of the most riveting performances I've seen in years. Imagine the commanding, emotional range of Sally Field without the ham. Her eye movements, the delivery of the lines, her intermittent shifts between mania hopelessness. The acting is stellar all around. I would also like to give an honorable mention to Dennis Boutsikaris. He has really locked himself into quite an archetype as the soft-spoken yet arrogant Dr. Orin Fell the head psychologist of the mental hospital that Dan is confined in. He exudes a soft-evil, a passive-aggressive, manipulative agent of authority not too far from his characters portrayed in "The Dream Team" and in "Better Call Saul."

The main drawback of this film is the production quality which is fortunately saved by the performances and the script. A better sound design could have been implemented. There are scenes where the boom mic is in the shot and there is a great presence of hisses when the actors say their "s" and "p" sounds. Aside from that, I would highly recommend this film. If you are a fan of the "troubled-teen-trying-to-adjust" trope in cinema, like Good Will Hunting, White Oleander, etc., then The Boy Who Cried Bitch offers a much more harrowing, less Hollywood-feel-good, approach to this difficult subject.

Realistic and Sad look into a Dysfunctional Family.

[ElijahCSkuggs · 9/10 · 30 June 2008]

The Boy Who Cried Bitch, is not only one of the best flicks I've seen in a while, but it's also one of the best movie titles I've ever come across.

The story basically follows a young boy who suffers from serious mental issues. From his interactions with his family and how he rules the roost, to his interaction with the people who run the institution he eventually heads to.

The Boy Who Cried Bitch was a incredibly intimate feeling flick that was really realistic in it's story-telling and it's portrayal of a young boy not being able to cope with the outside world. From not having a father to guide him and to having an incredibly immature and imbalanced mother, all the ingredients are there for a young kid to go awry and not benefit from a nurturing family.

I've seriously got to commend the little dude who played the disturbed young kid. Harley Cross (cool ass name), is a genuine child-star and one performance I'll never forget. He's actually reason enough to watch this flick. I should give the producers and directors some love too, since I'm sure it's somewhat tough to direct young kids. And to do it as well as this, is damn impressive.

It's been a while since I've seen a flick where I've been grabbed so fast and yanked right into the feel and atmosphere. Right away, you've got Harley screaming at his mother, "Slut bitch!" And not long after you've got the Mom yanking her shirt showing.....never mind, I'll just simply say, if you get the chance to see The Boy Who Cried Bitch don't let it pass by. This a really, really good flick.

Thanks Campanella

[kalispero · 3 March 2002]

Just to say it´s one of the greatest movies ever for me. I have seen it at least ten times and even more the last 15 minutes, a truly spine-chilling end. Any adjective to describe the sound track would be incomplete and, above all, the main actor performance is a lesson to Hollywood business empty 'big' stars Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, etc, etc ..

Impossible to find it in video/DVD, it´s unknown even for movie rental shops. A real real pity.

Praiseworthy performance by Harley Cross

[babalbew · 10/10 · 27 March 2010]

I am very fond of looking socially aware dramas acted by young actors as a leading or a key supporting roles. From this point of view, Harley Cross in this movie is the most brilliant among them. He plays main character who has a personality disorder and whose situation turns progressively worse by a mental hospital. His part is so difficult to act even by an adult actor. But he did it only by 12 old years old. It is very touching to view the superb acting which has never done by his age. As a result, he won the Best Actor at Valladolid International Film Festival in 1991. When we check the winner at that time, we can see Antonio Banderas (1989), Dirk Bogarde (1990), Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino et al. from "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992) and Gian Maria Volonté (1993). There were distinguished representatives in those epoch. As a result, this movie is worth to see only by looking his performance. It is really sorry for him he has not recognized as talented child actor after this movie.

A disturbing film about a psychotic boy and his life spiraling out of control.

[KobusAdAstra · 8/10 · 2 February 2017]

Twelve year old Dan Love (Harley Cross) and his two younger brothers know no discipline and get away with a lot. Their single mother (Karen Young) seems more focused on her own life. Due to his uncontrolled behaviour, Dan gets expelled from his prep boarding school. When Dan becomes violent at home, the clearly disturbed boy gets sent to a psychiatric facility where he befriends equally troubled peers. After an arson attempt he gets expelled too. It seems as if the adults are running out of options; the end of the road could be near…

Acting by Harley Cross is outstanding and carries the film. Karen Young is also pretty good as the mother clumsily trying to cope with her son. Cinematography is of high quality too. This film compares well with the excellent, somewhat similarly themed 'The Butcher Boy' (1997). I score this truly unsettling film a high 8/10.

Powerful, disturbing drama/thriller about mental illness

[lor_ · 15 June 2023]

My review was written in May 1991 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

This hard-hitting drama deals unflinchingly with taboo subject matter: a 12-year-old psychotic boy threatening his mother and society. Bravura acting by young Harley Cross makes "The Boy Who Cried Bitch" riveting but disturbing.

Wit a more commercial title and specialized handling, pic could carve a niche for itself based on its intense, highly original approach.

Writer Catherien May Levin works in modern territory, far removed from the comfortable gothic horror of "The Bad Seed". Cross, as 12-year-old Dan Love, is all too real as a little terror who goads his younger brothers Jesse Bradford and J. D. Daniels to amke life a hell for mom Karen Young.

She's estranged from her husband and trying to raise the boys while taking night classes in Manhattan. Money is not a prblem; she's loaded from an inheritance, but it is soon obvious that Young is unbalanced and probably as crazy as her son.

Film reaches impressive dramatic heights early on as Cros' best friend at prep school, kindly janitor Gene Canfield, turns out to be a child molester haunted by his Vietnam War experiences. When the authorities drag Canfield away to lock him up after a violent incident, Cross goes crazy and is sent to a mental hospital for tests.

His uncontrollable behavior soon earns him a permanent stay there, but Cross' bad influence on the other youngsters builds to more violence and he's booted out. Young tries to find another institution but is rejected, and the film climaxes with the two of them trapped together back home in a malevolent finish.

With precocious actor Cross' uncensored acting as the centerpiece, debuting Argentine director Juan Jose Campanella builds matters to a fever pitch. Lack of any hope for protagonists Young and Cross make this a tough one to wath, but canny promotion emphasizing lots of screenings could earn "Boy" a solid film festival and arthouse run.

Utilizing a convincing stammer, Cross delivers a stunning acting display, worthy of awards consideration up against any age bracket. In the trickier role, Young is a bit brittle at first but overall provides the counterpoint to Cross while both Daniels and Bradford create differentiated characters as sibling in Cross' shadow.

Canfield makes the most o fhis early pivetal role. Sympahtic support is provided by Moira Kelly and Adrien Brody as two institutionalized youngsters who befriend Cross (at their own peril).

Tech credits are fine for his low-budget indie, with striking visuals by Daniel Shulman and a suspenseful score by Wendy Blackstone.