The Boy Friend

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The Boy Friend

G,

1971,

2h 16m,

Musical/

Comedy

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Watchlist

79%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

When the leading lady of a traveling theatrical troupe injures herself, the group's shy and demure stage manager, Polly (Twiggy), is suddenly thrust into the spotlight to take her place. As luck would have it, she makes her debut on the same day that famous movie director De Thrill (Vladek Sheybal) attends the performance. Eager to make the jump to motion pictures, all the actors play to De Thrill, compounding Polly's problems. Only the leading man, Tony (Christopher Gable), is sympathetic.

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Jan 9, 2019

It's a delight, one of the high points of Russell's extravagantly uneven career.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

It is delightful entertainment, novel and engaging.

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Tom Milne

Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

Consistency was never Russell's strong point.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Oct 10, 2026

4/5

...a peculiarly British film, revelling in the downward spirals of downtrodden while still looking up at the sequins and stars painted on the ceiling…Russell’s flamboyant direction makes something curious of this old musical that still stands up now...

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 22, 2026

2.5/4

The original numbers are far more entertaining than the ones which merely borrow heavily from Busby Berkeley.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Feb 25, 2026

2/5

Ken Russell’s claim to love musicals may well be true, but it’s difficult to glean when the camera is often positioned as if the performers are facing a firing squad. At its best, it approximates Busby but it's mostly just busy.

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Theodore M

Mar 29, 2017

Surprisingly straightforward Busby Berkley throwback style musical comedy from writer/director Ken Russell, the man behind such dark and edgy of films as "Altered State," "Lair of the White Worm," "Whore" and his boundary pushing D.H. Lawrence film adaptations. The story here follows a "42 Street" type of a story about a understudy, Twiggy, getting her big break when a stage musical's star cannot go on. This film is interesting in that it is quite true to the Busby Berkley style of musical numbers, though Russell films some of them in his own unique manner that incorporates backstage perspectives, occasional touches of the surreal, and infuses them with genuine emotion. Twiggy is quite good in the lead and gives a very likable performance. The photography is gorgeous. The period costumes and sets (which is mainly a theater), all seem spot on. I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but I found this one quite enjoyable. I'm guessing fans of this genre may find this film even more of a treat than I did.

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George S

Feb 11, 2017

Unusual to say the least. Some stunning choreographed visuals though.

George W

Feb 4, 2017

Great sets, great style. Lots of sight gags that are supposed to be engaging, but it drags, drags, and gets boring very fast.

Anakin S

Oct 12, 2008

Ken Russell's film version of the popular stage musical is, as expected, extravagant and campy in style, but it has charm and fashion model Twiggy shows interesting screen presence.

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Ken Russell

Director

Twiggy

Polly Browne

Christopher Gable

Tony Brockhurst

Max Adrian

Max Mandeville aka Mr. Max

Moyra Fraser

Moyra Parkhill

Bryan Pringle

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Synopsis

When the leading lady of a traveling theatrical troupe injures herself, the group's shy and demure stage manager, Polly (Twiggy), is suddenly thrust into the spotlight to take her place. As luck would have it, she makes her debut on the same day that famous movie director De Thrill (Vladek Sheybal) attends the performance. Eager to make the jump to motion pictures, all the actors play to De Thrill, compounding Polly's problems. Only the leading man, Tony (Christopher Gable), is sympathetic.

Director: Ken Russell
Producer: Ken Russell
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Russflix
Rating: G
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 2h 16m

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