Wednesday
Aug242011
What are you, some kind of Astronaut?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 4:00PM 
Your challenge for the day should you choose to accept it is to use the following in conversation at some point:"Pappy told me about Poon but he neversaid anything about Poonanny, Pippy."
Do it! Because today is the 10th anniversary of Bubble Boy of course, and such an occasion demands reverent observation. Where would we be without Bubble Boy? Would the world have ever learned to love all things Gyllenhaalic without it? Oh sure some might say that Jake Gyllenhaal owes his career to the cult of Donnie Darko, a film that flopped in theaters just two months later (perhaps a movie about planes falling out of the sky didn't stand a whole lot of a chance right after 9/11) but eventually went on to coil its little bunny-shaped permanent place in a distant corner of the cultural imagination all the same, but those in the know... well those in the know still credit Donnie Darko with Jake's career.
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But Bubble Boy is fun! In the world of guilty pleasures I don't rank this one as all that guilty - it's actually funny! Swoosie Kurtz is a riot! It has a young Marley Shelton as the love interest! John Carroll Lynch for god's sake!
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"...and the prince climbed up Rapunzel's hair to the top of the tower and said, 'Come with me, and we'll live happily ever after.' Then Rapunzel left her plastic bubble and died. The end."
And then of course there's Jake, indulging his goofiest side with wild-eyed aplomb. Why he doesn't make more comedies I really don't understand - anyone that's seen him on a talk show can agree, the boy's an endearing goofball. He was a great host on SNL. Love and Other Drugs was a terrible mess but lit up whenever he got to shine that sexy wicked grin (or, okay, any of his other two-thousand body parts).
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Have you seen Bubble Boy?
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Reader Comments (7)
I think you'll find that those in the know credit October Sky with Jake's career, not Bubble Boy. Which also happens to be a much better film. Truly a hidden gem from the glorious cinematic year that was 1999.
I remember catching some of it shortly after its release, before the Gyllenhaal craze hit, and seeing the emotional climax of the film when Jake comes out of the bubble for his true love, Marley Shelton. I thought to myself, This guy can actually act!
That's my Bubble Boy memory :P
I too discovered (that I had a crush on) Jake in October Sky. But Bubble Boy is delightful and it is not October Sky's 10th anniversary, so whatever. Totally agreed that he should make room for a few more comedies in his schedule (or at least allow his dramatic roles to let his natural charms come through, as in Love & Other Drugs and Source Code.
honestly i know skipped October Sky so Donnie Darko was the birth of Jake Gyllenhaal for me. When I discovered this it was like discovering he'd been born twice in 2001: dramatic Jake and goofy Jake. and then Jennifer Aniston went and polluted him in The Good Girl but thankfully that was shortlived and he became wonderment.
Is it just me or does he look a wee little bit like kd lang (circa "Absolute Torch and Twang") in that last pic?
I'll be honest Nat I've never even heard of this film, though I do love me some Swoosie, so I should probably check it out.
Loved this movie when it came out because I found it so hilarious. Favorite jokes included the "curry" Ice Cream Truck joke, and the Contest-winning "5 Dolla!" (or is it 10? I need to rewatch this!) shouting match.
Time to go rent this!
Bubbletober Darko: Best mashup ever. I wish it existed.....
I love Bubble Boy. Its really funny and goofy. A boy in a bubble goes on a road trip. I LOVE road trip movies.
ps lets all wrap ourselves in bubble wrap to celebrate.