The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)

Best movie of this year hands down!

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

O.K., perhaps sweet isn't the right word for what John Travolta goes through in this T.V. movie that ranks up there with the best of them from the 1970's. It was a big deal in 1976, and while today's audiences might either look at Travolta as an aged joke or view sentimentality as dated as rotary phones, but that aside, this was a daring view of a potentially tragic story that needed to be told.Playing the supposed real life Todd Lubitch (actually fictional) who spent years in a totally germ free and sanitary environment while trying to live life like a normal teenager. Falling in love with next four neighbor Glynis O'Connor, he decides to try to go to school, all the while hoping for some kind of release. Health scares involving lack of air, causing more concerns for his guilt ridden and overly devoted parents (Robert Reed and Diana Hyland).As far from his early successes on T.V. and in movies as he could be, Travolta shows tremendous vulnerability. It's easy to see why he got the breaks he did. Ralph Bellamy gives a sincere performance as his lifelong doctor, with future "mama" Anne Ramsey in a small role as his prickly, sherry drinking nurse. There's one scene in a hospital with another boy in a plastic bubble that has unintentional gay connotations as they broach the subject of masturbation. This ends up being a nail biter towards the end because it never is clear as to what the worst that could happen would be. This was said to be a true story but evidence has proved that not to be true, although there were similar cases with younger real children. That doesn't diminish the impact even though it did provide false hope for the real life victims of similar ailments.

Indeed,what would they say? That is,the cast of this film if they could see how time has only served to treat this above par TV movie,like it's some sort of 1970's retro-joke?! I'm sure if Robert Reed were alive today he'd be outraged! My main thought though,does Travolta know about this? ...and if he does,why hasn't he done something about it? If I were an actor I'd certainly find a way! I bought this on VHS in 1997 after having not seen it for over 18 years. On the cover of mine is a fairly young Travolta wearing a white turtleneck. (Ick!) It was a mere $2 at Montgomery Wards and here's why...it was a cheap knock-off recorded off FOX Channel 32 in Chicago! The stations logo briefly appearing during the scene of Todd's fist day in High School.Okay,enough of the tirade! My opinion of the movie itself? I think it's one of the finest "movies of the week" ever made at the time and in some cases,since. I saw this in it's initial airing on Nov. 12th,1976 and never forgot it. Travolta gives us a waterfall of emotions in this film:Joy,Sadness,Anger,Fear,etc. Films about medical conditions usually would have been preachy or maudlin. This treats Todd's condition like it should be, not "oh poor Todd,he's an outcast!" Like Robert Reed says to the reporters,"My son's not a freak!" He turns in a very good performance as well. He doesn't completely do a 360 from Mike Brady but it was a good start. The other young actors do a fine job of being exactly what kids are like when faced with something they don't understand. They talk about Todd behind his back and Gina plays a cruel joke on him at a beach outing. I wont say more about them,I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it.It's no wonder that Travolta became as big as he did! "Welcome Back Kotter" was a mere stepping stone compared to this. This was his spring- board to "Saturday Night Fever" and beyond,in my view. To all those under 30 who haven't seen this....forget that it's made in the '70s and watch it for the story alone. I know you will not be disappointed.In closing,one amusing thing I remember. Without giving away anything,when I saw the ending back in '76 at age 8,I thought he was "all better"! (Ha-ha,talk about innocence).

During one of my frequent raids of the $1 DVD bins, I found this 1976 made for TV movie. When reading the synopsis on the package I saw that it was "based on a true story" of a boy named Tod Lubitch (played by John Travolta) who was born without an immune system and had to live in a sterile environment. That brought to my mind a Houston boy named David Joseph Vetter III who was in the news a lot when I was growing up. David had the same problem, lived in the same environment and died at the age of 12.Upon my research I discovered that this movie is fictional. There was no Tod Lubitch. "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" was inspired by the aforementioned David but isn't about him. $1 DVDs have a bad habit of providing false information and the "true story" claim is yet another example, as is the cover photo of Travolta, which appears to be only a few years old. He was actually in his early 20s when this movie originally aired.Now for the movie. After spending a few minutes each showing Tod's life as an infant and a four year old - when he begins spending some time at home, where a sterile room is set up for him - the remainder of the movie shows him around the age of 17.Despite the way he's forced live, Tod is a happy kid who has a close relationship with his parents. But he holds out hope that someday his body will build up enough immunities for him to leave his sterile environment.Gradually, Tod is able to live a more normal life. He is sometimes wheeled outside in a protective cart. He participates in high school through televisions and cameras set up in his room and the classroom. And later he begins attending school in person by wearing a protective suit much like one an astronaut wears. Tod actually blends in fairly well with the other students. He is a victim of some insensitivity but not a lot and he ends up graduating.As the movie progresses, Tod falls in love with classmate and next door neighbor Gina Biggs (Glynnis O'Connor). In one scene about midway through the movie, she pretends to express romantic interest in him but then he realizes she was just trying to win a bet with two of her male friends, which devastates Tod. But she later has a change of heart and falls for Tod, too.This leaves Tod with a monumental decision - continue to remain in his sterile environment, in which is only human contact is gloved hands, or risk his life to be with Gina.For the most part, I like this movie. It tells a bittersweet story in a very moving way. Travolta's performance is convincing and he shows great signs of things to come. I found myself feeling really sorry for Tod. The supporting cast is also strong and includes the late Robert Reed ("The Brady Bunch") as Tod's father, Johnny Lubitch. I think this is the only role I've ever seen Reed play other than Mike Brady. He displays good serious acting skill.But the movie is marred by its unclear ending. And I noticed one other significant flaw - in a scene in which Tod's protective suit runs out of oxygen, he rushes into the sterile section of his classroom, aided by classmates, and takes the suit off inside. It seems to me that the outside of the suit would be carrying germs, which would contaminate the sterile section and open Tod to germs that very well might kill him.The technical quality of the DVD that I have isn't great and looks like it might have been a direct transfer from a master tape that had been sitting on a shelf for years. But the quality is decent enough to watch comfortably.Overall, this is a very good movie that is well worth the dollar. 7/10.

Cheap melodramatic made-for-TV production (supposedly based on a true story) about a young man (John Travolta) who has a rare immune disease that prevents his body from keeping out deadly germs, so he spends his days in a gigantic plastic bubble. Very predictable and full of sappy TV cliches. It's just not very good. I refer the comedy remake of 2001, "Bubble Boy," despite its critical insultations.