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For the Boys

1991

Directed by Mark Rydell

Laughter and tears. Tragedy and triumph. They lived it all. For the boys.

On a USO tour during World War II, entertainer Eddie Sparks needs a partner to round out his act. Soon after hiring performer Dixie Leonard, Eddie decides he wants her out of the show — mostly because she upstages him. Dixie is close to leaving of her own accord, but her uncle, Art Silver, convinces her to stay. As the years and wars go by, Eddie and Dixie experience a tumultuous relationship onstage and off while they continue the act for the troops.

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Bette Midler James Caan George Segal Patrick O'Neal Christopher Rydell Arye Gross Norman Fell Rosemary Murphy Bud Yorkin Dori Brenner Jack Sheldon Karen Martin Shannon Wilcox Michael Greene Melissa Manchester Steven Kampmann Richard Portnow Pattie Darcy Beau Dremann Jameson Rodgers Gary Gershaw Jim Raposa Patrick White Christopher Kaufman James Patrick Christopher Wilkinson Andrew Bilgore Brandon Call Hayley Carr Show All…

Alternative Titles

For the Boys - Tage des Ruhms, Tage der Liebe, Giorni di gloria... giorni d'amore, Pentru băieți, Kopaszoknak szeretettel, Ноте прошлости, Для парней, За момчетата, Ayer, hoy y siempre, フォー・ザ・ボーイズ, For the Boys - soldaternas sång, 昨日今日永远, For The Boys - Hier, aujourd'hui et pour toujours, Para Eles, com Muito Amor, 용사들을 위하여, עבור הבנים, แด่เพื่อนผู้เสียสละ

Genres

Drama Comedy War Music

Themes

Moving relationship stories War and historical adventure Military combat and heroic soldiers Powerful stories of heartbreak and suffering Emotional life of renowned artists Touching and sentimental family stories Political drama, patriotism, and war Show All…

Theatrical

22 Nov 1991

07 Feb 1992

Sweden11

08 May 1992

Netherlands12

Physical

01 Jun 1994

Czechia

04 Aug 2004

Netherlands12

TV

16 Dec 2003

Netherlands12

Czechia

01 Jun 1994

Physical

Netherlands

08 May 1992

Theatrical12

16 Dec 2003

TV12 RTL 5

04 Aug 2004

Physical12 DVD

Sweden

07 Feb 1992

Theatrical11

USA

22 Nov 1991

Theatrical

138 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Jackson ★★★★ 4

My friends... this film just got even better, and Bette Midler has just entered Top15 of All Time territory, she’s just SO FUCKING GOOD, it’s just insane she didn’t win the Oscar. At least she got the Globe.
Review by Jackson ★★★ 1

Average film... with a performance from Bette Midler that should’ve 100% won the Oscar. Her performance is lovable, light, beautiful, and full of amazing heart that no one else could pull of. And her chemistry with James Caan is funny, and sweet. And the ensemble is one of the most beautiful of the 90’s.
🔙Mank
🔜The Country Girl
Review by Christian Alec ★★★★

The old age makeup in this is absolutely hilarious and terrifying!
For the Boys reminded me of the USO tours people like Bob Hope were so famous for and I think that and the presence of Bette Midler was why I really enjoyed this. Granted, it's very balanced between the fun musical portions and the heartbreaking war scenes that these two have to endure.
Review by Matt T ★★½

Middler is good but this literally becomes a different movie every ten minutes. It’s not just that the setting changes - the tone and style totally shift with it, making for an honestly jarring experience. It’s wild that this isn’t technically a biography because it truly feels like a by-the-numbers recreation of someone’s Wikipedia page, but since it’s only inspired by real figures they absolutely could have done something more original. It also doesn’t help that Caan and Middler have no chemistry, and that the film doesn’t ever pick what sort of relationship they’re supposed to have. There are strong moments, but in general this feels like a misfire.
The old age makeup though... I’d watch a three hour documentary about whatever was happening there. I don’t think anyone involved has ever met an old person? By the end of the movie both Middler and Caan look like villains in a children’s horror movie.
Review by Eliza ★★★

it's fine but it did NOT need to be 2.5 hours long
Review by Nick Davis ★★

Interesting to see For the Boys again so soon after re-watching Bugsy, since they're both such all-in projects for their multi-hyphenate producer-stars, and both seem to suffer a bit from the weight of their visual, historical, and logistical scale. Both have scripts that feel like odd fits for their directors, but the screenplay of For the Boys, much more than James Toback's punchy, fast-moving template for Bugsy, is the one that feels hidebound within conventions of the big studio era in which both narratives commence—and not necessarily the conventions you'd most want to hold onto. For the Boys often confuses scope with depth and bluntness with power. That's a shame, because you can see the better movie that might have…
Review by scarlett~grace ★★★★

I’ve seen this movie a million times and it never fails to make my heart sing. <3
Review by UltimateMovieRankings ★★★

Why I watched this movie? I like James Caan....but I am not much of a fan of Bette Midler....unless she is being run over by George Costanza in a Seinfeld episode. The Midler issue is the reason it took me almost 25 years to watch this one.
What is this one about? With the help of the singer and dancer Dixie Leonhard (Midler) US-Entertainer Eddie Sparks (Caan) wants to bring some fun to the soldiers during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
My thoughts on this one? As much as I hate to admit it.....Midler shines in this one....while my boy, Jimmy Caan, seems to be miscast. Having the main male lead cast does not help…
Review by ZitaShort ★½

I love Bette Midler more than most singers and she gave an astonishing performance in The Rose (1979) but she gives a terribly overwrought performance in this film that is intolerable in the scenes in between her vocal performances. She is the best part of this whole affair as she is accompanied by a terribly miscast James Caan and the two have to work with a screenplay full of half baked jokes and halfhearted attempts at political commentary. At two and a half hours long it starts to become difficult to watch and even laughing at the bad 1990s prosthetics is not enough to keep you engaged.
During World War II singer Dixie Leonard, Bette Midler, is hired by her…
Review by Jay ★★★★

I love this movie because it was one of my auntie’s favourites and we’d watch together all the time before she passed away. Bette Midler that should’ve 100% won the Oscar. Her performance is lovable, light, beautiful, and full of amazing heart that no one else could pull of. And her chemistry with James Caan is funny, and sweet. It’s an enjoyable movie
Review by Pyaku ★

I put this film on my project 1991 because Bette Midler received an oscar nom for acting. She was the only part of the film that was tolerable. Her acting was mostly good despite being cheesy sometimes... but then again who doesn't like cheese!? The old people makeup they put on her was criminal.
James Caan in an oversized suit looking ugly as sin trying to act tough was hilarious. I want to fight his republican ass so bad. His singing was also terrible.
There was some weird cultural appropriating in the film and tonally bizarre depictions of war. Why do they need to use so much racist language? That alone made me hate the film.
The biopic format for…
Review by Brandon Stanwyck

Oof.

Where to watch

For the Boys

Synopsis

Laughter and tears. Tragedy and triumph. They lived it all. For the boys.

Cast

Director Director

Producers Producers

Writers Writers

Story Story

Casting Casting

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Cinematography Cinematography

Additional Directing Add. Directing

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Country

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Alternative Titles

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Theatrical

22 Nov 1991

07 Feb 1992

08 May 1992

Physical

01 Jun 1994

04 Aug 2004

TV

16 Dec 2003

Czechia

01 Jun 1994

Netherlands

08 May 1992

16 Dec 2003

04 Aug 2004

Sweden

07 Feb 1992

USA

22 Nov 1991

Popular reviews

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Writers

Story

Casting

Editors

Cinematography

Additional Directing

Executive Producer

Production Design

Art Direction

Set Decoration

Stunts

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Costume Design