Bubble Boy

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Bubble Boy

PG-13

2001

1h 24m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

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85 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A coming-of-age comedy follows the life of Jimmy Livingston (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young man born without immunities and raised in a manufactured world provided by his well-intentioned, but misguided mother (Swoosie Kurtz). But when he realizes that he's in love with Chloe (Marley Shelton), the girl next door, he has no choice but to build a mobile bubble suit, and set off across the country to Niagara Falls, to stop Chloe's wedding -- which is only seven days away -- in time to confess his love.

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Critics Consensus

Bubble Boy bounces along with lame, offensive jokes that are more tasteless than funny.

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Dan Via

Washington Post

Jan 6, 2002

Hayes shows a deft touch with both cartoony slapstick and character-based comedy and manages to create moments of real poignancy in between.

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Tim Cogshell

Boxoffice Magazine

Sep 4, 2001

The road trip aspect of Bubble Boy provides fodder for most of the jokes, which are requisitely crude and tactless and only occasionally amusing.

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Kirk Honeycutt

The Hollywood Reporter

Aug 31, 2001

Seldom has a more misguided movie escaped from a major studio than Touchstone's Bubble Boy.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Aug 2, 2024

2.5/4

...somewhat erratic yet mostly entertaining...

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Nov 7, 2019

Sweet, charming, surprising, inspirational and funny. Bubble Boy is pure Disney gold.

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Apr 29, 2009

A fun and oddly entertaining twist on the road trip film.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Oct 3, 2025

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Kaden D

@kdollar Feb 12, 2025

Very entertaining, and I got many good laughs. My favorite characters have to be Pappy and Pippy.

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Alexander S

@RT61935749 Feb 6, 2025

Bubble Boy is a stupid, cute, fun film with young Jake Gyllanhal’s decent comedic dynamic that carries this film along with other known actors and their comedic moments. Nothing spectacular. Grading: C

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Benjamin J

@RT48001836 Nov 24, 2024

This movie was definetely on crack

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gandano

@RT34871186 Mar 29, 2024

so dumb it's funny!!

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Sean D

@RT32113921 Feb 2, 2024

Not amazing, but definitely a tad underrated. I remember I happened to come accross this just by chance one night, and I really enjoyed it. Then a few months later I was staying at my auntys and her freind had borrowed her a few of his dvds for me to watch. And one was donnie darko, looking at the films I saw the bubble boy guy there ! So I watched it specifically for him really, and was absolutely blown away by him in that. Ever since he has been one of my favourite actors. And I still rewatch these two every so often. Which I don't do with to many films

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Blair Hayes

Director

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jimmy Livingston

Swoosie Kurtz

Mrs. Livingston

Marley Shelton

Chloe

Danny Trejo

Slim

John Carroll Lynch

Mr. Livingston

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Synopsis

A coming-of-age comedy follows the life of Jimmy Livingston (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young man born without immunities and raised in a manufactured world provided by his well-intentioned, but misguided mother (Swoosie Kurtz). But when he realizes that he's in love with Chloe (Marley Shelton), the girl next door, he has no choice but to build a mobile bubble suit, and set off across the country to Niagara Falls, to stop Chloe's wedding -- which is only seven days away -- in time to confess his love.

Director: Blair Hayes
Producer: Beau Flynn
Screenwriter: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Germ Free Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Crude Sexual Humor)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.0M
Runtime: 1h 24m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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