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The Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band

Drama · 1970

Harold is celebrating a birthday, and his friend Michael has drafted some other friends to help commemorate the event. As the evening progresses, an unexpected guest shows up, the alcohol flows, the knives come out, and dormant and unspoken emotions are unleashed.

Movie details

The Boys in the Band

“... is not a musical.”

1970 Drama 2h 0m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Harold is celebrating a birthday, and his friend Michael has drafted some other friends to help commemorate the event. As the evening progresses, an unexpected guest shows up, the alcohol flows, the knives come out, and dormant and unspoken emotions are unleashed.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Boys in the Band?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Midnight Cowboy

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The Normal Heart

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The Tender Bar

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

William Friedkin

Written by

Mart Crowley

Kenneth Nelson

Kenneth Nelson

Michael

Leonard Frey

Leonard Frey

Harold

Peter White

Peter White

Alan McCarthy

Cliff Gorman

Cliff Gorman

Emory

Frederick Combs

Frederick Combs

Donald

Reuben Greene

Reuben Greene

Bernard

Laurence Luckinbill

Laurence Luckinbill

Hank

Court is in session

Put The Boys in the Band on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.