Search - For the Boys on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1991 DVD Release: 04/17/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 26 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Comedy Drama, War, Period Film, Musical Drama, War Drama

Bette Midler stars as a Martha Raye-type entertainer during the World War II era in this big-budget nostalgia piece. Midler plays big-band singer Dixie Leonard, who is chosen to perform at an overseas USO Christmas show by her uncle Art Silver (George Segal), a comedy writer for famed comedian Eddie Sparks (James Caan). Dixie is shuttled to London, where she is thrown on-stage with Eddie, who takes an immediate dislike to her. But her performance is a sensation, and the audience can't stop howling at Dixie's smart one-liner comebacks to Eddie. Dixie is catapulted to stardom, and the repartee between Eddie and Dixie becomes the stuff of legend. The two spar together through World War II, the McCarthy era, and Vietnam. But Dixie stops speaking to Eddie when he fires a writer for being a communist sympathizer and, later, she doesn't speak to him again after he arranges for a reunion between her and her son on the battlefields of Vietnam. Finally, Dixie, now an old woman, is cajoled to appear on a television awards show to reunite with a now decrepit Eddie, age 91. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Bette Midler - Dixie Leonard
James Caan - Eddie Sparks
George Segal - Art Silver
Patrick O'Neal - Shephard
Chris Rydell - Danny

Mark Rydell's re-teaming with Bette Midler, For the Boys, comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that, though not anamorphic, does preserve the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround and Dolby Digital 4.0, while a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include original theatrical trailers and television promotional spots. This is an acceptable, if rather bare-bones, release of this Golden Globe-winning film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide