Film Review: Boston Girls (2010)

SYNOPSIS:

Tired of their boyfriends’ infidelities, two girls (Camille Solari and Shay Astar) from Boston make a New Year’s pact to wipe out everyone who has ever mistreated them — and they soon embark on a murderous revenge spree in this indie thriller. Directed by Gabriel Bologna, the film stars his parents, Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor, along with Danny Trejo, Robert Miano and Damien Di Paola. Solari wrote the script.

REVIEW:

“Boston Girls” should bare the moniker “Made in Boston”. The film was filmed in and around Boston and feels strangely foreign, even though it was an American independent production. As lovely as our two leading ladies are, I can’t help but be deathly afraid of “Boston Girls”. Though there isn’t much we haven’t seen before, in fact, it reminded me a lot of the French thriller “Baise Moi”, it is still an entertaining and frightening ride through the night of two completely crazy gals that, one by one, exact their own style of revenge on the men, and women, who have wronged them.

Carmella (Camille Solari) and Lynne (Shay Astar) are out for a night on the town when things just don’t go their way. Lynne catches her boyfriend cheating and Carmella is raped by a crooked cop. These two events, along with a haunted past, sends the two friends on a killing spree across Boston, scratching the names off their list as they go. Their exploits are highly publicized, much to the disapproval of Sargent Scotto, who is trying to keep things under control and catch the two women responsible. Things go from bad to worse, but the two girls must stick together if they are to complete their revenge.

Let’s start with the bad. My main issue with the film was that it really wasn’t all that original. We have seen this all before and there were no real surprises. Though lackluster, the ending still works and may or may not serve as a stepping stone for another film. And somewhere near the center of the film, it loses focus for a few minutes and threw me off. That could be why I didn’t care for the ending since I never fully recovered from losing it for a minute. I know that they were working on a limited budget but I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Boston, since the city is as much of a character in the film as
Carmella and Lynne.

The good? Well, I really loved the entire cast. Everyone was their part and the heavy Boston accents play a prominent role in giving the film character. Even though the story is predictable, the characters and the actors who portray them are incredibly fun to watch. Especially our leads, Camille Solari and Shay Astar.

They are mesmerizing and menacing, sexy and frightening, all at the same time. The supporting cast are mostly unknowns or somewhat recognizable, with the exception of Danny Trejo who is always a treat to watch. The sad thing is that someone must have been calling in a favor since Trejo doesn’t appear for more than four minutes. The fact that the film is so uniquely Boston, it helps to elevate the material. There are a few odd moments of humor that help to lighten up some of the serious subject matter. Nothing is too graphic, which I like, since rape and murder play a large part in the story, they never go overboard. The script, written by star Solari, works well with only a minor hiccup going into the third act.

I learned from “Boston Girls” what a “cawk” is, and had no idea their accents were so thick and that they drop f-bombs every other word. The film was a cross between “Baise-Moi” and maybe “Boondock Saints” in a weird way. I will stand behind this film, even if you hate it, many will, Camille and Shay are very talented ladies. I seriously couldn’t take my eyes from the screen when they were gracing it. These ladies work well together and are highly believable as best friends. Where this film leads them next, I don’t know, but I want to see them, along with much of the cast, continue to work together, maybe do a sort of “Boston Trilogy” type of thing. Because of the film, I am fascinated to learn more since it seems so alien to me.

Boston Girls (2010)