Review: The Boyfriend School, the Movie

I was delighted to see that this 1990 movie was added to Amazon Prime.

What pleased me even more was that they retitled the movie. Originally, the title had been Don’t Tell Her It’s Me.

Now, the movie bears the name of the book on which it was based, The Boyfriend School by Sarah Bird.

Ms. Bird, who wrote 5 books for Silhouette Special Edition under the name Tory Cates, adapted the book for the movie and wrote the screenplay.

I always thought the original title of this story was the better title.

The book is a little different from the movie of course. If you’d like to read The Boyfriend School, you’ll find it on Amazon in several editions.

About the Movie

Painfully boring Gus isn’t exactly ladies’ man material—at least not until his meddling romance writer sister makes him the buff and bronzed main character in the romantic fantasies of his dream girl, Emily.

Okay, that’s the blurb on the webpage. This is what it doesn’t tell you.

Gus is a cancer survivor, but shows the effects of the battle. He’s hairless, bloated, and painfully aware of how he must look to women. Time and the return of normalcy will fix that, but he’s already met Emily, the woman he wants. She wasn’t impressed.

Gus has a secret weapon—his sister who is a famous romance author. She knows how to make Emily fall in love with Gus who is sweet, sensitive, and ready for love.

What follows is a movie that pokes fun of the romance genre, but not cruelly. As a romance author, I laughed and loved it. My daughter did too. She names it as one of her favorite romantic comedies.

Does Gus get the girl? Well, does a romance novel end with happily ever after?

Starring Jami Gertz as Emily (name was Gretchen in the book), Steve Guttenberg as Gus, and Shelley Long as the world-renowned Romance Author.

Takeaway Truth

If you have Prime, watch this movie. If you don’t have Prime, rent or buy it. It’s a delight.