''Ratboy'' is a 1986 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by and starring

Sondra Locke Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. An alumna of Middle Tennessee State University, Locke broke into regional show business with ass ...

. The make-up effects were designed by

Rick Baker Richard Alan "Rick" Baker (born December 8, 1950) is a retired American special make-up effects creator and actor. He is mostly known for his creature designs and effects. Baker has won the Academy Award for Best Makeup a record seven times f ...

. The film's scenario is at times

comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...

or serious, and one of its peculiarities is that there never is any explanation for Ratboy's origin and existence as a human-rat hybrid. Principal photography started on September 6, 1985, and ended in October 1985. ''Ratboy'' had a troubled production and was both a critical and commercial failure.

Synopsis

A former

window dresser Window dressers are retail workers who arrange displays of goods in shop windows or within a shop itself. Such displays are themselves known as " window dressing". They may work for design companies contracted to work for clients or for departme ...

named Nikki overhears mention of a mysterious "Ratboy" named Eugene while

dumpster diving Dumpster diving (also totting, skipping, skip diving or skip salvage) is wikt:salvage, salvaging from large commercial, residential, industrial and construction containers for unwanted items discarded by their owners but deemed useful to the ...

at a dump. After finding and befriending him, Nikki makes several attempts at marketing his uniqueness to the public. At the same time, Eugene wishes to avoid public attention.

Cast

as Nikki Morrison *

Sharon Baird Sharon Baird, born August 16, 1943 in Seattle, Washington, is an American actress, voice actress, singer, dancer and puppeteer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer. Early life She has one younger brother, Jimmy, also a former chi ...

as Eugene / Ratboy (credited as S.L. Baird) ** Gordon Anderson as the voice of Eugene / Ratboy * Robert Townsend as Manny *

Christopher Hewett Christopher George Hewett (5 April 1921 – 3 August 2001) was an English actor and theatre director best known for his role as Lynn Aloysius Belvedere on the ABC sitcom ''Mr. Belvedere''. Career Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex to Chr ...

as Acting Coach *

Larry Hankin Lawrence Alan Hankin (born December 7, 1937) is an American character actor. He has had major film roles as Charley Butts in '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), Ace in '' Running Scared'' (1986), and Carl Alphonse in '' Billy Madison'' (1995). H ...

as Robert Jewell *

Sydney Lassick Sydney Lassick (July 23, 1922 – April 12, 2003) was an American character actor perhaps best known for his role as Charlie Cheswick in the feature film '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. Lassick's first name was sometimes spelled ''Sidney' ...

as Lee "Dial-A-Prayer" *

Gerrit Graham Gerrit Graham (born November 27, 1949) is an American stage, television, and film actor as well as a scriptwriter and songwriter. He is best known for his appearances in multiple films by Brian De Palma as well as appearances in two ''Star Trek'' ...

as Billy Morrison *

Louie Anderson Louis Perry Anderson (March 24, 1953 – January 21, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host. He created the cartoon series ''Life with Louie'' and the television sitcom ''The Louie Show'', and wrote four books ...

as Omer Morrison *

Billie Bird Billie Bird Sellen (February 28, 1908 – November 27, 2002), better known professionally as Billie Bird, was an American actress and comedian. She played Margie in '' Dear John'' (1988–1992). Early life Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was ...

as Psychic *

John Witherspoon John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense real ...

as "Heavy" * Charles Bartlett as Catullus Cop *

Tim Thomerson Joseph Timothy Thomerson (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Jack Deth in the '' Trancers'' film series, his work in numerous low-budget features, and his comedic television roles. He appear ...

as Alan Reynolds (uncredited)

Production

spent 8 months designing the titular ''Ratboy'' specifically with

in mind for the role.

Marketing

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' shaved six years off Sondra Locke's age in an article to promote the film.

Release

The film was given a limited opening in only two cities, Los Angeles and New York.

Reception

The film has a 'rotten' rating of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave it two out of four stars, calling the film 'perplexing' and criticizing the film's unique premise devolving into a more standard narrative. Janet Maslin of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the film 'disorganized', criticizing the script and directing choices of Locke. On the opposite end, Michael Wilmington of ''The Los Angeles Times'' was more positive, calling the film, 'Grimm Brothers-style, mixing wonder with rough edges, undertones of pain beneath the fantasy.'

Awards

Sondra Locke received a

Razzie Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzi ...

nomination for Worst Actress.

References

External links

* * 1986 films Warner Bros. films Films directed by Sondra Locke 1986 drama films American drama films Malpaso Productions films Films scored by Lennie Niehaus 1986 directorial debut films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{1980s-US-film-stub