MovieChat Forums > Bus Stop (1956) Discussion > Obnoxious

Obnoxious

posted 14 years ago by stevenvh
19 replies | jump to latest

Bo is so obnoxious that it ruined the whole film for me. I mean, he's a thousand times worse than Kip in Adam's Rib, and I thought he was pretty awful.
Also, nobody seems to care. When he jumps on the table in the bar to make everybody shut up, you'd expect a few customers would take him outside and throw him in a dumpster. Now that would have been a nice start for a story. Or like when he literally abducts Cherie at the bus station and nobody lifts a finger.
Nobody gets in his way in any way.

It isn't until the last fifteen minutes that there's a change, by then it was too late to save the film.
5 out of 10

--
Rome. By all means, Rome.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 14 years ago

I agree with you. Beau's character was not particularly convincing because when he is finally confronted by Virg and the bus driver at the end, his change is too sudden.

Having said that he was funny and larger than life and when not overpowering Cherri, he was just an over grown child.

rouge silk,
fierce concentrated joy,
fires the blood

[–] babyfir77 14 years ago

Agree with you wholeheartedly! I don't get all of the praise this movie's gotten. Oh I guess if that kind of character is a turn on....... yech

[–] MIchiganJFrogg 14 years ago

I found this to be a surprisingly unpleasant film. In today's world, Bo is a stalker. He strikes me as dangerously unstable. Heaven knows what might happen to Cherie back on the ranch if he does not get his way in something he wants. I am not convinced by his conversion to the "new gentler Bo". That may just have been an act in front of the bus driver ( who already beat him up once for the way he treated Cherie). She should have gotten a restraining order in the beginning.

[–] jeffyoung1 12 years ago

No one will disagree with you, including me. The character, Bo, completely ruined the movie, but I don't want to blame the actor, Don Murray. Murray was being paid to do this role and he was a mismatch for it.

Times were different at the time of this movie. It was not considered stalking to pursue a young woman like that. It was considered, passionate courting, and even in some quarters, admirable for a young man to demonstrate strength, virility, perseverance, and even some passionate anger in pursuing a beautiful young woman. Today we call that stalking because when a man can't take 'no' for an answer, too often tragedy results. There is some unintended redemption towards the end when Bo is finally called out by the courageous bus driver for what he reall is, an overgrown man child bully who deserved his beat-down. That's the one message that BUS STOP left unintentionally. Bullies beware your obnoxious bullying and threats. Eventually someone courageous will stand up to you and hand your a** to you.

I think the director could have done much better in toning down, Bo's over-the-top, overacting. Don Murray was a competent actor as he proved later in IRONSIDE, so this too-obvious over-acting must have been something the director wanted. Bo could have been less childlike and temper-tantrumed. The fist fight at the end would still have served a useful message against bullying, but Bo's character would have been more nuanced and therefore more appreciated instead of despised.

[–] Errington_92 12 years ago

I found this to be a surprisingly unpleasant film. In today's world, Bo is a stalker. He strikes me as dangerously unstable.

I concur, in some ways it seemed Bus Stop was portraying Bo's behavior towards his pursuing of Cherie as his right of conveying his masculinity even if it was a misdirected notion. Honestly I was glad the Bus Driver managed to reveal Bo's flaws, it was such a satisfying scene.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

[–] LuvvieHowell 10 years ago

I agree 100%! I know times where different back then, but women still got RAPED and abduction was against the law. Why didn't she go up to the bus driver and say "Please help me, I'm being held against my will. At the next stop, I need you to call the police."

I was shocked and disgusted at how this film made light of a violent bully simply picking up a woman like a sack o potatoes, and then smacking her, yelling at the same time to her "Shut up!"

Bo struck me as a violent narcissist, not an overgrown boy. And why any women would wnat to live with him, is beyond me. Wife beater for sure.

[–] marktayloruk (2502) a year ago

Anyone else reminded of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?

[–] alisotom 11 years ago

you thought just Bo was obnoxious? EVERYTHING about this movie is obnoxious. Marilyn thought this was her best film? she couldn't act her way out of a snuff film and all you have to be is dead to do that. maybe she'd be able to act her way out of a snuff film NOW, but i doubt it. how this movie ever achieved a rating at all is beyond me.

[–] glasshull 11 years ago

I just spent an afternoon watching this movie and I agree, it stunk. The only good thing was MM in the little costume. Her stupid accent was grating on my ears. Otherwise, a waste of time. Hope I never see it again.

On second thought, It might be OK to leave on with the sound off while doing something else in the room for the skin factor.

[–] shadycady 11 years ago

I would have thought that Beau was special ed from the way he acted.
The Divine Genealogy Goddess

[–] alisotom 10 years ago

they should have painted the bus yellow, shortened it, and made all the riders wear helmets.

[–] shadycady 11 years ago

I would have thought that Beau was special ed from the way he acted.
The Divine Genealogy Goddess

[–] jul_e_c 11 years ago

I totally agree. I had to turn the movie off he was so annoying. How can someone with no social skills whatsoever be appealing???!!!

[–] knight-in-black-leather 11 years ago

I think only M.M. fans would enjoy this film. It was so absurd and ridiculous, which would be okay if it was 'campy' but it wasn't. I'd heard so much about this play and was anxious to finally see it, but it was a complete letdown. If you enjoyed it, that's great, but for me, it was horrible.

"This is a faithful saying...Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

[–] davethemathtutor 9 years ago

Even for an MM fan like myself, this movie was just too awful.

[–] christinellord52 10 years ago

I like the movie a lot, and Marilyn is so darling, but I agree that Don Murray overacted. I think/know he did this on Broadway, so maybe he felt he had to overdo his acting in the film considering you have to speak loudly to an audience in live theater, but not so, and the director should have corrected him. But I agree with you, Bo was very obnoxious and I don't know that I would have gone off with him at the end with a personality like his.

[–] poetcomic1 9 years ago

i agrtee! Cringed so much I needed a face lift. Interesting you should mention Kip from Adam's Rib. The problem with Kip is that he was written as Hepburn's 'gay best friend' and the censors made them ruin his role by making him weirdly straight.

[–] 9 years ago

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