- 96 Minutes. Rated PG.
“My son is not a freak!”
Sometimes when you’re a kid, a movie you’ve seen really sticks with you. Whenever you think about it, a smile comes across your face. That’s my reaction when I think about The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, a film that was released back in 1976. It came to mind again recently and I was thrilled to find it at one of the local libraries in its collection. A simple inter-library loan request later, I had the DVD in my hot little hands.
Many people won’t recall John Travolta before his career was revived in Pulp Fiction. But he used to be THE hot teenager, just bursting out of his tv show gig in Welcome Back, Kotter as Vinny Barbarino. The Boy in the Plastic Bubble was one of his first breakout roles, before he shot to super stardom in Saturday Night Fever and Grease. While this role may have been eclipsed by his later films, fans at the time were pleased to see the depth that Travolta was able to bring to his portrayal of the trapped Tod Lubich.
Based on a true story, the film follows Tod Lubich (Travolta), a child born without any natural immunities due to a genetic condition. He is forced to live in a sealed plastic room, with only gloved hands to touch, specially prepared food, and sanitized items. There is hope that there may be a cure for his condition, but until one is discovered, Tod is stuck in his bubble.
At the age of 4, his parents (Robert Reed and Diana Hyland) can’t stand him living in the hospital any longer and bring Tod home to a plastic chamber. When a news team is there to film his homecoming, Mr. Brady–I mean, Mr. Lubich–angrily tosses out the paparazzi-like media, contending his son is not a freak.
In his ever-expanding bubble, Tod grows into an awkward teenager. His one joy is spying on Gina (Glynnis O’Connor), the girl next door. (Yes, I know it sounds creepy. Because, it is). Gina is a typical teen girl, sneaking cigarettes, making out with boys when her parents aren’t home, and riding her horse (I had some pretty big issues with how the horse was cared for in this movie, but non-horse savvy viewers probably won’t notice). Gina’s parents make her invite Tod to their annual 4th of July party on the beach and Tod is smitten enough to want to attend. His parents make the effort to take his moveable travel bubble to the party.
Gina is dared–for the sum of $2–to hold Tod’s hand during the fireworks. When she subsequently blows him off in the typical cruel teenage way, Tod is devastated, throws what can only be termed a tantrum and asks to go stay at the hospital for awhile. At the hospital, he is given a roommate around the same age, also in a bubble. Tod reluctantly develops a friendship with him and they have a nice chat about hookers and masturbation (No, I’m not kidding. I don’t recall this scene from my childhood viewing of the film). Finally having an actual friend is a turning point for Tod, allowing him to feel like a normal teenager. And by normal teenage boy I mean one who is moody and obsessed with hooking up with a girl, even if that includes doing some lying and manipulation.
Long story short, Gina wants to make it up to Tod for her poor behavior, and they develop a very realistic relationship. I give Glynnis O’Connor a lot of credit for her role as a believable teen, torn as she tries to work through her feelings for Tod. She ranges from rejecting Tod to pitying him to slowly learning to like him. At one point she tells Tod that she doesn’t like what he is doing to her. Tod is motivated to acquire a battery-operated space suit of sorts which allows him to finally be free of his bubble and walk outside and attend school. Travolta does a wonderful job of allowing the viewer to see Tod as possessing the same emotions as everyone else, wanting to fit in and show off. Tod even plays up to the realization that he doesn’t fit in when one of Gina’s friends asks, in a marijuana-induced haze (another tidbit I missed during my first viewing), if he feels like he is from another planet. He teases back that he is really from the planet Thermopolus and is on some kind of alien exchange program (Good one, Tod!).
When Tod realizes that a cure may never be found, he decides to do what we all secretly hope for throughout the film–he steps outside his bubble world, despite the dangers. Although the ending is ridiculously unrealistic (Holy cow! He could die from germs any minute!), it hits the sweet spot in the viewer’s heart. For while we are on this journey with Tod, the audience is allowed to develop sympathy for a child who is doomed to existence in a bubble due to no fault of his own. By extension, viewers are sensitized to the many others in this world who are in similar situations and are, perhaps, just a little bit more understanding to those they may encounter in their lives.
The real life Tod was named David Vetter and sadly died at the age of 12 when a bone marrow transplant failed spectacularly. He was also emotionally unstable and railed against his fate in the bubble, unlike the quite “normal” Tod in the film. David lived to see the movie and apparently laughed bitterly over some of what he considered to be gaffes in the film. In one scene, Tod’s space suit malfunctions and he is rushed into a makeshift tent where he can breathe freely. David laughed as the space suit was not sanitized before he rushed into the tent, thus contaminating the pure environment. The scene is quite dramatic in the film, but sadly, only elicited bitter disbelief from the true subject of the movie.
This movie made a huge impact in our culture, including the beginning of the oft-used phrase “living in a bubble” and inspired a spin off film starring Jake Gyllenhaal called Bubble Boy. Our current time is full of awareness of different diseases and conditions among a diverse population, but how Tod is treated still rings true today. While the film cannot help but look dated, it is still relevant in its ability to create a sympathetic audience for the many challenges our children face in the here and now. I watched the movie with my eight year old daughter, and she quite literally couldn’t watch when Tod decided to step out of his bubble. Her appreciation for the good life she lives was definitely heightened after we saw Tod’s story. If you find that this is a hole in your knowledge of pop culture or you want to gain a new appreciation for the blessings in your own life, search out a copy of The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and enjoy!
