Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 7, 1993                   TAG: 9308130246
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Mike Mayo Correspondent
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BETTER OFF JUST TO THROW THIS 'BOYFRIEND' BACK

It's a low-budget, romantic horror/comedy without a single genuine laugh; not a chuckle, not a giggle, not even a smile. There are a few moments of mild disgust, but the film is so far off-base from beginning to end that most audiences will react with nothing more than amazement.

When the story is reduced to the little tag line in TV Guide, it may read: "Boy meets girl. Boy gets killed. Boy gets girl back."

Johnny Dingle (Andrew Lowery) is a nerdy high school student who has been in love with Missy McCloud (Traci Lind), the most popular girl in school, ever since they were in the first grade. He's too shy to talk to her though. So he dreams up a plot to save her from manufactured danger, and it results in his demise.

But his love is so strong, etc. etc., that the next day he crawls out of the grave. Mom and Dad (Mary Beth Hurt and Edward Herrmann) find it a little odd that Johnny's back, but that's about the extent of their reaction. Missy, on the other hand, is flattered that he's so thoughtful.

Other townspeople, led by Chuck Bronski (Paul Dooley) mutter bigoted remarks about "that undead kid" and call Missy a "zombie lover." These, apparently, are meant to be take-offs on racial slurs, making them doubly crass and thoughtless coming from an all-white cast.

As far as production values go, the film has that made-for-cable flatness. There's nothing memorable about the generic small-town look of the film. The capable cast pronounces all the words right, and they don't trip over the furniture. It's not their fault that Dean Lorey's script is so dull.

Director Bob Balaban can probably still find work as a character actor - he's one of the best - but he certainly wasn't able to do anything to help this weak material.

In the end, it's pointless to be too critical. Suffice it to say that after 82 endless minutes with "My Boyfriend's Back," a "Weekend at Bernie's" will look pretty goodi

\ My Boyfriend's Back: TURKEY A Touchstone release playing at the Valley View Mall 6. 82 min. Rated PG-13 for subject matter, strong language, violence.