This one-of-a-kind movie is hated by many but certainly deserves some kind of kudos for its uniqueness. I found myself being drawn into this movie; from the initial moments, where I didn't think much of it; to the growing love between Sands and Fenn, to the violent, unexpected conclusion. Jennifer Lynch tries to inject as much of her father's surrealism as possible into the film, so there's lots of symbolism and weird stuff going on. Calling this film "quirky" is an understatement.I remember this as being pretty controversial when it was first released, concerning as it does a man who kidnaps a woman, cuts off her arms and legs and puts her in a box. It's not in bad taste as you might think, although this supposed depravity certainly seems to be one of the film's main selling points (just check the video box for an example). What surprised me most about this film was the subtle message that real love isn't just about sex, but about what the person looks like on the inside instead of the out. There are certainly a number of surprises and twists as the film commences.As I mentioned before, the acting is pretty bad but bearable. The best of the bunch is Sherilyn Fenn, who turns her ice-cold bitch into a realistic, if unlikeable, character. Julian Sands (WARLOCK) overdoes it a bit with his turn as a childish, confused doctor, but to be fair it was a difficult role to play and I can't think of many modern actors capable of pulling the role off totally successfully. Elsewhere, Bill Paxton (with a ludicrous wig) is a cliché and one of my favourite bit actors, Kurtwood Smith, appears as a fellow doctor. But these characters are all unimportant, as the film focuses primarily on Fenn and Sands, and how their relationship progresses as time goes on.This is quite a slow-moving tale, well shot, and there's little in the way of action or gore as you might expect. The actual scenes of amputation are thankfully offscreen. The one thing I didn't really like about the film was the cheat ending, where the entire sequence of events turns out to have...well, couldn't they think of anything else? BOXING HELENA is a real oddity, and certainly worth a look in my opinion, despite the obvious shortcomings.

Most Americans don't like this film because of a general stick up their asses...as you can tell by some of the reviewers here...and probably from the bible belt....but this movie so freakish of an idea, like human centipede (without the gross factor) you just gotta just see it.Definitely a cult classic that the open minded progressive, no-hang up Europeans and Australian can appreciate. Some things you just gotta see. This is one of them. Jealousy and beauty and control. Freakishly done.No spoilers here.I hate text limitations...whether there is a minimum or maximum.

At it's core, the idea of Boxing Helena is interesting and pretty darn twisted. Knowing about it before hand was the only thing that kept me watching. It's a brave and unique premise for a movie. But it doesn't ever get good. Or shocking. From the get go the doctor comes off as odd and a little creepy. (And for some reason he's applying ear medicine and has cotton stuffed in his ear the whole movie. Why? I couldn't tell you.) His obsession with the (Needlessly?) bitchy Helena is questionable and for some reason there are scattered allusions to some kind of tainted past with his mother. About 45 minutes in, if he hadn't been set up to be so obvious, there could have been a real shock reveal when we find out what he's been up to. This movie tries, for some reason, to scatter erotica around too. There's a far too long slow motion scene where Helena gets undressed and jumps in a fountain at a party. You know, like you do. A scene from nowhere, where Dr. Nick has sex with a completely random and nameless woman to entertain Helena, who apparently reaches some kind of climax by watching this despite the fact that at this point in the movie, she can't possibly do that by herself. To top it all off it ends with - I'm not kidding you - "Oh, it was all a dream." DO NOT waste two hours on this flick, even if the plot sounds as intriguing to you as it did to me. It's a perfect example of how a good idea can be executed incredibly poorly.

...but at least it was better than Dune.So in that one regard, and that one regard alone, the daughter of David Lynch has surpassed her father's work.The worst performance of Bill Paxton's career.Nobody in this film elicits any sympathy or even interest...other than a glancing "that guy is okay" for Art Garfunkel.I guess Kurtwood Smith did okay as well, given the absurdity of his lines and the situation his character was placed in - and the ridiculous reaction that was written for him.This thing really is a turd. Not even interesting for the sex or the horror aspect.