The Cure (1995 film)

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The Cure is a 1995 comedy-drama film starring Brad Renfro and Joseph Mazzello about two boys searching for the cure of AIDS, from which one of them is suffering. It was produced by Eric Eisner and Mark Burg.

[edit] Plot

Set in a small town of Stillwater, Minnesota, Erik (Brad Renfro) is an adolescent loner with a vain, egotistical, uncaring, neglectful, stubborn, self-centered, and selfish mother, Gail (Diana Scarwid) who hardly ever spends time with him. Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) is his neighbor who lives behind Erik, who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. Initially, Erik is put off by Dexter, but the two soon become good friends despite their differences. Erik seeks a family in Dexter and his congenial mother, Linda (Annabella Sciorra), but keeps the friendship a secret from Gail, knowing that she won't approve.

Gail discovers the friendship one night after Linda comes over to ask Erik about something Dexter ate in the boys' quest to find a natural cure for his disease. She is furious and warns Linda to keep Dexter away, showing that not only is she selfish and uncaring, but bigoted and not caring about the friendship. Linda refuses to listen to Gail and encourages the friendship. When the boys read an article in a tabloid about a doctor in distant New Orleans who claims to have found a cure for AIDS, they set out on their own down the Mississippi River in the hope of saving Dexter's life.

Initially they start taking a boat down the river with a bunch of degenerates, then steal their money and try to hitchhike the rest of the way. When the boatmen find their money has been stolen they chase the kids, but leave in terror when they find out one of the kids has AIDS. When Dexter's condition starts to deteriorate, Erik abandons the plan and calls Dexter's mother to send a bus for them and they return to Stillwater.

Once they return, Dexter spends the rest of his time in the hospital. Erik stays with Linda, knowing that not only will Gail be angry, but would not let him visit Dexter in the hospital. Dexter and Erik prank the doctors three times that Dexter's dead... but when they check on him in the third prank Dexter really has died. Once Linda takes Erik home, they are confronted by Gail, who is enraged and believes that Erik had run away. When Gail starts to hit Erik, Linda asks to talk to her privately.

Once inside Linda's home, Gail's anger backfires when Linda pins her against the door and sternly and tearfully tells her that Erik is going to the funeral. She also tells Gail that if she ever hits Erik again, she will kill her.

At the funeral, Erik places one of his shoes in the coffin and takes one of Dexter's to let sail on a river (as eariler in the trip when Dexter's having nightmares, Erik told Dexter to hold one of his sneakers as a reminder that he's always by his side).

[edit] Cast

• Brad Renfro as Erik
• Joseph Mazzello as Dexter
• Diana Scarwid as Gail
• Annabella Sciorra as Linda
• Aeryk Egan as Tyler
• Nicky Katt as Pony
• Renee Humphrey as Angle
• Bruce Davison as Dr. Jensen
• Andrew Broder as Tyler's Friend #1
• Jeremy Howard as Tyler's Friend #2

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Cure (1995 film)

• The Cure at the Internet Movie Database
• The Cure at Allmovie
• The Cure at Box Office Mojo