Very Cool!!!

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Found in the back of a stolen car, an infant is raised by a crime family to be a "lean, mean and hungry" killer in this unusual film from 'Dr. Giggles' screenwriter Graeme Whifler. Only a handful of scenes are spent on the title character's abusive childhood, but they are highly memorable, accompanied by poetic narration from Michael Boston, who plays the character as an adult. Never uttering a comprehensible word (his character's tongue was cut out for a "birthday present"), Boston is excellent, utterly sympathetic when staring into mirrors and wondering what he has become. There is also a great scene in which Boston finds solace in Christ with wounds similar to those that his adoptive parents have afflicted on him. Impressive as Boston is, 'Sonny Boy' is best known as the film in which David Carradine plays a female character. In all fairness, Carradine gives it his all, donning a dress and exuding maternal instincts. He is never convincing as a real woman though and always looks like a man in need of a good shave and therefore his performance is sadly distracting in a film with otherwise serious undertones. Indeed, 'Sonny Boy' has lots to offer as a personal identity study, a look at the effects of improper parenting and an examination of choice. There is also a lot of mindless violence near the end and a bland romance that likewise distract, but in general, this is a solid motion picture. Making his feature film directing debut, Robert Martin Carroll does a great job matching the desert locations to desertion themes at hand and Boston's performance is simply exquisite.

"Sonny Boy" is not for the faint of heart, or the easily offended. It's a mind blowing, shocking, trashy melodrama that the cast performs for everything that they're worth. It may not be to very many tastes, but this twisted, darkly comic allegory is striking enough and compelling enough to make it a memorably weird viewing. Yet it does manage the feat of being somewhat poignant, even in the face of its depravity.In 1970 New Mexico, a young couple is murdered, their car stolen, and baby unknowingly abducted - by quirky lowlife Weasel (who else but the great Brad Dourif). Weasel takes the prize(s) back to his boss, small time crime kingpin Slue (Paul L. Smith of "Popeye" and "Pieces"). Slue lives with a "wife", Pearl (David Carradine, who plays the role in full drag) who takes an instant shine to the kid. Slue wants nothing to do with a child until he realizes that he now has innocent life that he can corrupt as he sees fit, and turn into a feral attack dog. The much abused "Sonny Boy" (Michael Boston) makes his presence known to the outside world, eventually, leading to predictable circumstances."Sonny Boy" will turn some viewers off and intrigue others. At least it does seem to have the courage of its convictions. While on the one hand it depicts a pretty sleazy little world, it's decently shot in widescreen by Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli and vividly designed by Mario Molli. The music by Carlo Maria Cordio is nice, and there's a similarly appealing, wistful ditty composed and sung by Carradine called "Maybe It Ain't".Carradine is truly something to see as the desert moll. Smith, who didn't want to do the movie but changed his tune when he saw who else had been signed up, is typically amusing as the loathsome father figure. Dourif and his "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" co-star Sydney Lassick are reunited as they cheerfully play their slimy parts. Conrad Janis is solid as a drunken doctor teased by his fellow citizens. And Alexandra Powers is appealing as Rose, the young lady who is moved by Sonny Boy and tries to reach out to him.Worth a look see for the more adventurous among B movie enthusiasts.Seven out of 10.

I stumbled across,Sonny Boy last night,late around 1:00 am on turner classic movies on cable.I missed the very beginning and could not stop watching it! I could not believe what was going on as far as the baby in the car and the sheriff and the big guy talking.What caught my eye was the woman or man or man dressed as a woman! I thought,"is that a man or woman? It's a man dressed as a woman! I thought,why? So I watched as the baby got older and older and realize what was going on.It was sad and I was upset that the way the boy,Sonny Boy ,his name,was treated and made to do.It was really wild and crazy and weird of what was going on in the whole movie.The big guy was so mean and nasty.I watched to the end and had to say it was a good movie and to see it now in this entry was really good! I was looking online to see if I could buy it to have in my movie collection but there seems to be not available on DVD.I only saw it on Amazon only (1) in VHS form.Somesoday had to nerve to sell it for these prices for (1)109.00 and 3 used for 29.99! That is too much for a movie for 1989! It may be rare but not for that price to buy!I hope somebody knows where else possible to buy this movie in DVD.

I just lucked into seeing this in the 'something different' section of the video store and took it home, hoping it would live up to that promise. It did. You adventurous soul who is reading this, I envy you because as much as I intend on finding this movie and watching it until the tape wears through, you are going to be seeing it for the first time. If you have an open mind, this movie will blow it away. If you don't, stick with the mall movies, you'll hate this. This film has no category and plays by no rules, which explains the low rating here and the fact that it's practically unheard of. To put this in the category of David Lynch is an insult to this film because this is no 'I went to film school' art film. It has no pretensions and plays homage to no one, although I personally tasted a slight flavor of "Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia" in some of its humor. That too was a masterpiece that most audiences hissed at and called tasteless and offensive way back when. There's no doubt that there's something here to offend anyone who is jaded but I personally found the Christ/Frankenstein analogies extremely moving, and David Carradine is thus far the best Virgin Mary I've ever seen (I'm serious). One can read all sorts of stuff like that into this movie if they so desire. I liked the "Father, Son and Holy Ghost' quote in the middle of the film, and Paul L Smith's cartoonishly cruel yet fatherly image comfortably fits with my personal conceptions of God so I was happy to chose that route at times (anyone else see the sheriff as Pontius Pilate?). [Mel Gibson, eat your polyester heart out!!] This director, Robert Martin Carroll, has the most amazing gift for creating visuals to describe feelings. A red, ripe balloon lifting up into a turquoise sky for example, describes a first kiss as well as the shock that succeeds it, with dizzying precision [kudos to DP Roberto Pizzoli for capturing that balloon's ripeness - there's no other way to describe it!] The performances, as others here have mentioned, are superb. And the score is so pure and sincere that it took me nearly an hour before I realized that this film wasn't made thirty years ago. I don't use the word 'masterpiece' very often, and after seeing over 5,600 movies in my lifetime, the 'great' movies are becoming fewer and further between, so please excuse my unabashed need to scream from the rooftops, HALLELUJAH! Let us now bow our heads and pray for a DVD release.