"The lingering question while watching Boots, Netflix's new, queer military dramedy, is: why the hell would anyone put themselves through this? 'This' being signing up for the US Marine Corps' bootcamp by the way, which looks to be as fun as self-performed open heart surgery, not 'this' as in watching , which is considerably better than open heart surgery. In fact, it's a captivating, occasionally thrilling watch, with quite a lot of heart, a fair bit of cliché, and some solid performances."
"Keen for a new path in life away from his distant-at-best, neglectful-at-worst mother Barbara (Vera Farmiga) and the head-flushing bullies at school, Cameron's options are limited. Except his best friend Ray (newcomer Liam Oh) is off to the Marines anyway - it's his dream, impressed on him by his military man father - and so Cameron is easily convinced to join him on a searingly misjudged adventure."
"Cameron soon discovers that a Marine bootcamp in South Carolina isn't really the place for a Golden Girls and Wilson Phillips obsessive, particularly in the pre 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' 1990, when being gay in any faction of the armed forces was illegal. As one of his fellow recruits later declares about him: "Definitely not Marine material, kinda f*ggy." Understandably, the word gets bandied about quite a bit here."
Young closeted Cameron Cope enlists in the US Marine Corps bootcamp to escape a neglectful mother and school bullies. He follows his best friend Ray, whose military-aspiring background contrasts with Cameron's sensitivities and pop-culture obsessions. The film is set in 1990 South Carolina, before 'Don't Ask Don't Tell', where homosexuality is illegal in the armed forces. Recruits endure brutal physical and mental trials, including demeaning abuse from sergeants and degrading hazing. Cameron faces explicit homophobia from peers and superiors while searching for dignity and belonging. The tone mixes heartfelt moments, familiar clichés, and tense, occasionally thrilling sequences, supported by solid performances.
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