BoyTown is an Australian comedy film from 2006, written and produced by Richard and Mick Molloy and directed by Kevin Carlin.
The film focuses on BoyTown, one of the greatest boy bands of the 1980s. Nearly 20 years after their breakup, Benny G (Glenn Robbins), convinces his bandmates (Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin, Wayne Hope and Gary Eck) to reform. After a messy start, the band find success with new songs tailored to their now middle-aged audience, resulting in a world tour. But before too long, the personal issues that had been buried for twenty years come bubbling to the surface with explosive consequences.
BoyTown provides examples of:
- As Himself: James Mathison (then co-host of Australian Idol) and Ella Hooper of Killing Heidi appear in the ARIA Awards scene.
- Boy Band: BoyTown, who formed at around the start of the real life Boy Band craze.
- Breakup Breakout: In-Universe, Benny's attempt at a solo album this was part of what broke up the band the first time, and it wasn't too successful. Tommy makes him promise not to try again when he rejoins the band, causing some tension when he thinks Benny has broken his promise.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Holly holds off on telling Benny she's pregnant again after he tells her they'll be going on tour. She eventually tells him when she and Katie visit him in Rio.
- Coming-Out Story: For Carl, who was rumoured to be gay back in the band's heyday.
- Death Seeker: After Tommy causes a rift between him and Benny at the end of the tour, he goes back to working as a crossing guard and tries to direct a truck to drive into him.
- Happily Married: Benny G and Holly.
- I Can't Hear You: When the band members all lose their voices to an infection, their manager tells them their final concert will go ahead with them lip-syncing, unless he hears any objections. The boys protest vehemently but hoarsely, and their manager says he can't hear a thing.
- Milholland Relationship Moment: Double-subverted when Holly admits that she cheated on Benny with Tommy years earlier. Benny has long-since known and forgiven both of them for it, but then Holly spells out for him that Tommy may be Katie's biological father. But even this doesn't upset him for too long, and he ends up burning the result of a Daddy DNA Test without reading it.
- Mockumentary: Mick Molloy's long-time collaborator Tony Martin was hired to produce BoyTown Confidential for the DVD extras, but the project was canceled by the Molloys, reportedly due to a lack of post-production funding, despite Tony stating that
he would have gladly funded the rest himself. This has led to speculation that the mockumentary was actually cut because it would have upstaged BoyTown itself, and Tony and Mick have not worked together since. - Poor Communication Kills: Tommy answers the phone in Benny's hotel room in Rio and Marty unwittingly tells him that something has been "locked in", leading Tommy to accuse Benny of planning a solo album despite his earlier promise. As it happens, he was actually trying to arrange for them to perform at the Grammys.
- Putting the Band Back Together: Happens relatively quickly in the first act.
- Slow Clap: When the band appear at the ARIA awards and redeem themselves for the lip syncing incident.
- Sudden Downer Ending: The band are killed in a plane crash with very little buildup.
- That Syncing Feeling: The boys are forced to resort to this in their final concert in Sydney due to illness, using a recording of their Tokyo concert. It backfires due to the recording being distorted.
- Travel Montage: During the band's tour, including one amusing moment where they fly back to Melbourne just to pick up Tommy's gran.
