Ratboy

Two men discover a shy, rat-like boy living in a cave under the city dump, planning to exhibit him for money.

They leave a note at the site of the Ratboy's kidnapping, which catches the eye of out-of-work window dresser Nikki Morrison (Sondra Locke) who is combing the dump in seach of window props.

Posing as a reporter, Nikki steals the Ratboy back to her apartment, leaving him in the care of her two oafish brothers.

The Ratboy, who is capable of limited speech, informs them that his name is Eugene. Nikki takes Eugene to parties and on television, showing him off as a curiosity - unaware, of course, that she is the first woman Eugene has ever seen and as a result, he has fallen in love with her.

While fleeing from his captors, Eugene encounters a gangster (Robert Townsend) who takes him home and offers to act as his bodyguard. After being hurt by the woman he loves, Eugene is determined to escape for good and his bodyguard decides to help him.

Ratboy is a movie often panned by the critics and cynics. However, it represents a style of movie peculiar to the early to mid 80's. During this time, many of the less commercial movies were akin to their punk music cousins of the pop world with angry social statements to make. Ratboy is, of course, an attack on the crass commercialism of modern American society, with special emphasis on the media.