Ratboy

Ratboy follows Nikki Morrison, an eccentric window dresser in Los Angeles whose ambitions of fame have never quite materialized. When she happens upon a small creature with rat-like features living in a junkyard, she sees a way to turn her fortunes around and sets out to exhibit him for profit. The plan runs into trouble because the creature, known as Ratboy, has no interest in being put on display and escapes into the city, where being different leaves him isolated and vulnerable.

Sondra Locke directed the film, the first of two features she directed, ahead of Impulse in 1990. She also stars as Nikki Morrison, heading a cast that includes Robert Townsend, Larry Hankin, Sydney Lassick and Gerrit Graham, with Sharon Baird playing Ratboy. Rob Thompson wrote the screenplay, Fritz Manes produced, and Warner Bros. Pictures released it alongside Malpaso Productions. The film runs 104 minutes and mixes comedy, crime and drama.

Ratboy was released in October 1986. Its reception has been poor: on IMDb it holds a rating of 3.8 from 839 votes, and on TMDB it sits at 3.9 from a small number of votes. Both figures point to a film that found little favour with viewers.