Unsavory, Unpleasant and Unnecessary
Added 2/12/2009
Do you know what would be more entertaining than watching this movie?
Going down to the streets of L.A. and sitting on a park bench to watch the crackhead hustlers standing around for hours on end. That's what this movie feels like. In fact, you might get a more interesting narrative than what you'd find in JOHNS. This movie wallows in squalor, despair, tedium, hopelessness...and, for some bizarre reason, religious symbolism. I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who might appreciate a little religious symbolism in their films will never watch--let alone enjoy--a movie like this.
In fact, I honestly can't imagine anyone enjoying this movie. Parking lot security cameras provide more entertainment.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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There Is Humor But It Isn't A Comedy
Added 7/16/2007
The VHS packaging calls this a "dark comedy-drama", and there is a level of street humor totally missing from two more famous films with similar subject matter, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and TWIST. That said, there is almost nothing funny about it. This is one of those films that seems to be made so that it can NEVER be shown on commercial television. There is lots of swearing, sexual situations and some seriously disturbing violence permeates the film from beginning to end.
The Christian symbolism is laid on with a trowel, but the acting is uniformly good. Arquette and Haas are tremendously watchable in unappealing roles.
I don't think that I would want to watch this a second time. It is just way too violent, but there are some remarkable moments, especially an ineffably touching last encounter between Arquette and Richard Kind as a sympathetic hotel clerk.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A docu-drama style coming of age queer film with memorable performances from Arquette and Haas.
Added 1/18/2007
I was rather surprised that I didn't see this film when it first came out more than ten years ago, because it's on the level of compelling drama as My Own Private Idahol(River Phoenix). Having recently worked with Lukas Haas in The Stillborn(a horror film kind of like The Sixth Sense), I was quite eager to check out what he was like in terms of acting when he was 19 years old. I didn't quite expect to see David Arquette play a hustler, but it's convincing enough because his character is straight and he's "gay for pay". I must say that overall, this film is more touching than My Own Private Own Idahol, but it's kind of lower-budget and has a documentary feel to it.
Lukas Haas plays Donner, a ranaway/disowned wealthy son of a businessman. He's down and out in L.A. and befriends a more experienced street hustler John,played David Arquette. Donner goes through "dates" that John had seen many times before and they share a strong bond dispite their different sexual orientations. Donner eventually considers leaving the street life, but he must save enough money to buy his ticket. John wanted to go with Donner, but his hope for a new life gets jepardized when he got picked up by his last date, a homophobic trucker....
I was quite surprised that Arquette was willing to do a lot of sexy scenes like kissing and seductively dancing, and simultated oral sex with other men. Lukas Haas' role is less challenging compared to Arquette, but his performance was still very real. I loved the scene when he got picked up by elderly client and he got smacked until he was nose-bleeding. He had more dramatic and moving moments at the end of the film. I noticed that even Terence Howard Stamp played a supporting role as a gay pimp.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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guilty pleasure
Added 1/12/2007
I really like this movie though it has not so hot reviews. I found it really sad, and it showed a side of the population unfamiliar to most of us. It didn't hurt to have David Arquette dancing in his boxers either!
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Maybe too realistic for most people
Added 8/13/2006
This is a good movie with a solid story and realistic acting. Anyone who couldn't feel for these characters must have either not been paying attention to the movie or they are just heartless. Even though I don't enjoy seeing the sad lives of young hustlers the fact is they are out there. As with Donner many are there because they were kicked out of their homes by their parents who rejected them for being gay and others are there because of being repeatedly sexually abused. I didn't get the feeling that this was just another low-budget movie. The movie appropriately relayed the coldness and "bad lighting" of living on the streets.
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Unsavory, Unpleasant and Unnecessary
Added 2/12/2009
Do you know what would be more entertaining than watching this movie?
Going down to the streets of L.A. and sitting on a park bench to watch the crackhead hustlers standing around for hours on end. That's what this movie feels like. In fact, you might get a more interesting narrative than what you'd find in JOHNS. This movie wallows in squalor, despair, tedium, hopelessness...and, for some bizarre reason, religious symbolism. I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who might appreciate a little religious symbolism in their films will never watch--let alone enjoy--a movie like this.
In fact, I honestly can't imagine anyone enjoying this movie. Parking lot security cameras provide more entertainment.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
There Is Humor But It Isn't A Comedy
Added 7/16/2007
The VHS packaging calls this a "dark comedy-drama", and there is a level of street humor totally missing from two more famous films with similar subject matter, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and TWIST. That said, there is almost nothing funny about it. This is one of those films that seems to be made so that it can NEVER be shown on commercial television. There is lots of swearing, sexual situations and some seriously disturbing violence permeates the film from beginning to end.
The Christian symbolism is laid on with a trowel, but the acting is uniformly good. Arquette and Haas are tremendously watchable in unappealing roles.
I don't think that I would want to watch this a second time. It is just way too violent, but there are some remarkable moments, especially an ineffably touching last encounter between Arquette and Richard Kind as a sympathetic hotel clerk.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
A docu-drama style coming of age queer film with memorable performances from Arquette and Haas.
Added 1/18/2007
I was rather surprised that I didn't see this film when it first came out more than ten years ago, because it's on the level of compelling drama as My Own Private Idahol(River Phoenix). Having recently worked with Lukas Haas in The Stillborn(a horror film kind of like The Sixth Sense), I was quite eager to check out what he was like in terms of acting when he was 19 years old. I didn't quite expect to see David Arquette play a hustler, but it's convincing enough because his character is straight and he's "gay for pay". I must say that overall, this film is more touching than My Own Private Own Idahol, but it's kind of lower-budget and has a documentary feel to it.
Lukas Haas plays Donner, a ranaway/disowned wealthy son of a businessman. He's down and out in L.A. and befriends a more experienced street hustler John,played David Arquette. Donner goes through "dates" that John had seen many times before and they share a strong bond dispite their different sexual orientations. Donner eventually considers leaving the street life, but he must save enough money to buy his ticket. John wanted to go with Donner, but his hope for a new life gets jepardized when he got picked up by his last date, a homophobic trucker....
I was quite surprised that Arquette was willing to do a lot of sexy scenes like kissing and seductively dancing, and simultated oral sex with other men. Lukas Haas' role is less challenging compared to Arquette, but his performance was still very real. I loved the scene when he got picked up by elderly client and he got smacked until he was nose-bleeding. He had more dramatic and moving moments at the end of the film. I noticed that even Terence Howard Stamp played a supporting role as a gay pimp.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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