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Such a frustrating disappointment

Simply A Masterpiece

Sadly Over-hyped

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

After watching about half the film I kept thinking that an educated, intelligent, successful person would never so easily hook up with some guy he had a chance encounter with at a liquor store, let alone almost immediately claim that he "really loved" the guy. And, if that wasn't sufficiently incredible, he certainly wouldn't stick around once the guy started hitting on him for money for drugs, followed by making a scene at a bar proclaiming that "you don't own me" and "I'll do whatever I want." I even checked in this forum at that point to see what others thought about the plausibility of all this … and initially agreed 100% with a reviewer who wrote several lines beginning with "There is absolutely no way any sensible person would …" and who concluded "The implausibilities in the story are the film's major weakness." That's exactly what I felt too.But I gave it some further thought and watched the rest of the movie … with a bit of fast-forwarding. There are a lot of people, intelligent or not, educated or not, sophisticated or not, who sometimes do totally irrational things when driven by infatuation or, more bluntly, by lust. It may imply a degree of vulnerability but people who seem to have their act together can still be vulnerable as well.I doubt at this point in life I'd be so easily drawn into doing something so stupid, but then opportunities to be irrational with someone as sexy as the character Denny don't come my way … for reasons other than my sensible, world-weary personality.Real people do incredibly stupid things when it comes to sex. If they're lucky, they're not too badly hurt by the experiences and they do return to making sensible choices … as was the case with Rusty. Quite often people in movies do things that we would never do and act in a way that seems irrational to us, but most of us know real people who do such things. The news often reports on famous, supposedly well-respected, sensible people who do incredibly reckless things because of sex. We may even look back on our own lives and recall some amazingly implausible things we did … because of sex.Nonetheless, even after accepting Rusty's illogical behavior as realistic for some emotionally fragile people and also noting that the two main characters in the movie are definitely easy on the eyes, it is still by no means a great movie. There was never any sense of Rusty being driven by his infatuation for Denny, we were just told that he really loved him and had to believe that was what was making him act foolishly. Neither the story nor the acting helped to make us understand why Rusty did what he did.

I have to say that I am a little puzzled that some of the reviewers can't see the depth of the story here. While it is true that the script needed a bit of work, and that the actors were at times confined by that script, there were some redeeming qualities about the film. First, I viewed it at home on Netflix, so the issues some have raised about the sound and lighting might not have been as noticeable in the venue I used to view it. With that being said, I do feel that there was evidence of a solid movie here.First, the actors were somewhat well-suited for their roles. Denny, played by Dale Dymkoski, was supposed to come off as an addict that was driven to his addiction by traveling a bumpy road growing up. For the most part, people who are victims of such a life tend to come off as crass and smug. Dymkoski did this well, and he even looked the part. The director did well in picking that actor, as he is not only a good-looking young man (that had to be because who could be pulled in by an ugly hustler)but he has a tough exterior and the look of a hard-nosed jerk. I am sure he is not that way in life, but he can surely put on that face in front of the camera. Good selection there. I also believe that the script makes him out to be a realistic character. He is not a truly bad guy at heart, but his life-experience has hardened him. He is the kind of guy looking for someone to take care of him. He finds that in Rusty, but Rusty is also the kind of guy Denny might want to be with long-term. That is what made it so difficult to take advantage of him, although he did at times. Denny comes off as a recalcitrant person, yet one that needs to be taken care of, and Dymkoski pulled that off quite well.As for Rusty, Patrick Tatten fell somewhat short, but tried. I also thought the director did quite well in having him live in the environment he did. He restores houses but lives in a motel. This makes sense, for as the story moves on, we get the impression that Rusty detaches himself from what he loves. Otherwise, he would live in an old home he had restored, as would be expected of an architect in his field. This detachment plays a role in his love life as well. While he seems to love and care for Daniel, he has detached himself from him to a certain extent. He fails to understand the need to make a home with Daniel outside of a motel. Daniel tells him he is tired of living in a motel, to which Rusty responds that this is the Tropical, the place where Janis Joplin died. Everyone wants to stay there. He even has only one chair in the motel room, although there are two people living in it. So Rusty comes off as a character that has love and deep emotions but detaches himself from them. This is also true in his dealings with Denny. He realizes that he just wants Denny for sex, but he chooses to portray a relationship built on lust as love. He even goes so far as to say he loved Denny, but it really wasn't love. Rusty has a deep attraction to Denny and loves his sex appeal, a fact not lost on Denny who plays it to the hill and uses it to manipulate Rusty. However, on occasion, Denny lets his fondness for Rusty show by asking him not to leave him or let him go. Denny wants to stay with Rusty, but in order to do it, he will have to make sure Rusty understands that he will need financial support for his habit and lifestyle. It isn't until the situation is almost out of hand that Rusty snaps back to reality and makes the move he needed to make; however, as is painfully obvious when he stops and stares at Denny in the rear-view mirror, it was a gut-ripping decision, one he almost could not go through with.So are these characters shallow and unbelievable? Certainly not. There are millions of Dennys out there. He is a young gay man who tried to leave his hellish life behind only to be trapped in a world of drugs, pornography and fast-talking hustlers. He blended in to this lifestyle, but there was a shred of decency in him, and he truly wanted to be loved. He just could not shake the dirty habits to which he had grown accustomed. There are also millions of Rustys out there-gay men who love the aesthetics of gay life, namely the hot, young attractive guys who seem so plentiful in Los Angeles. His visual desire overshadowed his spiritual desire for Daniel. The beauty of Denny clouded his view of the wonderful life he could have with Daniel. Denny served as a wake-up call, and thankfully, the alarm clock went off before he overslept. So yes, they are believable. There are many who have insatiable desires for sex, drugs, and the night life. Even those who have it together yearn for the cut-loose moments where they can let their hair down and be wild. It was through this episode with one hot hustler that Rusty realizes that good times can be enjoyed, but life is serious. Love needs to be deep, permanent and not based on sex. In the end, he realizes he is one lucky bastard. The script makes that clear at the end. While other things could have put the film in a coma, the script revived it.

This was an excellent film that I didn't expect to watch. I thought I'd give it a try, as I have with many other gay-themed films, and turn it off in 15 minutes. But I couldn't. It is a very remarkable character-driven story. Other reviewers here have pointed out that the characters are at times unlikable or that their actions don't make sense. To that I would respond...that's life. And this film was extremely life-like. Certainly, there's some moments of weakness, but the dialog is very well-written and delivered. Dale Dymkoski in particular is captivating. His character is quite unlikable. At different points in the film, you want him gone, and yet your heart breaks for him. That's a great performance. The character growth in this story is something that's rare to see in any film, particularly one on this budget. Story-wise, everything comes full-circle.As an aside, it irks me to read in some reviews that people were observed to "walk out of the theater." That's a cliché here on IMDb. Every time I read that, I know the review cannot be trusted. It's not a reaction I would expect at a film festival. I'm a lover of film, and I've never seen people leave a theater en-mass, especially one like this. Reviewers should post their review without relying on on others to back up their point of view. People that walk out of a theater do not lend credibility to a review, as they can't review something they didn't bother to watch. And maybe they were just getting snacks.

This flick screened at Outfest in Los Angeles two nights ago to a completely sold out audience. Many standing in line were even turned away. They were the lucky ones.The storyline, in a nutshell: When his boyfriend leaves town, architect and restorer Rusty quickly hooks up with a sexy drifter named Denny. Rusty's already unsettled life is set on its ear when he discovers that Denny is a crystal meth-addicted hustler.Beginning about 20-30 minutes into the film, audience members started walking out in droves. I'm not sure of their reasons, but I would have left had I not been stuck in the middle of a crowded row of people involved with the film. I would have just felt bad disturbing their experience.Why would I have left? I found both the storyline and the characters unbelievable and unlikeable. Rusty is described as a success, but I couldn't figure out why anyone would use that word to describe him. Unable to make a decision or take a stand, he lets himself get pushed around professionally and emotionally throughout the film. Had there been some kind of hook or insight in either the writing of the character or the actor's performance, I might have wanted to root for the guy, but he just kept going back for more and never earned my respect as an audience member.The two lead actors are gorgeous, so that was what largely what made the film semi-bearable for me. And Dale Dymkowski, who plays the hustler Denny, did the best he could with what he was given, so he's pretty much what earned the two stars in my rating.Technically the film is kind of creaky as well. The color was terrible in the print I saw, and the sound was extremely tinny.Recommended for home viewing only, where you have the fast forward option and the ability to give up on it easily if you're so inclined.