James Marsden

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On Vox: Slutty Summer (2004)
James Marsden
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Released: June 11, 2004 (New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival)
Director: Casper Andreas

*****

Gay films are schizophrenic: either the characters are completely asexual beings or they eat, drink and breath sex.  There is rarely a middle ground.  Slutty Summer, focusing on the sex lives of a small group of waiters (and a waitress) in New York, is no different.  Instead of working out their issues with each other and the world, they either have sex with everything that moves or preach against it.

Markus had the unfortunate experience of walking in on his boyfriend's...indiscretion.   Now, to make ends meet, he has taken a job  as a waiter with fellow gay boys Tyler (a Brit), celibate Peter, promiscuous Luke and Marilyn, who just talks too much.

With the promise of a name like Slutty Summer, you expect utter and complete trash.  Talk about every sexual act there is, lots of naked chests and (hopefully) some naked bodies.  It's hard to expect anything else.  But somewhere inside the script, writer/director/actor/producer Andreas has a real story to tell which is covered up by continued attempts to be over the top.  (Just look at the clothes these people wear or the manager...enough said.)  What restaurant allows employees to have their shirts open halfway down their chests or a waitress to drink alcohol while on duty?  Where do people do nothing but talk about sex within earshot of a customer? 

It's things like this which bring the viewer out of the artificial world created here.  Instead of addressing Marilyn's problems head on (alcoholism, for one), she's "repaired" in a montage showing her reading a book.  Instead of getting into Peter's new relationship or why Mr. Manager is such a prick or why Tyler doesn't do relationships or Luke needs to fuck everything on the planet...it's all played for laughs.  Aww, isn't the little gay boy with the big hair who sneaks out of a trick's house cute?  Look at Markus fawning all over Tyler and invariably getting himself in the same position he was in at the beginning of the film.   Slutty Summer isn't even good for a few puerile thrills. 

(spout.com)

Originally posted on themovierambler.vox.com


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Wow! So you're the guy who watched that movie. That brings the total times this movie has been watched to two - it had to be edited, but the police stopped the crew from burning the reel.

HAHA! Yeah, I can find the stinkers if I don't pay attention, but for every movie like this one, I find something I really like (House of Sand and Fog, for instance). And this wasn't a total waste: there were one or two good looking guys.

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