Keep in mind that this is "101 Rent Boys," not "Rent Boys 101." This isn't a primer on male prostitutes. In fact, almost nothing new or worthwhile is learned here. This is simply a cheap, exploitive, unpleasant, and disquieting look at "trade" on Santa Monica Boulevard (in Southern California) that shouldn't exist. 101 male prostitutes were interviewed and small segments of many of these are edited together with topic title cards on themes, like "Drugs," "First Times," "Mom and Dad" are used to glue them together. The editing on the film is so poor that no theme or idea would be relevant if it weren't for the titles superimposed over the segments to cue us to what is being discussed. This film meanders all over the place with not a coherent thought in sight.

The filmmakers, Fenton Baily and Randy Barbato, were gutless and perfunctory enough to take money from Cinemax to make the film. They should be ashamed of themselves. Much of what plays out here is an insult to gays everywhere. Cancel your subscriptions to Cinemax now!

In many ways, while watching the film, I thought I could simply take my review of "American Pimp," another putrid supposed documentary on a similar theme, and transplant the word "hustler" for the word "pimp" and be done with it all. After all, they have much in common. None of the guys here (and they are a rather dismal lot to look at) have a pimp, it seems. Most of them are out on the street, hustling of their own free will. They are con artists and cheaters and lairs. They are psychological "dream sellers," like pimps think themselves to be, who bilk people out of money by selling (or pretending to sell) a commodity that should not be peddled, sex. But the boys/men here, while liars and cheats and bullshit artists, seem to be more open and honest on camera than the pimps. They seem to tell little truths about themselves unlike the pimps who were nothing but continuous fake bravado. Of course, with the male prostitutes, you have to often read between the lines and, often it's impossible to tell what is true and what isn't. These guys bullshit their way through life 24/7. Why should we believe anything they say on camera?

But, in the end, the thing that makes the "Rent Boys," all "101" of them, so unsavory is their absolute hopelessness. This film will depress the fuck out of any gay man who has any intelligence or heart. Watching the filmmakers here give the participants $50 bills (which are taken by the prostitutes in numerous ways) is really a putrid sight to see. Worse, they apparently get many of the "Boys" to strip fully or partially for the camera. It's seedy, humiliating, repulsive viewing. It's never erotic because, of course, it cannot be.

Sometimes I wonder how I get myself into these films. Why I set myself up to see such filth. And why film festivals continue to bestow such tripe on their paying patrons. This film appeals to the absolute lowest common denominator.

"101 Rent Boys" made me feel dirty and sick to my stomach.

Note:

Filmed on video.

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