Slutty Summer (2004)
Who doesn't want to see a film called
"Slutty Summer?"
I mean, c'mon! This film has a title
that is guaranteed to put butts in the seats. Luckily,
once you plunk down your hard earned cash to see the
film, you're going to get a fresh, fast-paced, smart,
sexy, witty, intelligent, well acted, well lensed
and well written film too. The title is just the start
of the fun here.
Marcus, a blonde 20-something hottie,
walks in on his lover of four years in a pretty compromising
condition. What's a spurned hunk to do? Well if you're
in your mid 20's, live in New York, and are a published
novelist with writers block, AND, if you're gay, you
become a waiter at a trendy Manhattan club. That's
what Marcus does. And his co-workers, as God, luck,
and scripter Casper Andreas would have it, are all
cutie gay guys as well. From the minute we see the
cast here, a slutty summer is exactly what we have
in mind!
That's where the film really starts,
at Marcus' first day working at the restaurant. That's
the first scene after the opening credits and that's
the first time we realize that we are in for a treat.
"Slutty Summer" is full of interesting gay characters
that say the most wonderfully witty and clever things
yet sound realistic and wholly uncontrived. And the
acting here is just top-notch. There's not a bad performance
in this film. Andreas may be a bit egotistical in
taking on writing, directing and lead acting chores
but one has to admit that he plays Marcus quite well
(and is wonderful to ogle for 90- minutes). Jaime
Hatchett is perfectly egotistical and lust-worthy
as Tyler. We really believe this guy is a model taking
a summer off working in a restaurant, no small feat
where acting by a pretty boy is concerned. Virginia
Bryan is wonderful as the needy Marilyn. As the only
female in the ensemble cast, Bryan hold her own with
the boys and carves out a character that we care for
as easily as we do the hunks. The actor playing young
shy boy Peter comes across wonderfully naive. Sure,
we have a hard time believing that this fresh-faced
kid couldn't get laid, but Peter isn't looking for
sex, he's looking for love and seems as needy as Marilyn.
This is some perfect casting.
But the true finds here are the
comic genius of the actor playing Luke, the slutty
boy with the heart of gold and a wit as caustic as
acid and they comic actor who plays the nameless restaurant's
manager, Kevin. (I couldn't find these actor's real
names on-line anywhere). These guys take Andreas'
witty dialogue and make it seem as if it is tripping
lightly off their tongues. You'll find yourself rolling
on the floor hugging your tummy every time either
one of them open their mouths.
If there is any problem at all with
the film, and it's a minor one, it's the pop songs.
Some of the lamest moments here are when a music montage
occurs but luckily they only creep into the film for
a few seconds here and there. Andreas' dialogue is
so witty and his pacing is so on-target that he usually
only relies on the dud top 40 wannabe songs only for
transitional elements.
At every gay film festival I attend,
there is always at least one of what I call the "Gay
Harlequin Romances" films. You know the kind, a sort
of romantic comedy drama that features at least two
or three good half-naked romps in the hay between
sexy younger guys who look like they've got more brains
in their penis than in their heads. Last year, it
was a film about a forest ranger who fell in love
with an amnesiac. This year, we've got something better,
a film that is witty, smart, modern, relevant, clever,
sexy as hell and hilarious most of the time. This
is more like a gay "Sex in the City" than a homo-Harlequin
romance. And it's a welcome change of pace. And even
with such a good script and such great acting, we
get a couple steamy sex scenes too. I can't imagine
a more pleasant, more sexy cinematic diversion for
us gay bois of the new millennium than experiencing
a "Slutty Summer."
Notes:
Shot in 14 days, mainly in Manhattan.
The film began playing gay film
festivals in the summer of 2004.
Viewed in September 2004 at Agliff
with Andreas and some of his producers in attendance.
He did a Q&A after the film.
