Movie Review by Susannah Macklin
Starring: Scott Gurney, Michael Cunio, Roxanne Day, Debbie Harry
Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash West
Naive film lover and fledgling camera man Sean (Michael Cunio) moves to LA to try and make a career for himself in movies. On a mission to rent all the Hollywood greats from his local video store, he accidentally takes out a copy of ‘classic’ CITIZEN CUM, a gay porn movie starring hot industry talent Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney). On his virgin viewing Sean immediately becomes besotted with Johnny opening up a whole new area of film he’d never even considered and thus prompting a career with gay porn production company Men of Janus. Sean’s aim is to get as close to Johnny as he possibly can through the lens of his camera, though he soon learns he’s handier with his right palm as he becomes Johnny Rebel’s personal fluffer keeping his ‘member’ hard between performances! While Sean falls deeper for Johnny quicker than a cum shot – Johnny’s got his own problems – and surprisingly they’re of a heterosexual nature – keeping his pregnant, dancer girlfriend happy while trying to stay at the peak of a flailing career.
Part parody porn reference guide and part angsty love story – this is a film that’ll have movie goers flocking to two well split camps – like it or loathe it. It really all depends on if you can ‘get’ the tacky over gloss and hammed up artsy stylings of co-directors Wash West and Richard Glatzer. This movie really is that divided. It flits from a first half of light-arted wit and a deftly comical look at the finer aspects of an untapped by most industry, to a second half of soft focus movie monstrosities let off only by the excuse that they are possibly the deliberate workings of an ex-porn industry helmer and low budget cult movie man. The acting ranges from the Sunset Beach ramblings of the more beautiful members of the cast to well played out pieces of dialogue from relative newcomers such as Cunio who has the the presence to carry most of the film on his shoulders. The difficulties with the movie start when you can’t decide whether the film-makers are just being ironic in their badly delivered soft porn dialogues about stuffed up relationships and the love of two men, one of which can’t admit he might really have gay leanings, or if it’s just a bad movie. So what is potentially one man’s CHUCK AND BUCK could equally end up as another mans SHOWGIRLS.
If you want to see a low budget version of BOOGIE NIGHTS with an easy going edge and a limited insight into an intriguing side of the industry, then you’d do well to see this movie. If however you fancy THE FLUFFER in the hope of seeing some seriously sordid sex mixed with a take yer brain out story – don’t bother – you’d do just as well to rent SHAVING PRIVATE RYAN!!
