Slutty Summer

I'd read some mixed (to bad) reviews of Slutty Summer, so I was unprepared for what a really good film it is. Of the countless gay movies I've seen, this was the first that truly made me feel that I was observing the real lives of 20something gay guys in a big city. The characters are all three-dimensional, even slutty Luke, well played by Jesse Archer, who is allowed to reveal a deeper side to his seemingly shallow character. Out actor/director Casper Andreas is very real and believable and likable as recently dumped Markus (I liked the way no attempt was made to explain his Scandinavian accent), and his developing feelings for equally effective Jamie Hatchett (as Tyler) build slowly and believably. Jeffrey Christopher Todd is adorable as hopeless romantic Peter, and I appreciated the respect with which Andreas treated this character; it would have been so easy to make fun of Peter's sincere desire to wait for Mr. Right. Virginia Bryant has many good moments as slightly ditzy Marilyn, and again Andreas has made her much more than the usual "fag hag" without a life of her own. I suppose it's possible (though doubtful) that at least some of the actors were straight (only Andreas and Archer are openly gay, as far as I know), but if so, they'd have to be quite amazing actors, because unlike far too many films, I believed that I was seeing real gay men (even down to smaller roles such as cutiepie Lex Sosa as Steven). Reading several other reviews here, I truly wonder at the cynicism and negativity of some gay viewers. This is not a bad film at all. This is not a badly made film at all. The budget may have been low, but this is clearly the work of a talented man who has surrounded himself with a talented bunch of mostly new to the screen performers. And the New York locations add to the realism of the story, and are especially interesting for an Angelino like myself (who loves New York as well). Thumbs up for Slutty Summer.

This film was shot in fourteen days. The actors are mostly friends (and the basis for the characters) of the writer/director/producer/editor/lead, Casper Andreas. This is an amateur film. Having said that, Slutty Summer is an enjoyable, cute film about five struggling (writer/model/actor) twenty-something waiters working together for the summer at an outdoor New York café. It's funny, cliché, romantic, and sexy. Yes, it's kitschy and camp, but we like that. Once you get in the rhythm (about five minutes in) you forget that the actors are still fresh. The sets are surprisingly believable. The cinematography and set design give you the feel of a bigger picture. Montages are cut and scored like any Hollywood film. The biggest surprise is the turn of the film when you realize that it's not just a romantic comedy or a gay trick film. I felt good about the way the film concluded, whether the hopeless romantic found love or the drunk found strength.

I watched "Slutty Summer" at the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (AGLIFF) and was very entertained. The plot has a creative premise about a young guy named Marcus that comes out of a long term relationship and gets a summer job where he meets a very different group of guys. Along for the ride is the comical token fag hag, Marilyn. These new friends bring him to grips with being a single gay guy in the big city and together all go though trials of love, sex and attempts of monogamy. The scenes were tasteful and the light comedy is done very well. Most of the acting was excellent and you really get a chance to get to know and love the characters. The film was done on a bit of a low budget as to be expected with an independent film. The entire movie was actually shot in 14 days which does allows for mistakes. The editing was done well however, and all in all, I would recommend this film to a friend.

"Hey now, summer in the city, independent film looking dull and gritty..." It's no wonder that SLUTTY SUMMER is one tired film, it's creator Casper Andreas wrote the script, directed, edited the film, played the lead and provided the craft services. He's exhausted and distracted and it shows. He enlists his friends to play along, and the acting ranges from 'godawful' (Lance Werth as restaurant manager Kevin, in a turn that makes Charles Nelson Reilly look like Lord Olivier) to passable (Catherine O'Hara-like Virginia Bryan as the only female and resident fag hag). Andreas' only 'new find' is Jeffrey Christopher Todd as a prudish gay aptly named Peter (wink wink). Sadly - with the exception of Todd - most of these folks are not especially attractive (or at least not attractively photographed) which can be the saving grace of a lame film like this.

Production values are poor, at best, with horrible sound, made worse by noisy exterior locations and geographically untraceable accents from some of the principals, including Andreas. The cliché-ridden script breaks no new ground ("You can't fire me, I quit!") and contributes nothing to the genre. The tone ranges from high camp comedy to soap opera seriousness, without much success at either end of the spectrum. If viewing SLUTTY on DVD, go directly to the SPECIAL FEATURES section for a series of on the street interviews by cast member Jesse Archer. On the summer streets of New York's Greenwich Village, Archer (a hundred times more winning here than he ever is in the film) asks folks the definition of a 'slut' as well as some of the key questions the film's script clumsily throws out. Now, THIS would have made an interesting film - SLUTTY SUMMER: The Documentary.

So the cover of the movie says its the gay sex in the city...I beg the differ. Yes, in premise there are similarities such as set in NYC and about four friends dealing with finding and losing relationships. Throw in a gay hook, instead of high manhattan-ites, they are waiters pretending to be models, writers, and actors. Seeing past the low budget production, I was quite disappointed that the characters discussed nuances of gay culture that neither provided new insight nor tackled real relationship issues. Instead we are bored with conversations like how many people constitutes an orgy and what does the phrase "sleep with" mean. These shallow and unfunny moments take away from the plot of a protagonist dealing with a break up all gay men can identify with. Whats even worse the dialogue at best was un-witty, and drab. No wonder these gay men are waiters, they talk like they couldn't pass the 11th grade. Given the actors were natural and very hot, the movie is cute and entertaining. But Honey...this was no Sex in the City. *snaps fingers*