Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler

Certainly there is a Mr. Smith, for sure there's a Hustler, but it is as far as it goes while talking about sex. This is not a rom-comedy as some could expect. It's a drama with dark tones because of the photography and mood of most personages. Once set this path, it can be most times agreeable for the viewer. The forces go swiftly on a drama where gay elements are not the sole reason for movement, but are greatly present. The principal actors play pretty well. Larry Pine is a classy Mr. Smith, and Alex Feldman a handsome face in a not that built up body Bobbie. The supporting cast plays fine. It's of particular interest the evolution in Bobbie's character, as he lingers through the film from a mindless hustler to a more sensitive person, who can respond to the dilemmas proposed by the film. So, if you're looking for an introspective film, that's your choice. If not, next please!

This is an offbeat little indie film that came out a couple years ago about a new york city Hustler and his somewhat odd relationship with a client(Mr Smith) who hires him. An unusual, type of movie with quirky characters and an engaging story.

I wanted to see this movie because I am a big fan of Larry Pine the actor who plays Mr Smith. Actually though all the featured performers are good in this and the story though odd, is quirky, touching and different. I suppose if the subject matter is distasteful one won't like this but this is not a movie about sex, more of a character study. I found it wellwritten and very good.Would easily give it an 8 out of 10. I'd like to see these performers in more movies.

This is truly inferior merchandise. One wonders how something this awful remains in the distribution channel even now. Surely it was just as evident during production that this little puppy was a sure-fire bomb. Maybe it was backed by some really dumb money, because who ever was financing it should have stopped mid production to drown this this little mutation for the disaster it was (and saved a couple acting careers and many hours of movie goer's time.) A complete waste of production time, talent and money under any circumstance.

One wonders if this writer is still working? How? I also wonder if anyone would dare to put this train-wreck of a film on their Hollywood resume?; I doubt it. Saying you had anything to do with this film would be a sure ticket to never working in film town again.

You can't help but agree with other reviewer's comments about the dialog: absolutely atrocious. Even more offensive was the acting and line delivery of Benjamin Hendrickson (the bar owner / pimp Mr. Lett): horrible. And yes, the writer could clearly have done more homework on his subject matter; could the bar scenes have been more unbelievable?

If there were a way to give a film a negative star rating on the IMDb rating system, this one would get the lowest rating. As it is, zero stars is too good. Save your time and money and pass this one by. As the movie police says after you stumble onto the scene of a particularly gruesome murder - "Nothing here to see folks, move along."

The title of this DVD made me laugh, and when I laughed I decided to take a chance. Fortunately, playing Russian Roulette with DVDs isn't as dangerous as playing it with guns, because if it were MR. SMITH GETS A HUSTLER would have killed me dead.

MR. SMITH is apparently based on a way-off-Broadway play by writer Matt Swan, who appears to have survived the opening night audience at least long enough to adapt his play into an incredible barrel of tripe for the screen. A handsome young male prostitute named Bobby (Alex Feldman) supports his single mother's alcoholism by working for a semi-evil pimp out of the most boring looking bar you can imagine--and he meets an older and distinguished looking man named "Mr. Smith" (Larry Pine.) Pretty soon the two are up in Mr. Smith's hotel room, but much to Bobby's surprise the client doesn't want do anything but talk about how Bobby's such a nice kid. Gee! What's going on?

Well, I'll tell you what's going on: a total waste of your time. The two leads aren't bad, really. Larry Pine seems to be a somewhat talented actor, and Alex Feldman is at least passable. But... the rest of the cast ranges from dismissible to flatly inept. Swan's script is atrocious, Joe Labisi's idea of cinematography is wannabe-arty angles that were passe fifty years ago, and Ian McCrudden's direction consists of putting the actors in front of the camera and hoping for the best.

One of the selling points of the film is its apparent status as erotic. Do not be mislead, however, on this point. Alex Feldman does indeed trot around with his shirt off and--at times--his pants slipping down. In other hands it might have been titilating, but here it isn't any more erotic than soggy breakfast cereal.

Frankly, if I had been involved in this movie, I wouldn't admit it, much less put it on my resume. Don't give up your day jobs, people. Dire to the nth degree!

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

As the end credits for this film rolled, I said to my viewing companion, "It's films like this that remind you what utter crap most of the big-name pictures that the majors churn out these days are." Even if one of the big-studio execs had the guts to green-light a project like MR. SMITH GETS A HUSTLER, the star casting, phony gloss, cookie-cutter direction and inevitable contrived ending would have ruined it. This gritty little movie lacks all of those "attributes," I'm happy to say, and is all the better for it.

MR. SMITH is not for those with, shall we say, delicate sensibilities. It is not a docu-drama on the world of male hustlers or a study of the psyches of its denizens, and the reality of the lives of those who rent their bodies out in the Big Apple is irrelevant to the plot. Matthew Swan's script establishes a shadowy world on the fringes of what we call "society," and tells, in a simple but compelling manner, the story of how a particular set of circumstances impacts the lives of a half-dozen of its inhabitants.

The characters are complex and credible, as are the top-notch performances of all those portraying them, from the central ones (Alex Feldman as hustler Bobby and Larry Pine as the mysterious client Mr. Smith) to the peripherals (such as Jodie Baker as Sheila). Special praise is deserved by J.D. Williams as Abe, a "colleague" of Bobby's who finds himself in over his head.

Ian McCrudden's direction is spare in style and rich in character development, and the rough-edged production design and cinematography suit the story perfectly.

If you saw HARD EIGHT and liked it, give MR. SMITH a shot. I stumbled across this one, and I'm very glad I did.