Gigolo club

There are some nice moments and interesting performers, but the STORY is where this film fails. Trying to create depth and meaning out of things that are superficial should never have been attempted.

This film also laughs off several serious situations and that seemed like lazy writing from someone hiding shame behind humor. The tale would have been stronger had it called out the sugar daddy character for what he is.

Author Andrew Holleran penned a line that would have been golden in this film: "Don't expect me to be your fountain of youth."

The universality of this story is that it happens to women, too. Unfortunately the filmmakers missed that connection and the possibility of making this story a commentary on the selfish desires of privileged men.

Director George Bamber and screenwriter David Ozanich have adopted Robert Rodi's popular 1996 book KEPT BOY, updated it a bit, gather a fine cast and the result is a well timed gender variation love story that plays quite well.

Dennis Racine (Jon Paul Phillips) is a handsome young boy-toy of much older interior designer/reality show star Farleigh Nock (Thure Riefenstein) who surrounds himself with beautiful things. Farleigh extracted Dennis from his first year of college to become a kept boy (and we soon discover that the houseboy Javi - Deosick Burney – had Dennis' assignment prior!). Dennis is nearing his 30th birthday and Farleigh shocks Dennis with the news that it is time for him to get a job! A new pool boy Jasper (Greg Audino) is hired and Dennis suspects he is a possible replacement. Armed with suspicion and need, Dennis plays to his ambition. Jasper has an uncle Peter (Charles Fathy), a successful painter in Cartagena, Colombia and Farleigh, Dennis, Javi, and Jasper fly there for a visit. Situations heat up in Cartagena and some surprising changes occur – changes that are both bittersweet and proof that love conquers all.

KEPT BOY addresses many issues in the gay community and with the quality of actors cast in the various parts (John-Michael Carlton, Toni Cohen, Vivian Lamolli, Ellen Karsten, Carrie Madsen, Tamara Zook, Skyler Bible and Scott Atkinson), the situations become credible and even touching. The film mixes humor, lust, relationships, ageism and dreams with a fine dose of polish.

It was slow-paced and without a distinguishable climax. Character development was also relatively nonexistent. However, the acting and cinematography of the film was notable. Additionally, there were a few memorable scenes (especially towards the end).

It wasn't awful; in fact, for an independent film it was pretty well done. I could see myself potentially rewatching it later. However, it wouldn't be a film that I would purchase or call up my friends to go watch.

The movie starts with a relationship that already has problems, has little character development and growth and has an ending that doesn't feel authentic or natural to the story but abrupt and a bit forced. It was not a bad movie just not enough to it for me to feel the need to ever watch it again. It truly felt like a couple episodes mid-season if a tv show. I felt that I missed some of the back story as to who the characters were and the what and why if their life position to be invested in their actions, it then ends rather abruptly right when I felt the underlying who and why of the characters were coming out and tensions were building and I was truly getting into it all. Worst of all it is one of those endings where it feels almost like the writers gave up and wrote a cheap ending they thought people would want.

...for the proposing questions. Simple, real, precise. For the nice performances. For the atmosphere. Not great but nice. For a form of definition for the meaning of life. For the heigh of different ages. For the map of vulnerabilities. And for sketches of artificial universes and theirs borders. Nothing original. But useful for the traces of questions and for the reasonable manner to propose them.