Slutty Summer

This was a thoroughly entertaining film that had laughs and a predictably happy ending. Yes, the characters are stereotypes, but at the same time, the guys are all real people. I know people exactly like these men, and I could see myself in various aspects of these characters. And the topics of conversation were exactly ones that I've had with my friends.

I found Casper Andreas as Markus, the protagonist, perfectly acceptable as a sensitive guy who's a bit shell-shocked after coming home to find his lover Julian making out with a trick. Julian exits, ending their four-year relationship. And Markus takes a job in a Manhattan restaurant, where his friend Marilyn works. Since Markus has been out of the cruising scene, he's taking very tentative steps to get back in circulation.

Markus is surrounded with a very believable group of gay waiters, who are, at the same time, stereotypes. Luke is the smart-talking queen, who recommends his own promiscuous lifestyle as a model for Markus to get over Julian. Tyler is a model who wants no part of relationships. Peter, an actor, is a serious young man who is holding out for Mr. Right, who just doesn't seem to be around.

The guys talk about topics that plenty of gay men talk about: can men be faithful; is a monogamous relationship possible; how many guys constitute an orgy (they agree on five); what does "sleeping with" mean (if you and another guy fellate each other in the steam room at the gym, can you then say you've slept with him), how is "sleeping with" different from "hooking up with," and so on. Thank God, this film spares us any "in-depth, darling" conversations.

The restaurant setting was very real, and the interaction of the waiters and customers plays out fantasies of what many waiters must want to do to obnoxious customers.

All of the men are good looking in their differing ways and deliver solid performances. The accents of Casper Andreas, Jamie Hatchett, and Christos Klapsis added flavor to their characters. And, yes, Jesse Archer as the smart-talking Luke, steals most of the scene, but isn't that true in just about every gay film that features a smart-talking queen? Don't overlook the extras. The deleted scenes and outtakes are entertaining, too. There's one deleted scene showing a disgruntled patron complaining to an already angry Peter that there are only two olives in his martini instead of three. Peter grabs up a handful of olives from a bowl and returns to throw them at the startled patron before Peter slams out of the restaurant. Hurrah, Peter, says every waiter in the business. There are also interesting interviews with the actors, and Jesse Archer, who plays Luke, hosts a short documentary in which he takes to the streets of Chelsea to ask various gay men there, "What is a slut"? This was a funny footnote to the film.

Most newspaper critics and more than a few commentators here have been hard on this film. But I think it's quite a remarkable achievement for a first film, made on a miniscule budget, and shot in just fourteen days. Lighten up. It's fun.

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.

I like gay movies and I liked a lot about this movie. The guys were very cute especially the guy who was the director who was also in it. I also liked the woman who was very funny but the movie is obviously pretty cheap and the story kept going over the same thing over and over again and it started to get a little dull. i am really glad I have netflix because this is a perfect rental but not really something to go out and buy. one other thing was how it seems like it would be a comedy but mostly it is very serious. If it is a movie about serious relationships then don't put a guy grabbing another guy on the cover. it just makes you feel a little ripped off.

Although ambitious, this film doesn't quite pull it all together. Telling the tale of newly single, Markus complete with "homo-in-the-big-city" treatment. Every stereotype is represented, even the single and looking gal pal (played quite well by Virginia Bryan). Most scenes are acted as though everyone is aware they are making a movie rather than playing real-life characters. There are some stand-out moments where the characters come through, but overall the attempt seems self-serving. The worst acting performance hands down is Lance Werth as Kevin, the restaurant manager. I couldn't help but think how fitting this role would have been if it had been played by Mink Stole of John Waters fame. Although Werth gives it his best, it isn't enough and he embarrasses himself, and the rest of the cast with this lousy performance.

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.