Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler (2003)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Ian McCrudden

Writer:

Matthew Swan (writer)

Release Date:

1 July 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A man who has lost everything, and a hustler with nothing to lose.

Plot:

A Banker, Husband, and Father, Mr. Smith (Larry Pine) must leave it behind him. He's made a mistake...

Plot Keywords:

Hustler | Younger Man | Male Prostitute | Mother Son Relationship | Gay Interest

Cast

Larry Pine	...	Mr. Smith
Alex Feldman	...	Bobby
J.D. Williams	...	Abe
Benjamin Hendrickson	...	Mr. Lapp
Thomas Hildreth	...	Jack
Anna Thomson	...	Doreen
Jodie Baker	...	Shelia
Antonio Rodríguez	...	Angel
Ed Hodson	...	Collector #1 (as Eddy Hodson)
Phil McGlaston	...	Collector #2
Tim Sherogan	...	John #1 (as Tim Sherigon)
Alexander Robert Scott	...	John #2 (as Scott R. Alexander)

Also Known As:

Mr. Smith (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime:

91 min | USA:83 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

Mr. Smith Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: While in the club Abe's right arm is in the bandage; later in the hotel it's the left arm.

Quirky story about a NYC Hustler

Bobby Blue is a NYC hustler who supports his dysfunctional mother with his earnings. Their fiction is that he's working at a restaurant and making great tips. When Bobby Blue meets a new john who isn't interested in sex and takes him to a basketball game, Bobby doesn't know what to think.

This not-so-well-made film suffers from all of the typical indie woes. Some of the problems may have been budgetary but others seem to just be bad story telling.

It may have been the theater I saw this in, or that we were seeing a video of a film print, but the color in the film seemed to be way off and many parts of the movie were terribly overexposed.

Scenes that took place in a bar in the meatpacking district seemed very off. The only customers in the bar were the principals, Couldn't they get any extras to appear as other customers?

Also, having lived in NYC for the last 20 years and having met a few boys that have made their living this way I felt that the film-maker could have done his homework better. The relationship between Bobby and his `pimp' seemed very unrealistic (at least different from any that I had heard of). Also the going rates in the film seem to be way off. From what I hear, $600 will buy you a LOT more than what these boys were offering from boys that are way more attractive. Also the few hustler bars that I've actually been into would never charge $20 a beer.

Overall, I'd have to give this film a miss.