Testosterone (2003) User Reviews

What's the point?

[preppy-3 · 5/10 · 7 November 2004]

Testosterone started as a gay novel written by a gay author suffering from depression. It's a VERY grim, dark tale of Dean who is deserted by his lover Pablo. But it seems Pablo has left him a gift--an HIV infection. He spends the entire novel driving around Los Angeles meeting various dark, disturbing characters and circumstances to track Pablo down. The ending is very bleak.

This movie took the basic story, threw out the HIV angle completely and has Dean tracking Pablo to Argentina to seek closure!!!! There he encounters various hot men while trying to see Pablo. It ends (almost) the same as the book--but this version seems to be a light-hearted black comedy! I know that sounds strange but the tone kept shifting around. I was never sure how to take this. The script meanders all over the place, moves VERY slowly and (more than once) I wanted to hit Dean and tell him to get over it! As an adaptation of the novel, it's worthless. But on its own it's not that good either.

I'm giving it a 5 because David Sutcliffe was very good (and very hot) as Dean; it was great seeing Sonia Braga again (looking fantastic); it was fun to see Antonio Sabato Jr. out of his clothes--he can't act but has a great body (and has a brief frontal shot!); and has a real HOT Latino guy (Leonardo Brzazicki). Also the frequent shirtless shots of Sutcliffe are nice and there's some real hot man-on-man kissing (Sutcliffe and Sabato are straight but they seem very at ease in the kissing scenes). But the meandering script does everybody in. And Sabato is hardly in it (maybe 10-15 minutes).

I really can't recommend this film. I am wondering what they intended--if they weren't going to be faithful to the novel why bother? As it is this film is bombing. I saw it opening night in Provincetown during Mens Weekend--including me there were THREE people in the audience!

A gay-themed film-noir...unusual, but sexually stunted

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 7 May 2008]

A gay graphic novelist from the States is obsessed with finding his hunky Latin lover, who has mysteriously walked out on him; a search for the guy down in Argentina becomes a complex whirlpool of doubt, suspicion, paranoia and murder. David Sutcliffe, a low-keyed actor who resembles a gritty John Stamos, gives a passable performance here, yet it is tough to discern what the filmmakers were aiming for. As a noir, the movie doesn't absorb much interest with its loosely-hinged plot; as a mystery with a gay-hook, the picture is far too timid, teasing its target audience with just a few man-on-man lip locks. The low-budget shows, with the filmmakers failing to utilize the exotic locations to their full advantage...and why have the Latin stud disappear so soon? We hardly get anything useful out of this central relationship before he's gone--or was it to prevent alienating a heterosexual audience who might be sensitive to gay clinches? If straight movies about sexual obsession were this cautious, more viewers would be abandoning Hollywood films for foreign or pornographic pictures. This is an unusual attempt, but it is ultimately unsuccessful. ** from ****

Funny, sexy, but just not as clever as it should be...

[wrollins-2 · 5/10 · 14 May 2006]

Lots of things don't make sense in this film, which irritates. But it's so homo-erotic that a lot can be forgiven. Sonia Braga in full dragon mode, and lots of partially- or fully-naked hunks sucking face. Jennifer Coolidge has the funniest lines in the film, and I love her deadpan delivery in this one. It has the makings of a camp classic, but the premise of the film is irretrievably flawed. Given the final resolution, there is no reason any of the characters would have put themselves and each other through all of this. And the final shot (was that meant to be a twist of some kind?) makes absolutely no sense. Most tragically, no one ended up with the adorable bell-hop! I'd have taken him home in a heartbeat! ;-)

Entertaining, Challenging, Fun, Dark -- Well Worth Your Attention...!

[LosAngelesCritical · 11 July 2005]

David Moreton and Dennis Hensley did a fantastic job with their screen adaptation of James Robert Baker's novel 'Testosterone.' David Moreton's second-only turn in the Director's chair is impressive, as was his choice of locations. Buenos Aires is one of the most striking and remarkable cities on the planet. The Argentine people are sophisticated and intriguing -- exactly what this story demands. Wonderful costume design highlights the Porteños' eye for fashion. In addition, the original music is light and amusing when it should be, turning dark and captivating just when it is vital.

The casting was virtually perfect. David Sutcliffe and Celina Font bring 'Dean' and 'Sofia' to life as if they were born to play the characters. Antonio Sabato Jr as 'Pablo' IS the quintessential Latin lover. As always, Jennifer Coolidge offers us laughter, this time giving us the take-no-crap 'Louise'. Leonardo Brzezicki's 'Marcos' takes us from distrust and contempt, to empathy and compassion. This guy is a true 'find' -- let us see more from him soon. Then the amazing Sonia Braga delivers 'Mrs Alesandro' at a level of outstanding few others could achieve.

'Testosterone' will make you a bit sad, let you have a few laughs, remind you we have all made at least one bad relationship choice, offer one mans decision on how he will reach closure, and will keep you thinking for days to follow.

'Awful?' 'Dreadful?' 'Terrible?' Harsh for a film that never claims to be an epic blockbuster. Moreover, if this was such a bad project, one wonders why do so many have rather deep questions into the characters, their motivations, and interconnections. Not to mention the seemingly endless quest to figure out the true meaning behind this films ending.

If you are looking to be entertained and a bit challenged, with a sufficient amount of foreign culture and 'eye candy' to ensure your attention is held, you need to see David Moreton's 'Testosterone.'

Causes ambivalence to the point of agita!

[PBear_SF · 5/10 · 10 January 2006]

Seldom have I seen a movie that I found so enjoyable, and so awful at the same time. I've watched it twice, with the same reaction both times.

It's a fun romp to go through, with good pacing, a great look, some really funny situations, and stand-out dialogue ("I'm just a faggot with a gun who needs an axe" - if I'm remembering that exactly - has got to be one of the greatest lines ever!)

And it has some terrific performances: Font was solid fine and it was wonderful to see Braga again, even if far too briefly. Jennifer Coolidge blew me away - she was as funny as ever, but speaking in her normal voice (which I don't think I've ever heard before). The Latin actors were excellent (Brzezicki and Dukah were way easy on the eye, the former delivering maybe the standout performance in the movie). And Sabato was downright hilarious; his five minutes in the film were the comedy icing on the cake. (To all you snobby denigrators here, he's not just a Calvin Kline mannequin, he's got over 40 film and TV credits to his name, going back to the late '80s - long before he was ever pegged to be an underwear model!)

But, as for the awful part ... the whole centre of the movie: David Sutcliffe and his character, Dean ... it just drove me nuts. I don't know whether to blame Sutcliffe for the completely vapid, cellophane nature of Dean's character, since the part was so poorly written and, it seems, mis-directed. I've enjoyed Sutcliffe a lot in other performances; he's always seemed to come across with the goods, and he is definitely charming and funny here too. But, oy! He/Dean is so uncommitted, so uninvolved in his feelings, so unmotivated, it's impossible to figure out what he's doing in Buenos Aires in the first place. He seems so superficial that it's impossible to believe he's heartbroken in the least - just p.o.'d mainly. And to think that he'd travel thousands of miles (and spend thousands of dollars) to gain "closure" over an affair that he would probably get over - and get a replacement for - in a week if he stayed in LA, just doesn't make any sense. (One thing Sutcliffe must squarely take the blame for, though, is his utter lack of believability as a gay character. I'm not talking about anything to do with masculinity or femininity. An actor can successfully play a gay man without any outward signs of effeminacy - which, thankfully, Sutcliffe did - but there still have to be signs of a sensibility that straight men just don't exhibit.)

Compounding the "awful" part of the movie is, of course, the groundlessness of the entire plot and the gaping holes in credibility. Comedy, or drama, there still has to be some sort of motivation for outrageous acts committed by seemingly normal people. Here, there was none. First, as I mentioned, you don't buy the premise that Dean would travel all the way to Argentina in the first place (since his motivation was never depicted as an attempt to reunite with, or rekindle his relationship with, his lover at any cost). Second, why would Pablo ever attempt to have Dean killed? For what? The slight embarrassment he might have been caused? Pablo was marrying for money, with a woman who was already fully aware of his sexual preference and promiscuity (a "marriage of convention" - another great movie line), so unconcerned with his reputation that he openly seduced a waiter at his own wedding reception. And, finally, are we really supposed to believe that a man is so crazed by the rather mundane fact that his lover didn't really love him all that much to begin with (or anymore, at least) that he would be driven to chop off the man's head? I mean, really!

The fun payoff, with the fake-suicided brother and his sister enjoying the rewards of their scheme to get rid of Pablo for his money, fails to fully satisfy simply because you can't believe they would ever get the idea that they had enough ammunition to goad Dean into killing Pablo at all and, therefore, ever succeed with their plan. (Even if Pablo really was behind the intention to have Dean assassinated - which the script makes it seem he was (even though it would have made more sense had Sofia and Marcos made up the whole thing) - Dean didn't seem all that fazed by it anyway; it appeared to be the furthest thing from his mind by the time he raised that machete.)

The fatal flaw is the lack of a pivotal plot mechanism: a motive! I kept waiting for the "plot" to show up: the intrigue, the political machinations that would have made Dean's presence a serious threat, a reason to kill him, and a reason to make him feel so betrayed and/or misused that he would have had a true reason to seek revenge against Pablo - like Pablo was secretly an important government official, where a sexual scandal could mean his ruin. So I kept waiting, and waiting ... and nothing of any significance ever showed up to explain why anybody did anything they did in the entire movie.

And what about that wine cooler? I love sick humour as much as anyone, but are we really supposed to buy the idea that someone would whack off his lover's head in Argentina, stuff it in a cooler, then have it Fed-Ex'd to LA and delivered to his agent's office? And for what godforsaken reason? I don't even want to think about what Dean wanted to keep that head for!

So, there you go - I'm altogether ambivalent about this movie. I loved watching it, and will probably love watching it again, but have the feeling I'm always going to hate myself for it.

An interesting flick

[jimmmylee · 7/10 · 28 January 2005]

Yes I'll agree this movie is not what I thought it would be but it WAS very interesting. It was much darker and serious than I thought it would be. Jennifer Coolidge was not that great in this. Too small of a part.

But what can I say? Antonio Sabato Jr in full man-on-man kissing? I'm in! He is SOOO hot. To me, it was worth it to see him get naked, even if for too brief a time. I think that gay cinema needs variety. Maybe this film is not a masterpiece. But it is a good, weird mind trip.

I hope this movie gets on to DVD soon. It took forever for it to be released.

Beyond dreadful

[Pisolino · 1/10 · 11 September 2004]

One of only three movies I have ever walked out of in my life. I imagine that there must be some sort of cliffhanger revelation at the end, but nothing about this wan, tonally confused and hopelessly misdirected and misedited mess made me want to stick around longer than I had to (and I stuck it out for an hour and a half). It veered sharply between sitcom humor and high-camp melodrama, all while it desperately tried to churn the wheels of the thriller it wanted to be. The writers would have done well to find some kind of structure--any kind--to give this story some shape. Instead I felt like I was going around in circles, completely unable to engage on any level with the protagonist. My friend and I could not even piece together a convincing narrative. Sequences were edited together in such a way that it was impossible to determine which event led to the next.

Yes, there were some hot man-on-man scenes, but people, people!: We must expect much, much more from gay cinema. I have nothing against the darker side of gay male sexuality and obsession being portrayed on screen (I was in fact excited that the central character was far from mentally healthy), but directors, producers and distributors (shame on you, Strand Releasing) should work harder to earn the gay buck. And gay viewers, men in particular, shouldn't be so eager to part company with their hard-earned $10 just to see half-clothed actors roll around together or to glimpse Antonio Sabato, Jr.'s wee-wee. Go rent porn for a couple of bucks instead! Were I attached to this film in any manner, I would be mortally embarrassed.

Not That Bad, Actually

[kbc167 · 7/10 · 1 March 2005]

This film was certainly flawed and missed some great opportunities to be a lot better but it really wasn't that bad. I watched it from start to finish and that says a lot about a movie to me. It was not art, but I was certainly entertained. The ironic part of this film was that Antonio was really not that interesting on the screen. All the other actors and actresses were far more intriguing and Antonio's character was probably more important than the actor himself. This movie's only true downfall was that it didn't really capture its "theme" well enough to give the movie an overall point. Also, it was probably just a tad bit too convoluted. It's worth the 90 minute time investment, though, cause it's at least entertaining..

Convoluted Combo of Film Noir and Black Comedy Satisfies Neither Genre's Standards

[EUyeshima · 3/10 · 23 September 2006]

This is one odd hybrid of a movie as it mixes Raymond Chandler-style film noir sensibilities with an oblique black comedy sense to present an overly convoluted story of obsession and betrayal. That still sounds promising until you actually watch the 2004 film and witness so much false posturing and so many ridiculous story turns that it ends up being an utter misfire. Director David Moreton has a talent for creating a suitably decadent atmosphere for the unraveling mystery elements, but he cannot set nor maintain an emotional tone that makes sense for the viewer. A major part of the problem is the disjointed, overly stylized script by Moreton and David Hensley that seems to aim for a gay variant of "Pulp Fiction".

The plot focuses on LA-based graphic novelist Dean Seagrave, whose idyllic relationship with boyfriend Pablo ends suddenly when he disappears. In his desperate search, Dean flies off to Buenos Aires where he faces barriers in Pablo's domineering spitfire mother and a strange pair of siblings with an unexplained connection to Pablo. The various twists and revelations finally lead Dean to Pablo but at a price neither expects. David Sutcliffe (now of "The Gilmore Girls") has usually been a likable actor in small movie roles and larger TV ones, but with his first starring role in a feature film, he has been ill-served with an increasingly frustrating character. He responds by being alternately petulant and belligerent, the Ugly American prototype taken down several pegs due to his unfettered obsession. To Sutcliffe's defense, only a larger-than-life screen personality of the caliber of Nicholson or at least Russell Crowe could have any shot of success in the role.

In much briefer roles, Antonio Sabato, Jr., much ballyhooed for a frontal nudity flash, barely registers otherwise, while Sonia Braga hams it up as his mother. Somewhat better are Celina Font and Leonardo Brezizcki as the mysterious sister and brother, even though they have to play their roles so close to the vest as to become dramatically inert. Cast against type, Jennifer Coolidge is criminally wasted as Dean's aggressively indifferent editor. The preposterous ending simply compounds the pointlessness of the entire venture and the muddled motivations of the characters involved. On the debit side, cinematographer Ken Kelsch makes Buenos Aires look enticing, and composer Marco D'Ambrosio provides appropriately atmospheric music. The 2005 DVD contains an alternate ending, a couple of deleted scenes (including a striptease by Sabato), the original theatrical trailer and a making-of featurette, all of which provide limited prurient interest.

Not as bad as you might think

[bosun-1 · 7/10 · 29 March 2005]

This movie deserves a better review than the one I found here. It's uneven, certainly, but the performances are excellent for the most part. Antonio Sabato Jr. fills his role out decently, the part doesn't call for much depth, and he more than makes up for any acting limitations with his looks and nude scene. David Sutcliffe performs a difficult role very believably. The South American cast is uniformly excellent.

The story is clearly a fantasy, the main character writes comics, and yet even as it is a fantasy, it nonetheless tells a story that is universal. Who has not been haunted by the loss of a lover, male, female, straight or gay, and wished to exact some sort of finish to the story? As far as its depiction of gay life, I'd say it's right on. The gay characters are normal people, no effeminacy, just gay men who are not obvious. One of the nicer things about the movie is that unlike most "gay" movies, this one is not set in a hothouse of gay themes to the exclusion of the rest of the world. And particularly, the depiction of the Latin world, and its surface macho and gay underbelly, is right on the mark.

Add to all of that truly gorgeous filming of Argentina, a country we do not see represented enough in the movies, and I'd say this is worth a couple hours in front of the TV . . . a quirky pleasure, with some real eye candy.

Not really worth the time

[Steiermarker · 2/10 · 19 April 2005]

I saw this movie in Berkeley, California, right after it came out. There were perhaps ten people in the audience, but by the end there were only four! Here's why: the movie plodded along, going in all sorts of different directions; and whenever the director/writer reached a dead end, he had the leads take off their clothes.

Still, I thought the actors were a very handsome bunch. David Sutcliffe is attractive in a boy-next-door sort of way (does he ever have amazing hair), and Antonio Sabato lights up the screen for his five or six minutes of fame. But good looks are not enough--it wasn't a good role for David Sutcliffe and Antonio is an UNDERWEAR MODEL not an actor. I just couldn't believe that Pablo would be worth all the fuss, or that Dean could ever go that crazy.

On another note, Argentina is an beautiful country and it is about time Hollywood started filming movies there.

other angles on this film

[druben2 · 8/10 · 28 May 2005]

I have read all the comments about this film and think a major factor has been ignored. That is the political and national character of the film. First, Dean is an ugly American. He is rude and pushy and not at all suave or genteel. He has no interest in the culture of the country he has spent loads of money coming to. He is on some kind of wild west posse chase after the "wanted man." He knows no Spanish and is not the least apologetic for not speaking the native language and is even impatient when people don't understand English (I mean doesn't everyone speak English now?). He is a very unlikeable character except... that he is incredibly sexy and appealing in a more visceral way (hence the title of the film). This is testosterone as brutal male power: violence, highly sexual, vengeful, and compulsive. He had come to a country that is very far away from home. Buenos Aires may look like a modern American city but it is Latin American and based on a very different sensibility than anything in the USA and this was brought out nicely by the mother and the brother and sister team and the trip to the country house. The ultimate fate of Pablo and the final scene where we see the brother and sister reunited speaks of a bigger agenda here than just what Dean did to Pablo. The brilliance of this film is that this subplot, though always there, is quite subliminal. I liked this film first because I think it addressed the masculine characteristics associated with the hormone testosterone (and gratefully there were no campy drag queens as models of homosexuals) and for the interesting critique it offers of American arrogance in the world and a more refined and perhaps more nefarious Argentinian sensibility.

Pure camp

[vitachiel · 7/10 · 16 December 2018]

Odd little b-flic. It starts off very bad Laughably bad. Sound, editing, acting, it all fails dramatically. 'So bad it's good'-style, so no complaints there. However, the movie gets better and better with the introductions of new characters. With the exception of Sofia, none of the characters will generate much sympathy from the viewer. But all of them somehow manage to imprint their role with such sardonic egoism, that the ultra thin script is more than forgiven.

So, if you want to indulge yourself in some strangely cool whodunnit story homoerotic style, look no further. Eat your heart out Eric Romer!

Tone of the Tango

[B24 · 5/10 · 19 April 2005]

Hard to think of any other film where the putative good guy and the bad guy are uniformly repugnant. That the setting is Argentina reminds me of that country's major cultural contribution to the world -- the tango. The dance evolved from a musical entertainment for men only in which the participants combined hard-bitten, menacing moves with unmistakeably erotic passion. The soundtrack of this film, including some modern Astor Piazzolla, reinforces an impression genuinely Argentine.

The problem encountered here is one already noted in several comments, namely, that the story is out of focus. A rather preposterous ending compounds the offense. It's really too bad, because otherwise I found myself drawn to the underlying notion of finding resolution to a dramatic theme by moving the scene to some exotic locale. "Flying Down to Buenos Aires," as it were.

Noir and comedy mix well only in the area of satire. One comes away from viewing this apparent attempt to combine the two not with an appreciation of its cleverness, but with a sour taste in one's mouth. In some sense, I got the feeling neither the creators of the film nor possibly some of the actors were altogether thrilled by the script or the characterizations. That's a kiss of death not unlike one might have witnessed at the conclusion of a tango danced in some nineteenth-century Buenos Aires brothel.

Fun! Entertaining!

[fordraff · 18 March 2005]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It satisfied my "Your taste is all in your mouth" taste! Fabulous Buenos Aires locations. Here the city is beautiful--green trees, blue skies, and marvelous weather. Dream city. Great homes and apartments from Dean Seagrave's Los Angeles glass house (actually filmed in Buenos Aires) to Buenos Aires townhouses and country homes (elegant furniture, parquet floors) the English would die for--but then the English were here, right? There was a Harrods's Department Store in Buenos Aires. All of this is beautifully lit and photographed.

Nice musical score--tangos, perhaps to indicate all the rapid moves and changes of partners going on among the major characters of the film. Just who is dancing with whom? And how fast are the partners changing? And everyone smokes as if this were France.

Fabulous men--David Sutcliffe, Antonio Sabato Jr., Leonardo Brzezicki, and Dario Dukah among others--all of them shown in various states of dishabille. Celina Font is a dead ringer for Isabelle Huppert! And Sonia Braga is the witchy mother.

And at the core, a film noir plot of revenge--successfully carried out.

But one cannot take the film seriously. The opening credits featuring panels from a graphic novel set the tenor of a comic-book world. How can one take seriously the plot of a film wherein Dean says, "I'm just a fag with a gun who needs a chain saw" as he purchases weapons to commit murder. Dean: "I've got a big day of stalking ahead of me." Dean to Pablo: "You said you'd love me no matter what." Pablo: "I lied." Dean entering a deserted summerhouse whose furniture is covered with white sheets: "Pablo, sweetheart; I'm home." Pablo: "I'm not a good person; I'm a sex addict. I go to meetings. I have intimacy issues." Just laugh and go along for the ride. It's exhilarating for I never knew what would come next.

Dean Seagrave is a Los Angeles based writer of graphic novels. In L.A., Dean has a six-month love affair with Pablo Alesandro. But one night, Pablo goes out for cigarettes and never returns. We've heard that one before, right? So Dean goes off in search of him.

And that means a flight to Buenos Aires, where he's told Pablo has gone because that is his home. Once there, Dean gets a room in the picturesquely seedy Hotel Ritz, complete with the requisite small balcony enclosed in an iron railing, overlooking the narrow street below, and his adventures begin. Pablo's mother gives him trouble when he rings the doorbell of her house. Even though in one instance Dean brandishes a gun, Dean encounters no serious trouble when the police arrive.

And then, across the street, there is the mysterious Sofia, who seems to know a lot about Pablo and his whereabouts. Later we learn that Sofia's brother Marcos was a former lover of Pablo's. When Dean meets Marcos, Marcos develops a crush on Dean that only complicates the plot.

And the plot is one where I always kept expecting the other shoe to drop until I realized there was no other shoe to drop. Well, yes there was, but it doesn't drop until the final scene. To use understatement, there are some implausibilities here, and I'm usually a stickler for plausibility, but I wasn't here. To insist on plausibility would have interrupted this giddy ride, which I didn't want to stop.

The cast was fine. David Sutcliffe, who looks like a young Stephen Sondheim, was handsome and had an easy, off-hand manner. Antonio Sabato, Jr., formerly a Calvin Kline model, needed only to look lushly Latin, and he fills that bill well. Marc Savlov described Sonia Braga best in his Austin Chronicle review: She looks "as though she just stepped out of the combined back catalogs of John Waters and Pedro Almodóvar." Was Braga kidding when, in a DVD extra, she says, "I thought the film was all about me (her character, Pablo's mother)"? I couldn't be sure. She certainly plays her role as if she thought that. Leonardo Brzezicki was cute and shy, but ultimately revealed to be a thoroughly accomplished manipulator. Jennifer Coolidge, as Louise, Dean's representative in Los Angeles, plays a comic book stereotype literary agent. Celina Font as Sofia plays her role straight and that allows her to stand out among all the others here.

Just delicious. I want some more, mom!

Shockingly Terrible

[ScottDolan · 4/10 · 22 July 2004]

WOW where to begin. Interesting movie that starts off funny, then when the beginning credits are over and the actual movie starts its all down hill from there. Poor Antonio, according to the Advocate interview he was hoping this movie would jump start his career. The only thing he should be grateful for is that he's only in the movie for a total of maybe 15 minutes of the 101 minutes it took for this train wreck to be screened. The only reasons to see this movie: Antonio making out with a guy (2 mins), Sonia Braga looking and acting fabulously (7 mins), and a to hear a few good lines from Jennifer Coolidge (2 mins) otherwise wait for the DVD so you can FF the rest of confusing, depressing tale of dumped guy who doesn't understand the word MOVE ON!!

Don't waste your time!

[skeeveut · 1/10 · 27 February 2005]

This movie had potential, but never got off the ground. (It never made it to the ground to begin with!) Great cast, which was the reason I wanted to see it. It is one of those movies that you watch, just knowing that it's going to get better. Unfortunately, I was VERY disappointed; it never did. My suggestion would be to find something else to watch.... like the tea kettle as it gets ready to boil. It will be more interesting. On the bright side, there are a couple of great scenes and with the pause, rewind, and fast forward buttons you can see everything worthwhile in a matter of minutes. Too bad someone doesn't take this and remake it so it can live up to its potential.

Plain Awful

[jcxbecton-1 · 2/10 · 16 September 2004]

I'll admit, I did not expect too much from this movie. The main reason I went was because Antonio is such a hottie but as small as my expectations were, this movie was destined to disappoint. Now, the acting is not bad across the board... Jennifer Coolidge is great and her moments on screen are like a breath of fresh air after passing through Elizabeth, NJ on the pike. The actors who play the siblings are also good (and easy on the eye) but the actor who plays the lead character, though eye candy and vaguely reminiscent of a young Russell Crowe, stinks. He is not convincing and by the end becomes totally annoying.

The movie tries to be edgy and different from the beginning credits but the plot twists and turns and leaves you on the side of the road confused and carsick. I have several friends who have seen it and none of us quite know what to make of the ending. Don't waste the money on seeing Antonio naked for 2 secs. Put it on your Netflix queue, fast forward and pause.

one of the most ill-conceived films i've seen

[martin_m_k · 2/10 · 31 March 2007]

Don't be fooled by any reviews you see giving this film more than 5 stars.

Where to start.. well, in the beginning of the film, one might be interested, intrigued even. But you will soon find that the terrible acting from most of the characters, coupled with an incredibly stupid plot, turn the whole premise of the film into laughable farce.

The main character, a would-be romantic, goes off chasing his lover in Argentina, where he meets people who know his lover, Pablo. These people are extremely dimwitted and are unaware of it. It seems the writers were unaware of this too, judging by the mind-numbingly boring script and illogical plot twists.

Please, don't watch it. For your own sake.

fabulous!

[the-king · 10/10 · 2 August 2004]

A smart, funny, thriller. It's a new and interesting direction for gay films, and one that I enjoyed because it refuses to follow the usual stereotypes for gay men. I saw it in a packed theater in San Francisco, where the audience seemed to totally enjoy the ride. Director David Moreton daringly lets the film turn dark -- he's not afraid to show an obsessive gay man acting as freaked out as an obsessive straight man. He allows his characters to be human and flawed. This is also a great crossover film for straight audiences. I went with three friends (including a straight couple) and they all liked it too. Antonia Sabato, Jr. has a surprisingly funny character, Jennifer Coolidge is hilarious as usual, and Celina Font is terrific as the Argentine woman who wins in the end. I think women will love this movie.

Don't waste your time

[twodads · 2/10 · 16 July 2004]

Saw this at Outfest, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian film festival, and was very disappointed. I enjoyed the director's previous movie, "Edge of Seventeen", but this required too much work on the viewer's part to figure out what was going on, with no payout in the end. The main character suddenly seems to go psycho, which seems out of character for him from what's established to that point, and it's all downhill from there. Too many plot twists that don't go together, and a "surprise" ending that doesn't justify any of it. Jennifer Coolidge has a few funny lines, but VERY few. Antonio Sabato Jr. is in it, too, but he should stick to modeling. Friends walked out - I should've joined them.

Read this review if you've ever read a comic book.

[DBSully · 24 March 2006]

Reading these reviews has intrigued me enough to post one.

I truly feel that those who did not like/get/understand this film have never read a comic book from start to finish. This film IS a comic book.......a story, visually told, verbally disjointed....ON PURPOSE.

There is nothing in this adaptation that smacks of the original written work....and that's OK......it would have been MUCH darker with the HIV angle...more like the twisted film "24th Day".....

This was silly fluff, and nothing more than a fun little ride through a comic book. Those that were looking for a cohesive through line.....nope, not there....and that's OK...since when do all films NEED to be told in a strict linear fashion that fits into a societal mold.

The actors gave their roles a great film noir bite, and I must say that the banter was some of the smartest written for a "gay" film in a long time (or have you all forgotten the inane babble from "Eating Out"). Each character was a grotesque caricature...and I loved this movie for that...even the brother/sister relationship.....true ugliness done up right.

The DVD did offer a not so satisfying alternate ending, wherein Dean is conversing with the ACTUAL head (the cooler lid is off) and ASjr. is responding....not so good...much better to have him drive off into the sunset with our imaginations doing the gruesome dirty work.

Finally, the "meandering" storyline everyone is bitching about.......are you kidding......101 minutes...BLAM...flew by....and I've seen this film maybe 20 times...always show it at dinner parties.....those in our circle who get film noir, and who "get" the comic book mode...LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!

What a waste of beautiful people.

[egmar · 1/10 · 18 September 2004]

It's a shame to waste these beautiful people on such an arrogantly self absorbed mess. Bad writing and even worse direction. You really can't blame the actors. The usually refreshing Jennifer Coolage seems to have been doing someone a favor to do the movie. It takes really the combo of bad direction and bad writing to make her so unfunny. I would hate to actually meet the writer/director because he seems to think he is funny and cutting edge, but he must be really boring and out of touch with gay culture.

Another "gay cinema" mediocrity

[TooShortforThatGesture · 3/10 · 8 April 2005]

Wasted my time, yet again.

Yes. The boys are cute and the film is (in some parts) kind of sexy.

But, if my only goal is to watch sexy boys on film, I have a couple of boxes of porn in the house. I sure don't MIND seeing David Sutcliffe stripped down to nothing getting into the shower or watching hot Latin boys making out, but why waste an hour and a half just for 8 minutes of that?

It's not just the boys that serve as a misleading draw -- the story itself seems to promise intrigue it never delivers. The "hook" of the story is the suggestion that there is some deep mystery behind Pablo's disappearance -- but, as it turns out, the "mystery" isn't so mysterious and there doesn't seem to be any reason that Pablo, or his mother or one of the other characters wouldn't have disclosed it to Dean early on. In fact, the entire set up ends up being incoherent and silly. It's one thing to have some mystery about people's motives, but much of every characters' behavior makes no sense here.

As others have pointed out, the tone of the film jumps all over the place, although the story is pretty clearly a noir that should have had a consistent line of increasing darkness. The film also felt as if it were made up of 25% filler -- transition scenes that went on too long, characters who spend too much time standing in a window looking off into the distance after a dramatic moment. It felt edited much like a last minute draft of a 15-page term paper that needs to be 20 pages long --- big font, extra deep margins, wide spacing, etc.

The biggest problem probably is that in the lead Mr. Sutcliffe was (other than physically) either miscast or out of his depth. His character clearly is supposed to be edgy and deeply troubled. But he seems unable to subsume his genial boyish affect sufficiently to make the audience believe that there is any real danger in his character, even when he's waiving a gun around and threatening people. What should feel like anger and desperation comes across as sulky churlishness.

Oh...and, even if he doesn't speak Spanish, don't you think that somebody who was in a relationship and living with a Latin man named "Pablo" would have stopped pronouncing his name as "Paaaablo" after a couple of months?

Or maybe that's the real reason Pablo left him.

Horrible, mind-numbing, and offensive to Argentinean people.

[ciccowski · 1/10 · 30 September 2009]

This movie is about an American guy who goes to Buenos Aires looking for his lover who disappeared one day. That sounds like a very interesting plot, right? Well, the movie sucks. I'm trying to write a decent review but my mind is so numbed after this movie I'm afraid I became a retarded. That said, let's go with the rest. All the characters are terribly annoying, starting with Dean (the arrogant junkie psycho) to all the "Argentinean" characters. I mean, I'm Argentinean, I know Argentina. And it's nothing like they put it on this movie. All the time I was thinking "what a horrible place to live, with all those horrible people". I don't know who wrote this plot, but he certainly knows nothing about us. I feel disgusted by the Argentinean pictured in this movie. But then, I shouldn't be surprised, American movies never portrait South American countries like they really are. I should be glad they didn't portrait Argentina as a land of gauchos or indians in the middle of some jungle, and showed a couple of good looking guys and chicks and some cameos of the beautiful Buenos Aires.