Lucky Bastard

Yeah, that's not a sterling summation, but it is apt. I always go for gay themed movies, just to see what they might add to the genre. Lucky Bastard is different enough to earn a couple stars in that it deals with situations not well covered in other gay cinema. It seems that the directing was fairly loose, which I happen to like, and the main cast performed well enough, i.e., they were believable in their actions and dialogue.

Other reviewers seem to dislike the actors, but I think they were well chosen. The weakest lead was surely actor who played Garrett, the business partner, but his role is somewhat peripheral like a touchstone the main character goes to when he needs a small reset. The boyfriend, Daniel, is kind of forgettable, but the role is small. The meth-addicted hustler, Denny, almost nailed the role, but it's probably a problem with costume and make-up - every meth head I have been around has seriously messed up skin, teeth, and hollow eyes. Which leaves the main character, Rusty.

There were a few scenes where I wanted to punch him in the throat because he was making stupid decisions, but isn't that why we watch movies? To invest ourselves in character portrayals? The actor is adorable and I did not have to stretch credulity to follow him on his journey of self discovery and growth.

Is this a cinematic masterpiece? Hardly. But there is a good return on entertainment investment for this relatively short drama.

Somewhat recommend, especially for people who are looking for a gay movie off the beaten path.

My final take on the title is that a Lucky Bastard is one never to have met and become entangled with a crack addict. The manipulation of educated, successful Rusty, which comes by every single word out of Denny the drug addict's mouth, seems to be remembered verbatim. Rusty's susceptibility comes in part from his being a decent guy who does not expect others to lie. Al Green sang about a kind-hearted woman who revives a poor half-frozen snake. When the snake bites her in return, he brushes aside her betrayal by reminding her that she knew what he was when she warmed him to her bosom.

Life's too short to watch bad movies, and this is one I found myself compelled to watch completely. The actors are all capable and believable in the many layers they must weave. The production values won't make you cringe, and the script manages to show a lot in a brief time, without wasting any. The music is unusually good, which is why I'm on line to find out more about it (found it as Amazon mp3 downloads). You don't need to suspend disbelief to enjoy this film. Instead, let this film lead you out of whatever naiveté insists we'd never misstep in the path of an addicted conman without conscience. Here's where you can glimpse how fallible such a belief makes you.

I've seen a lot of gay films, and many of them have been just okay. This one, however, was just plain bad.

There is absolutely no way any sensible person would give a meth addict $200. There is no way any sensible person would claim to have fallen in love with someone he picked up in a convenience store (especially someone in a supposed committed relationship). There is no way any sensible person would then allow that meth addict to say, "I'm yours, but you don't own me. I can fool around with whoever I want."

The implausibilities in the story are the film's major weakness. The bad acting would run a close second. The guy who plays Denny is all smirk and swagger, looking like the love child of Sting and Neil Patrick Harris. He is a complete douchebag with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. What does Rusty know about him that causes him to fall in love? That he's HIV+. And that's about it. Some argued in their review that Denny is somehow damaged and Rusty feels the need to "fix" him in the same way he restores old houses. I don't buy that at all; if that was the intent of the writer/director, it should have been set up a hell of a lot better in the early part of the film.

The actor playing Rusty is wooden and bland. At no time do we see the torture he is supposed to be suffering that leads him into this destructive relationship with Denny (which is really an extended one- night stand).

I could go on and on, but it would be as pointless as this piece of crap film.

The score, by William V. Malpede, alternates between haunting and intense. It's fantastic, and by far the only redeeming aspect of this film.

I selected this movie due to the nudity and smoking listed in the warning. I like edgy movies, but these movies tend to not be very good and it is good to find a gem in the rough, which this one is. The main characters were well cast, even the antagonist. I've never worked in porn, but I would think this is how the characters act offscreen. The character of Mike (McManus) is what I would expect a porn director to be, friendly then mean then back to friendly, whatever it takes to get the project done. Then Ashley (Rue) is what I would think a porn actress would be, having the ability to block out what she just did, "It's just a job to pay the rent." knowing that she will deal with it later in life. Dave G./Ernest (Paulson) is an awesome creeper. Mike ignores all the red flags to get the job done. Ashely eventually acquiesces to get the job done. Paulson hides his psychosis to get the job done. The rest of the car does a good job of supporting the main characters. All this was tied together by the director keeping the energy high and the suspense ongoing. At least there were no scantily clad women backing into a dark room backwards. All this suspense was done in broad daylight in one day. I truly enjoy how the movie ended. No spoilers. Something I found interesting was that Ashely Saint was a producer. That is a unique name and the name of one of the main characters. It made me think that this may have been made from an actual event, but no. Nothing that I could find. It may have just been someone deciding to give the real Ashely some notoriety. Maybe. All-in-all, an enjoyable offbeat edgy movie.

Viewers and critics have a hate-on for this film that baffles me. "Lucky Bastard" is a solid, well-told story about a man who, professionally and personally, is simply stuck. Given the opportunity to escape the pressures to move forward to which his business partner and his boyfriend each subject him, Rusty leaps at it when it appears in the form of Denny, a deeply damaged hustler and meth addict. The appeal of trying to fix Denny parallels Rusty's enjoyment of restoring old houses, Denny's emotional damage being comparable to the damage that perfectionist Rusty deals with in his work.

The principal actors handle the material well, although Timothy Cole as Rusty's business partner is the weakest member of the cast. The film is far more introspective than writer/director Everett Lewis's previous work. Lewis drew upon his own experience being in a relationship with a meth addict and much of the dialog, notably Denny's monologue on how he became involved with drugs and sex work, came from life. The result is a film that feels intimate and real. My one complaint is that it feels like there is a scene missing between Denny's final angry outburst and Rusty's sending him packing. Rusty's emotional transition feels abrupt and unmotivated. That one flaw should not dissuade anyone from seeing the film.