Speedway Junky

I suspect you'll only really like this if you saw it back in the day.

It's just a mess. Partly because the story is 99% from Johnny's point of view, then one of the few significant context switches features Eric telling Veronica he's frustrated because he loves Johnny, as if that's not the most obvious part of the film.

Annoying, but minor.

The Johnny/Eric story is the heart of the film and it's a good one.

But there's so many problems here. The movie can't decide if it wants to be edgy and a somewhat realistic view of the lives of young hustlers in Vegas or if it wants to be kindergarten.

Then there's the completely surreal ending starting with JT handing the two a baggie of money and drugs then shows up a week later demanding they return it like they run a safe deposit box-- they live in a motel.

But it gets far more surreal when bullets fly because JT shoots a can of tomato soup off Johnny's head and Eric shows up two seconds later and thinks Johnny has been shot.

It's hard to fathom how off the rails this goes.

Despite some rough edges and a questionable Hollywood-like ending, this film offers an endearing relationship between two young men, one gay, the other not. Unrequited love raises its ugly head in the underworld of Las Vegas, with hustlers and drug dealers. Our hero wants to become a racer and make enough money to travel to Charlotte, NC. The other young man only wants someone to take care of and be there when times are rough. Their lives mix with a motley bunch of characters, most of whom only want a sexual favor or a drug turn-on. The acting of the two male leads is superb, with Eric as a truly tragic figure. But why did the screenwriter need to contrive the brutal ending? I suppose a film with a rough edge needs a rough edge ending, but once in a while can't the characters win? This film needs to be seen a couple times before final judgment is rendered. I gave it an 8/10, which is much higher than other reviewers, because it delivers a very important human theme that all of us can identify with.

Well, I disagree. I think Speedway Junky was very well acted.

Jordan Brower's heart-felt unrequited love really getting to me. I ended up wishing there was a boy out there like that for me. Daryl Hannah had a good supporting role, as did Jesse.

I thought it was very well done. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely worth watching. I loved it.

Jesse Bradford is a good looking guy (those lips!)& his acting in this film is very good. I'm not a Daryl Hannah fan, but was impressed by her performance here. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is & always will be an annoying little twerp. This story of teen hustling is familiar. It's got everything you'd expect from a movie like this: An old fat pervert, lust, violence, car chase, street life, gay & bi-sexuality, teen angst, unrequited love, booze, death, etc. There's a dance sequence thrown in, but I was embarrassed for all involved, it was awkward, pointless, & goofy.

I was expecting something good out of this movie -- it being produced by Gus Van Sant and all, the genius behind two incredible gay films, My Own Private Idaho and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise because of the inane plot (kid runs off to become a race car driver in West Virginia, and then decides to become a hussler). Luckily, Gus Van Sant's influence is evident in a few scenes, which makes me think there's a good movie in there somewhere.

At times, Speedway Junky feels like a Gen-Y remake of My Own Private Idaho, and it obviously doesn't do its predeccesor justice. However, the two male leads are far less complex and their relationship is as well. Interestingly, the chemistry between them saves this movie from complete obscurity. Too bad they're surrounded by mind-numbingly cliched supporting characters and crumby, juvenile dialogue ("Steven is bisexual. If you buy him something, he'll have sex with you.")

But, like I said, there's a bit of Van Sant in this film, most notably in the scenes between the two protagonists. If the director (incidently, I don't know who directed it) had focused on this relationship more than the hoky prostitution subplot, we would've had some fine gay cinema on our hands. Too bad.

Also, the influence Midnight Cowboy had on this film is mammoth. In both films, a naive guy with a Southern accent comes to the big city with high hopes, but ends up as a john alongside an unlikely friend, who may or may not be an object of desire. The ending is similar too, but I don't want to ruin it in case anyone actually wants to watch either movie.

All in all, bad movie, but if you look closely, you'll see it could've been great. It sadly doesn't come close to its influences: My Own Private Idaho and Midnight Cowboy.