A Disappointing Continuation

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

After watching about half the film I kept thinking that an educated, intelligent, successful person would never so easily hook up with some guy he had a chance encounter with at a liquor store, let alone almost immediately claim that he "really loved" the guy. And, if that wasn't sufficiently incredible, he certainly wouldn't stick around once the guy started hitting on him for money for drugs, followed by making a scene at a bar proclaiming that "you don't own me" and "I'll do whatever I want." I even checked in this forum at that point to see what others thought about the plausibility of all this … and initially agreed 100% with a reviewer who wrote several lines beginning with "There is absolutely no way any sensible person would …" and who concluded "The implausibilities in the story are the film's major weakness." That's exactly what I felt too.But I gave it some further thought and watched the rest of the movie … with a bit of fast-forwarding. There are a lot of people, intelligent or not, educated or not, sophisticated or not, who sometimes do totally irrational things when driven by infatuation or, more bluntly, by lust. It may imply a degree of vulnerability but people who seem to have their act together can still be vulnerable as well.I doubt at this point in life I'd be so easily drawn into doing something so stupid, but then opportunities to be irrational with someone as sexy as the character Denny don't come my way … for reasons other than my sensible, world-weary personality.Real people do incredibly stupid things when it comes to sex. If they're lucky, they're not too badly hurt by the experiences and they do return to making sensible choices … as was the case with Rusty. Quite often people in movies do things that we would never do and act in a way that seems irrational to us, but most of us know real people who do such things. The news often reports on famous, supposedly well-respected, sensible people who do incredibly reckless things because of sex. We may even look back on our own lives and recall some amazingly implausible things we did … because of sex.Nonetheless, even after accepting Rusty's illogical behavior as realistic for some emotionally fragile people and also noting that the two main characters in the movie are definitely easy on the eyes, it is still by no means a great movie. There was never any sense of Rusty being driven by his infatuation for Denny, we were just told that he really loved him and had to believe that was what was making him act foolishly. Neither the story nor the acting helped to make us understand why Rusty did what he did.

This was an excellent film that I didn't expect to watch. I thought I'd give it a try, as I have with many other gay-themed films, and turn it off in 15 minutes. But I couldn't. It is a very remarkable character-driven story. Other reviewers here have pointed out that the characters are at times unlikable or that their actions don't make sense. To that I would respond...that's life. And this film was extremely life-like. Certainly, there's some moments of weakness, but the dialog is very well-written and delivered. Dale Dymkoski in particular is captivating. His character is quite unlikable. At different points in the film, you want him gone, and yet your heart breaks for him. That's a great performance. The character growth in this story is something that's rare to see in any film, particularly one on this budget. Story-wise, everything comes full-circle.As an aside, it irks me to read in some reviews that people were observed to "walk out of the theater." That's a cliché here on IMDb. Every time I read that, I know the review cannot be trusted. It's not a reaction I would expect at a film festival. I'm a lover of film, and I've never seen people leave a theater en-mass, especially one like this. Reviewers should post their review without relying on on others to back up their point of view. People that walk out of a theater do not lend credibility to a review, as they can't review something they didn't bother to watch. And maybe they were just getting snacks.

***Please read carefully, this is not a rant (because someone reported abuse)!*** It is really amazing how things sometimes cross your path (rather than the other way 'round)! I was shocked to discover how this film really resembled my life, its simple truths! A friend of mine suggested I see this film on the grounds that my Phd in architecture concerned LeCorbusier's influence on Gio Ponti. "Why," I said in amazement, "how can it be that a gay themed movie has anything to do with THEM?" "Well, watch the film," he said, "and you will find out," he added with a sly smile. I got so anxious to see the film, as you can guess, and was totally engrossed by the thought.I soon found out that the lead, Rusty, was an architect, like me, and at some point early in the film was assigned a Gio Ponti house renovation - I was thrilled! Well, they didn't get to move on with the script toward that direction (we never get to see the house, unfortunately), but I did not care, I did not have the time to realize it because I was so totally taken by the fact that the crystal meth addicted hustler Rusty passionately falls in love with and has a meaningful relationship for two days (or, is it one? the film got me confused here because, you know, we see Rusty's boyfriend going on a business trip first thing in the film, leaving him his birthday present, and then at the end, after all that has happened it is still his birthday - can it be that it is next year? but then his boyfriend was on a business trip for that long? or, more obvious, he gets to open his present one year after, since it is the same box? this is heady) and as I was saying was so taken by the fact that the really caring hustler's name was Danny, that I didn't notice Gio Ponti was nowhere to be seen.Because Danny is the name of my ex. He was a hustler, too. (So now you know why my friend had put on that sly smile of his!) We were so in love, but his addiction destroyed everything we had. Watching this film was a really painful experience; it brought everything back.He was telling me too these hot, convincing things like "I really care for you, I don't wanna lose you,gimme 200 bucks, so f*** me hard all night, oh, please don't leave me!!gimme the money I tell you!!! yeah, harder," so, when someone declares his love that passionately and repeatedly, it is hard not to leave everything behind and go to the wonderful things he promises you, since you are a rich, handsome, successful architect (but you really love small budget things, this is why you live in a cheap motel).And those trips he had, oh...One was a regular; he had this thing with the wolf and the three piggies, so when he got really high, he started mumbling "I'll huff and I'll buff and I'll blow you!" - really weird stuff! Like when Danny starts shooting himself - with Polaroid shots, that is - and the scene is filled with creepy sophomore narcissism.So then I told him "This doesn't work out; I'm gonna work out." When I got back from the gym he was still there. We had a little conversation. Not long after that he relapsed, so I told him "This doesn't work out; I'm gonna work out." I can't tell you how many times I said this thing allover again, having fallen for his great heart, but I can surely tell you after working out that much, I got the terrific body I now have! And all in the course of a few days, just the way it happened in the film! Isn't life amazing sometimes?

This flick screened at Outfest in Los Angeles two nights ago to a completely sold out audience. Many standing in line were even turned away. They were the lucky ones.The storyline, in a nutshell: When his boyfriend leaves town, architect and restorer Rusty quickly hooks up with a sexy drifter named Denny. Rusty's already unsettled life is set on its ear when he discovers that Denny is a crystal meth-addicted hustler.Beginning about 20-30 minutes into the film, audience members started walking out in droves. I'm not sure of their reasons, but I would have left had I not been stuck in the middle of a crowded row of people involved with the film. I would have just felt bad disturbing their experience.Why would I have left? I found both the storyline and the characters unbelievable and unlikeable. Rusty is described as a success, but I couldn't figure out why anyone would use that word to describe him. Unable to make a decision or take a stand, he lets himself get pushed around professionally and emotionally throughout the film. Had there been some kind of hook or insight in either the writing of the character or the actor's performance, I might have wanted to root for the guy, but he just kept going back for more and never earned my respect as an audience member.The two lead actors are gorgeous, so that was what largely what made the film semi-bearable for me. And Dale Dymkowski, who plays the hustler Denny, did the best he could with what he was given, so he's pretty much what earned the two stars in my rating.Technically the film is kind of creaky as well. The color was terrible in the print I saw, and the sound was extremely tinny.Recommended for home viewing only, where you have the fast forward option and the ability to give up on it easily if you're so inclined.