Boy Culture
Reel Affirmations 2006
Review by Sean Bugg
Rating: 
(4 out of 5)
Friday, 10/13/2006, 9:00 PM
Feature presentation, $9 at Lincoln Theatre
A VOICE-OVER narration that condescends to the audience isn’t the most auspicious start for a film, particularly for Boy Culture, the story of a Seattle hustler trying to find his own ability to love while plying his trade.
”I’m gay and they’ve made a movie about me. Keep up,” says X, the anonymously named protagonist, whose self-involvement is off-putting to both the viewer and the rest of the characters. For tax purposes, X shares his fabulous apartment with two others: recently out Andrew (Darryl Stephens of Noah’s Arc) and runaway teen-queen Joey, both of whom harbor feelings for X.
But X, as he explains in excruciating detail, is a judgmental sort, ”a hustler with morals…not a slut.” Unable to allow himself an emotional connection with Andrew and struggling with his paternal instincts for Joey, X finds himself drawn to his newest client, the elderly and worldly Gregory.
Although X spends much of the first half or so of the film explaining everything — a bit more showing and a bit less telling would have been nice — as he starts shutting up more often, Boy Culture starts pulling you in. It also pulls some surprises — while there are a handful of cute butt shots throughout, director Q. Allan Brocka chooses to make a revelatory sex scene between the studly X and the geriatric Gregory the most explicit and charged sexual moment.
The performances are strong all around — even Jonathon Trent’s initially grating Joey becomes a welcome presence. Stephens is about six different ways of cute and then some, and he plays Andrew’s indecision in a much less frustrating way than X’s. Then again, Magyar’s a bit hamstrung delivering all the tedious narration.
Rough at the start and smooth by the end, Boy Culture ends up mirroring (purposefully or not) X’s own journey, which is a surprisingly enjoyable one. — Sean Bugg
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
