Retake

This an interestingly quirky take on a road trip movie. "Jonathan" (Tuc Watkins) retains the services of a much younger hooker and proceeds to attempt to turn him into the partner he has lost. They set off en route to the Grand Canyon and their relationship - despite themselves - starts to flourish. Devon Graye plays the "duplicate" boyfriend ("Adam") really very well and the toing and froing of their relationship encompasses lust, pain, longing, despair and anger as it reaches it's conclusion. There is enough ambiguity throughout to keep this interesting and the writing is taut. It is well worth a watch.

A simple story, full of nuances from its beginning, Hitchcock influence, realistic portrait of hustlers, a nice relation, discovered in its complexity, correct work, good acting, delicate subject, portrait and eulogy of loneliness , bitter , perfect end. A trip of two strangers. The precise purpose of the old one, the temptation to escape from his life circle of the other. And complex relation between them. Not great but, obvious, more than decent, beautiful for melancholia of story and for few inspired scenes. And nice for the courage of end , giving simple, precise message about a pain without cure.

I wasn't sure where this was going, but was pulled in as the story unfolded. As Jonathan's story comes together, you are actually want to know more about the tragic relationship with the real Brendon. Was it a true love or a "project" Jonathan was going to fix. I am glad the story ended as it did,. Anything else would have been pathetic.

This is a good movie, one that holds your interest with some kink and a lot of tension. We never quite know exactly what Jonathon is up to when he hires Brandon. Brandon tells us what he wants and what he intends to do, but we're not exactly sure just how dark his kinkiness will go. Neither is Brandon, which is a sensible of him, IMO, and which only adds to the puzzle. Essentially Retake features a Vertigo-like make-over, though this one is gay and a little more downtown. Like Vertigo, the principal characters seem to be developing an affection for one another, though we're not exactly sure what's genuine and what isn't. All this uncertainty and kinkiness adds up to a picture that has you traveling down the highway to who-knows-where. You just aren't sure of the final destination until it gets there, and that's a very good thing. Well-written, well-crafted, and worth seeing.

Deeply unsatisfying film which just recounts over and over the dilemma of gay men who simply don't know how to love or communicate to each other. I wouldn't have given the arrogant business man the time of day if he had treated me the way he treats the much more acceptable emotional hustler. At least he tries to find some good behind the mentally disturbed and obsessed guy who is paying him to go on a journey with him. The acting is first rate but sadly is typical of the downers gay men have on themselves and perpetuates the idea of a dream lover we hurriedly move on from. (A man to feel those needs is someone we could all have if we let our hatreds for ourselves get out of the way..) I could feel no empathy for the main role even though it is explained who Brendan is and why it affected him.

The plot description intrigued me. A lonely middle aged man hires a male escort to accompany him on a road trip to recreate a specific time from his past he cannot seen to move on from. Tuc Watkins as the middle aged man and Devon Graye as the hustler are both fantastic in this. You don't expect acting of this caliber in a low budget indie gay film and I was continually impressed by how both men fully inhabited their roles. The film is a road trip movie but also a complex and intelligent film about love, loss, trauma, regret, and moving on. I did question how the hustler was as sane, resilient, and emotionally intelligent as he was. Not being a drug addict made me further question his line of work. But when I learned of what brought him to the streets, it made more sense. I read another review here where the reviewer was angry that this didn't have a "Pretty Woman" ending. Personally, I would rather a film be thought provoking and honest than have a fake tacked on happy ending. That was clearly never to be for these two complex and troubled men. A solid 9/10 from me.

The unsteady Camera was very distracting and pointless. When will this stupidity end? It's not unique, creative or edgy. Grow up Hollywood.

Definitely a strange, but well scripted story of a man trying to recreate his days with an ex love. Beautifully played by the two leading actors, as well as the general ensemble. The sex scenes though suggestive are not explicit which was disappointing given the story line. But the interaction between the characters and the role playing and how the emotions changed kept me gripped.. Very interesting and recommended.

Okay, so now I've just watched this movie ... 6 stars on IMDb, I thought it was very much better! A realistic portrayal of hustlers, and what they are like. John's and what they can be like. I met guys like this for sure in real life! It all made sense to me! Hustlers are screwed up, John's are really strange, (I know from experience,) it played out as a real possibility, right up to the very end results. "Brandon," Adam ... (Devon Graye) had a realistic imperfect body, although an AMAZING face you just must fall in love with! Then there was the other protagonist, Jonathan, (Devon Graye) the messed up John. Amazing. The script was strong and realistic right to the very end. I thought it was great! Been there, done that, (well not quite,) but it played out REAL! Strong 8 stars from me!

SPOILERS ... This movie is why depressed gay men stay depressed. Jesus! We already suffer through Brokeback Mountain and a million other gay-themed films that can't possibly seem to be written EVER with a happy ending. I get it. "This is real," and all that pretense. How about a movie where some dude gets the dude before the credits roll? Can we have a movie where two men from different worlds actually fall in love and end up happy? Just for fun? Throw us a bone, will you? Can we as gay men have our own "Pretty Woman?" Doesn't seem so. This is exactly the reason I stay away from LGBTQ films. They try so hard to be artsy and "real life," they end up with endings that make you want to flush your head down the toilet. Isn't life depressing enough? I'll never watch this movie again, despite the great actors. I'll give the film that much. They performed well in what is a total sucking let-down. This could have been a great film that ends with a person learning to love himself, and another finding a man he can love throughout his life as well, but nope. If you're watching this for romance, I'll save you the time: Go find a straight movie. The gays ones are too damn depressing.