3-Day Weekend (2008)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Rob Williams

Writer:

Rob Williams (writer)

Release Date:

8 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Start packing

Plot:

Cast

Chris Carlisle	...	Mac
Joel Harrison	...	Cameron
Gaetano Jones	...	Kevin
Derek Long	...	Cooper
Derek Meeker	...	Simon
Douglas Myers	...	Jason
Daniel Rhyder	...	Andre
Stephen Twardokus	...	Ace

Runtime:

USA:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Guest House Films

Movie Connections:

References The Boys in the Band (1970)

Soundtrack:

Rise (Acoustic)

Gentrification of gay cinema

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The wino who wrote the one other review of this movie is right; this movie is no 'Citizen Kane.' The association of rosebud with this cast would turn even a vegetarian off tossed salad.

And, the other reviewer is also right in stating that the acting is not good. It's like watching the understudies in community theater perform; it's a fair job, but not good.

The production is competent; yet, with a tighter story and better acting this movie could have been better. But, even so, the movie would only achieve mediocrity because it's not a very interesting story: a bunch of gay white guys lounge around a comfortable country retreat and intermittently bemoan their relationships and nail one another. The theme of getting older and ending-up alone recurs but it doesn't receive much depth of exploration and consequently doesn't have much of an impact. Some of the characters mention AIDS a couple of times in a passing way but never really explore it as an issue either. Moreover, the issue of prostitution is treated as lite-fare, which might work for a comedy but not a drama.

These themes are presented so much better in other low-budget movies with little known, but quite competent actors.

Mitchell's "Shortbus" has a decent scene that shows the aging and isolation theme in a brief but immensely better manner. It's the sequence where the twinkie is talking to the old mayor in the salon.

Araki's 'The Living End' provides a trenchant perspective of the AIDS issue in a compelling and reactionary story of lost youth.

Morrissey's trilogy of 'Flesh', 'Trash' and 'Heat' are shoddy productions but fascinating to watch because the characters are captivating. Those actors, like Dallesandro, were unknown and untrained but imbued a sense of realism that the actors in this flick can't seem to achieve. Also, Morrissey presents male prostitution in a matter-of-fact manner; it isn't glamorized, vilified or trivialized.

So, there are interesting gay-themed movies, but 3-day weekend isn't one of them.