This is not a film. This is a bad joke.
Apparently gay films from the Philippines must adhere to some unwritten rules: The lead is always "from the provinces," and is desperately poor. Because of that, he falls into either "macho dancer" territory, prostitution or pornography.
"Macho Dancer" was the first film that I saw from the Philippines. It was powerful because you couldn't make up the story line. It was filled with tragedy and was disturbing and moving. I have now seen at least 20 gay-themed Filipino movies, and none have come close to "Macho Dancer."
"Boy Toy" follows the "story" (there isn't one) of a young man living in a hovel, who can't pay his rent and somehow thinks he's going to be a star. He ends up "auditioning" for a "gay movie." The auditionees are required to deliver some hackneyed dialogue and to show off their behinds.
Once our lead "secures the part," we go through god-knows-what before the "filming" begins. The lead is paired with another man who looks like he's probably straight and is only doing this because he's desperate. When they are asked to do a sex scene, they do it robotically and it's filmed in a way that you can't see any dangly bits. The director keeps asking them to do again with more "passion" -- what this has to do with the movie they "auditioned" for is anyone's guess.
There is a put-upon assistant who clearly has the hots for the young lead, and we are led to believe that maybe they end up with each other... and that's nice to imagine, but... the rest of this film is filled with catty remarks from the director and other "crew" members associated with this disaster. (As usual, there doesn't seem to be any money to pay anyone and/or to even complete the production.)
As the "film" progresses, it leads up to this unbelievably bizarre "dance" where the young men wear what must be toilet paper "designs" and do erotic "moves." It is the only moment in the film where the young lead and his "co-star" actually generate any heat, despite the hysterical laughs that will come from seeing the toilet paper "costumes" (another "department" that clearly didn't have a budget).
The only thing in the movie that was worthwhile was a scene with the censorship board, which had the "power" to decide whether this travesty, which the director was fighting for, tooth and nail, could be released in its current form with its "hot" "sex scene." During this censorship board meeting (not the first one, the last one), one of the characters says something catty to the other one, and it was so funny I started howling. That, and the "toilet paper dance" were the only things worth watching this for.
The rest of it was a bad joke.
Apparently gay films from the Philippines must adhere to some unwritten rules: The lead is always "from the provinces," and is desperately poor. Because of that, he falls into either "macho dancer" territory, prostitution or pornography.
"Macho Dancer" was the first film that I saw from the Philippines. It was powerful because you couldn't make up the story line. It was filled with tragedy and was disturbing and moving. I have now seen at least 20 gay-themed Filipino movies, and none have come close to "Macho Dancer."
"Boy Toy" follows the "story" (there isn't one) of a young man living in a hovel, who can't pay his rent and somehow thinks he's going to be a star. He ends up "auditioning" for a "gay movie." The auditionees are required to deliver some hackneyed dialogue and to show off their behinds.
Once our lead "secures the part," we go through god-knows-what before the "filming" begins. The lead is paired with another man who looks like he's probably straight and is only doing this because he's desperate. When they are asked to do a sex scene, they do it robotically and it's filmed in a way that you can't see any dangly bits. The director keeps asking them to do again with more "passion" -- what this has to do with the movie they "auditioned" for is anyone's guess.
There is a put-upon assistant who clearly has the hots for the young lead, and we are led to believe that maybe they end up with each other... and that's nice to imagine, but... the rest of this film is filled with catty remarks from the director and other "crew" members associated with this disaster. (As usual, there doesn't seem to be any money to pay anyone and/or to even complete the production.)
As the "film" progresses, it leads up to this unbelievably bizarre "dance" where the young men wear what must be toilet paper "designs" and do erotic "moves." It is the only moment in the film where the young lead and his "co-star" actually generate any heat, despite the hysterical laughs that will come from seeing the toilet paper "costumes" (another "department" that clearly didn't have a budget).
The only thing in the movie that was worthwhile was a scene with the censorship board, which had the "power" to decide whether this travesty, which the director was fighting for, tooth and nail, could be released in its current form with its "hot" "sex scene." During this censorship board meeting (not the first one, the last one), one of the characters says something catty to the other one, and it was so funny I started howling. That, and the "toilet paper dance" were the only things worth watching this for.
The rest of it was a bad joke.