Monday, July 9, 2012

My Review: The Skinny


Patrik-Ian Polk produced, wrote, and directed his 3rd film, The Skinny.

Here's the premise:
 THE SKINNY, a sharply scripted comedy about a group of four young, black, gay men (Magnus, Sebastian, Kyle, Joey) and their lesbian best friend (Langston). They arrange to meet up in New York City one year after their graduation from Brown University. Their plans for a weekend of fun start off well, relaxed in each other’s company as only old friends can be. But old tensions quickly resurface.

Drinking, drugs, hidden desire and the demands of promiscuity put friendship, trust and even lives at risk. In between sharp one-liners and a great soundtrack there’s a few important lessons that these pleasure-seekers must learn for themselves. Written with a real sense of the demands of urban living, these bright and believable characters will remind you of someone you know. Remaining true to his past work, Polk addresses issues in THE SKINNY that face the LGBT community such as date-rape, infidelity, and HIV/AIDS awareness.
After watching it, twice, I was... well... disappointed. There were several pieces that didn't come together for me and the plot really slipped near the end. I will give my vague bullet point review.
  • The theme of the film seemed to be this: no one knows anything.
  • The dialogue was not cute. There is more adult conversations in Degrassi.
  • I wasn't convinced these characters went to Brown, especially Sebastian.
  • Magnus is not a name you should give a character, unless he's a mutant or a wizard.
  • And speaking of him, I didn't care about him. He just seemed to be another victim. In fact, the entire main cast were victims.
  • Who willingly takes unknown drugs at a club they normally don't go to? Or who takes unknown drugs after the age of 21? Oh I know, the same character who gets raped and later jumps on a parade float (WTF?)
  • The characters looked alike way too much. At one point, I wanted them to wear name tags so I could tell them apart.
  • A lot happened in 4 days.
  • Most of the movie seemed to be in a bar. If I was going to see my best friends, I don't think I would spend most of the time in bars.
  • Magnus' ex was too much and his reasons why he was a bad boyfriend was so cliche.
  • The friends didn't act like best friends, just friends.
  • The plot was all over the place. I wasn't sure what was the real story of the movie.
  • The bathroom sex scene was out of place.
  • Who hides under a table in a bar?
  • This film makes Eating Out or Latter Days look like Citizen Kane.
I wouldn't recommend this film. I hoped it would have been better... maybe next time. 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's really disappointing. I loved Noah's Arc and the movie that came out later on.

Daddy Squeeze Me! said...

And they looked at me like I was crazy when I said I did not care to see it. I sure dont. I knew it was going to be a pretty people with some kind of problems movie. Might as well have just been a behind the scenes photoshoot documentary.

K. Clark said...

Damn. Like RJ said, I loved Noah's Arc. Oh, well they can't all be winners.

WilsonW said...

Vik, yes to everything you said. Man o man. And a double yes to hopping on a float after being raped bloody by two dudes and then practically immediately forgiving the guy who left you and created the circumstance for it to happen. "It was supposed to be you!" Ah shet the hell up!

And all the after school special HIV talk was horrid. The dialogue was bad all over the place.

Is this the same thing that they raised money on Kickstarter for Vik? That's a damn shame.

Wonder Man said...

It was, and I'm sad by this

Wonder Man said...

It was, and I'm sad by this

Daddy Squeeze Me! said...

I watched it and they should just rename it the CHEESY. If anyone wants to watch it, its streaming for free on LOGO TV website.

I couldnt stand Sebastian. Why was he so ditzy and bubbly like a barbie or some shit. Just because you are a virgin does not mean you are totally inexperienced and clueless about every damn thing!! Lord.

Ron Buckmire said...

I have also seen it twice, and I must say that I liked it way more than you did. (See my review here) In fact, I think it was more interesting than MOTS of Patrick's work on Noah's Arc.

First of all, it is VERY VERY FUNNY.

Yes, some of the dialogue is a mess, but some of it is side-splittingly funny. The who "douche scene" was HYSTERICAL! I defy you to watch it without laughing.

Really? Hating on a character being named "Magnus"? What is your point? Would you have preferred "Deshawn"? I didn't think the characters looked alike.

I agree that some of the HIV/AIDS messages were heavy-handed, but I think it is VERY important that they be in the film.

Agree that Magnus' boyfriend was a hot mess, but the emphasis is on HOT!

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.