Slutty Summer

I'd read some mixed (to bad) reviews of Slutty Summer, so I was unprepared for what a really good film it is. Of the countless gay movies I've seen, this was the first that truly made me feel that I was observing the real lives of 20something gay guys in a big city. The characters are all three-dimensional, even slutty Luke, well played by Jesse Archer, who is allowed to reveal a deeper side to his seemingly shallow character. Out actor/director Casper Andreas is very real and believable and likable as recently dumped Markus (I liked the way no attempt was made to explain his Scandinavian accent), and his developing feelings for equally effective Jamie Hatchett (as Tyler) build slowly and believably. Jeffrey Christopher Todd is adorable as hopeless romantic Peter, and I appreciated the respect with which Andreas treated this character; it would have been so easy to make fun of Peter's sincere desire to wait for Mr. Right. Virginia Bryant has many good moments as slightly ditzy Marilyn, and again Andreas has made her much more than the usual "fag hag" without a life of her own. I suppose it's possible (though doubtful) that at least some of the actors were straight (only Andreas and Archer are openly gay, as far as I know), but if so, they'd have to be quite amazing actors, because unlike far too many films, I believed that I was seeing real gay men (even down to smaller roles such as cutiepie Lex Sosa as Steven). Reading several other reviews here, I truly wonder at the cynicism and negativity of some gay viewers. This is not a bad film at all. This is not a badly made film at all. The budget may have been low, but this is clearly the work of a talented man who has surrounded himself with a talented bunch of mostly new to the screen performers. And the New York locations add to the realism of the story, and are especially interesting for an Angelino like myself (who loves New York as well). Thumbs up for Slutty Summer.