I waited with great anticipation for this film to find a distributor and make its way onto DVD so I could finally get my hands on it. The fact that "Speedway Junky" has floated in shelved-project limbo for at least a year did cross my mind but I figured I'd give it a go anyway. If nothing else the cast is oozing with attractive male stars, including Johnathan Taylor Thomas as a bisexual street hustler. As a gay 21 year old I had to indulge the crush I've had on the young "Home Improvement" star since I was young. Unfortunately it looks as if JTT chose this role more for shock value than for actual content, which is a shame since almost every actor in this short dizzy little film gave it their all but couldn't save it from its own mediocre plot. Jesse Bradford (Clockstoppers) plays Johnny, a military brat on his way to North Carolina to be a racecar driver. He hits a road bump in Las Vegas and ends up stranded in the big city all alone. A trusting soul, Johnny soon finds that seemingly everyone is trying to take take something from him. Thats when angel-faced Jorden Brower (Texas Rangers) steps in as Eric, a gay male prostitute who just wants somebody to love him. He takes Johnny under his wing and falls in love with him which is the main plot of the story.
Both Brewer and Bradford play they're roles well. Johnny, as his name suggests, is just an average kid who is almost too nice to be believable. He trusts everyone he meets and talks to strangers like they're old friends. Eric is sad and brooding and the viewer wants him to find his happy romance as badly as they want Johnny to fulfill his childish dream of being a racecar driver. The problem is after these basic points are laid out the two lead characters are bogged down in a plot that goes nowhere until the end when it spits out a totally ludicrous ending. Confusing the story are Veronica, Daryl Hannah (Splash) in a subdued role as an ex-prostitute/showgirl, and Taylor Thomas as the jaded hustler Steven. To me these two characters should have been bit-players but both took up quite a bit of screen time that could have been used to flesh out the story and make it more believable. That, in the end, was the biggest problem with this film.
For all the characters fretting and brooding and crying I had to wonder what all the fuss was about since the actual act of selling they're bodies for money was never really discussed and never shown. On top of that, key points like what happened to Eric's mother were left unanswered and in the end when the credits rolled I was left wanting more or at least to know what the moral was. Was it the hard process of growing up for Johnny? Was it Eric coming to terms with what he really wanted in life? It was sort of all these things and none of these things and I felt cheated that it didn't have the answer. In the end it was just kind of.. there. I gave this film a 7 because of the hot guys and the fact it at least tried to take on a real gay issue. This film brought to mind another film dealing with hustlers, David Arquette's "Johns". While that film was overly depressing and bleak this one was too nice and flashy. Hopefully someday someone will get it right but until then I'd suggest "Speedway Junky" to gay men only. Like I said there are allot of cute guys in it. Sadly thats about the only thing this underdeveloped mess has to offer...
Both Brewer and Bradford play they're roles well. Johnny, as his name suggests, is just an average kid who is almost too nice to be believable. He trusts everyone he meets and talks to strangers like they're old friends. Eric is sad and brooding and the viewer wants him to find his happy romance as badly as they want Johnny to fulfill his childish dream of being a racecar driver. The problem is after these basic points are laid out the two lead characters are bogged down in a plot that goes nowhere until the end when it spits out a totally ludicrous ending. Confusing the story are Veronica, Daryl Hannah (Splash) in a subdued role as an ex-prostitute/showgirl, and Taylor Thomas as the jaded hustler Steven. To me these two characters should have been bit-players but both took up quite a bit of screen time that could have been used to flesh out the story and make it more believable. That, in the end, was the biggest problem with this film.
For all the characters fretting and brooding and crying I had to wonder what all the fuss was about since the actual act of selling they're bodies for money was never really discussed and never shown. On top of that, key points like what happened to Eric's mother were left unanswered and in the end when the credits rolled I was left wanting more or at least to know what the moral was. Was it the hard process of growing up for Johnny? Was it Eric coming to terms with what he really wanted in life? It was sort of all these things and none of these things and I felt cheated that it didn't have the answer. In the end it was just kind of.. there. I gave this film a 7 because of the hot guys and the fact it at least tried to take on a real gay issue. This film brought to mind another film dealing with hustlers, David Arquette's "Johns". While that film was overly depressing and bleak this one was too nice and flashy. Hopefully someday someone will get it right but until then I'd suggest "Speedway Junky" to gay men only. Like I said there are allot of cute guys in it. Sadly thats about the only thing this underdeveloped mess has to offer...