Pretty Boy (2015) User Reviews

Superbly intense!

[jkendalldane · 10/10 · 11 March 2016]

I saw this short at the Pensacola LGBT Film Festival not long after it was released last year, and walked away so very happy I invested the time to see it.

Quite the different coming-of-age story, this film tackles a diverse number of subjects including bullying, questioning one's own sexuality, extreme fundamentalism, a clueless father, and the rarely seen portrayed "helpful and intelligent prostitute."

Brilliantly written and just as brilliantly acted, you will have moments where you cringe, ones where you cheer, ones where you want to hug the poor kid, and ones where you might even shed a tear. One thing for sure is you will want to watch it again.

To quote the old "Men on Film" guys from "In Living Color" ... I'd give it 'An around the world and two snaps up'" rating. I think you will too.

Haunting drama, incredible performances

[ffardatta-97-513500 · 10/10 · 7 April 2018]

If this had not been a film short, and was a feature length motion picture, it would have swept the 2018 Oscars! Outstanding performances by the two lead actors. Rebekah Tripp gave the best performance by an actress in a lead role last year. The best acting this reviewer has seen in a very long time. She is riveting and natural. Frankly, she makes the movie. Rebekah, if you are reading this review, congratulations. You should go very far. Note to Casting Directors and agents: Rebekah should be on your short list.

Pretty Boy Review

[felipepm17 · 9/10 · 10 July 2019]

In 30 minutes and with basically only one set, this movie can still be touching and complete. Small and great cast.

portrait of loneliness

[Kirpianuscus · 16 January 2021]

A delicate subject and the wise manner to use it. A film about marginalisation, social stigma, forms of solidarity, admirable for a sort of poetic mist, result of beautiful acting, fair cinematography and well crafted dialogue. In essence, a portrait , too faithful, of loneliness. Just special.

The best LGBT short ever!

[gigifoo · 10/10 · 4 January 2019]

OMG! Seriously, this is like the best LGBT short I've ever seen. Eat that pumpkin muffin, girl. What a gem! It's on youtube. MUST WATCH. OMFG. Incredible. MUAH xoxo

AMAZING! Needs a higher rating!

[Newmannator1989 · 9/10 · 7 January 2019]

Great acting, putting on a beautiful, endearing, captivating performance. Only wish it was longer! Definitely deserves a higher rating than it currently does.

Give me 20 bucks...

[robinhio84_ · 2/10 · 2 August 2022]

Dad pays to violate son (could happen ok).

Women teaching a guy to think about men whilst making out with females.... (excuse me, no) Father is watching and checking his son to get to the action. (disturbing, but could be real) The professional is soooo rude on the beginning. I can't imagine someone being like that in this profession. And that father WTH. (unrealistic, but not uncalled for)

Messed up story with lot of loopholes. Acting is poor, the Christian element looks forced, making tried to fit as much woke topics in there as possible. Father waiting whole night in the car for his son to hit it... (this is where the movie really loses touch with reality). Dialogue is weird, just cryptic messages that are supposed to hit home.

One redeeming thing is that, I can see how some guys might relate to the topics of pressure and symbolism behind the movie.

One pro tip, if you watch this on YouTube, use the speed up controls to get through it quicker.

SO PRETTY!

[sreeragmeppadath · 10/10 · 14 March 2019]

Great short.Shows the viewpoints of 2 bullied people.Prostitute and gay.Ones life should be his choice and not others.Great idea and excellent nallation

The talent does not justify the impact they were trying to make

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 2 May 2017]

"Pretty Boy" is an American English-language short film from 2015. It runs for slightly over half an hour and received some more attention recently because the writer and director Cameron Thrower posted it on Youtube where it scored a solid amount of views already. Looking at the solid deal of awards recognition it received, it is probably his most known work. The cast does not really include any famous names. This is the story of a father who gifts his son a birthday present, namely a night with a prostitute to cure him from his homosexuality. If you say you heard that before, you are probably correct as this plot is exactly the same as in a Sara Gilbert ("Roseanne") short film from the new millennium, even if this one here is longer and the plot details also differ the longer the film goes. I think Rebekah Tripp gave a somewhat solid performance, but everybody else is forgettable, which is partially not only the actors' fault, but also the script's with the way the characters were written. With all the emotional impact this film is trying to make (unaccepted homosexuality, struggling father-son relationship, told to have sex with somebody he does not find remotely attractive, discrimination against prostitutes, dead mother, forbidden mother-son relationship), this is an ultimate tear-jerk movie, but you already realize by the sheer quantity of subjects, the ones I just listed, that it is absolutely impossible to deliver convincingly in terms of story-telling for a half-hour film. So yes, the film may seem touching and emotional, but only to the untrained eye. The trained eye will see a movie that is all just for the sake of it while never being a honorable achievement at all when it comes to realistic story-telling despite trying so hard to be relevant. This film is a failure and 4 stars out of 10 is still (maybe too much) on the generous side. I don't recommend checking it out.