Boy Culture **** (2006, Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens, Patrick Bauchau, Jonathon Trent, George Jonson, Kyle Santler) – Classic Movie Review 12,022

Director Q Allan Brocka’s 2006 American romantic drama film Boy Culture is based on Matthew Rettenmund’s 1995 novel, and stars Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens, Patrick Bauchau, Jonathon Trent, and Emily Brooke Hands.

It’s Seattle, Washington, and X is a successful, 25-year-old high-end escort, who sets out to describe in a series of confessions his relationships with his two roommates – the attractive African-American guy Andrew (Darryl Stephens) he’s in love with and the cute but lost 18-year-old Joey (Jonathon Trent) he wants to mentor – and his new client, the older, enigmatic Gregory (Patrick Bauchau). Gregory pays X for sweet talk, and challenges him to find his heart before he will consent to sex.

Boy Culture (2006) with Derek Magyar and Patrick Bauchau.

Everything goes real well for this canny, feel-good gay indie movie. Though based on a novel, it is seriously filmic, fast moving and fun, but thoughtful, intelligent and densely packed with ideas and attitude. The acting is high quality, with all four main performers really charismatic and appealing.

Surface-wise, it is super-slick and quick, with stylish, location-specific visuals, but at its warm, but not too sentimental heart, it is involving and touching, leaving a sweet after-taste. Witty one-liners, most of them delivered by X, many of them in his Sex and the City-style voice-over, cover a wise mind.

Warm heart, wise mind, witty tongue. What’s not to like?

Boy Culture (2006) with Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens.

The story is the same as in the novel, but Andrew’s character is now an African-American and the location of the story is moved from Chicago, Illinois.

The cast are Derek Magyar as Alex aka X, Darryl Stephens as Andrew, Patrick Bauchau as Gregory Talbot, Chris Bethards as young Gregory, Jonathon Trent as Joey, Emily Brooke Hands as Lucy, George Jonson as Blondie, Kyle Santler as Scooter, Matt Riedy as Frank, Clifford Harrington as Renaldo, Joshua Boswell as young Renaldo, Peyton Hinson as Jill, Demene Hall as Zelma, William Hall, Jr. as Oren, Molly Manago as Cheyenne, Laprell Nelson as Matthew, and Q. Allan Brocka as Bruce Lee.

These films struggle so much financially, even one as good as this one, and are mainly screened at film festivals. The film made its world premiere in the UK at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (now BFI Flare) on 1 April 2006, and debuted in the US at the Tribeca Film Festival on 26 April 2006 followed by a limited release there on 23 March 23, 2007. It is distributed by TLA Releasing.

In 2017, a Kickstarter campaign was launched for the episodic sequel Boy Culture: The Series. It premiered at the  21st Annual San Diego LGBTQ Film Festival on 11 September 2021 and is screened at the BFI Flare festival in London in March 2022. Derek Magyar and Darryl Stephens reprise their roles.

Boy Culture: The Series streamed from Wednesday 16 March 2022 to 27 March on BFI Player, and was shown on Monday 21 March 2022 at the BFI Southbank, NFT1.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,022

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Boy Culture (2006) with Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens.

Boy Culture (2006) with Jonathon Trent and Kyle Santler.