Customer Reviews

Boystown

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sinfully handsome Victor (Pablo Puyol, 20 Centimeters) is a real estate agent working in Chuecatown, Madrid's quickly gentrifying neighborhood (think Northern Liberties). But he hides a terrible secret: he has been murdering elderly women, disguising them as 'suicides' and then quickly flipping their apartments to upwardly-mobile gay couples. When bearish couple Ray (Carlos Fuentes, Kilometer Zero) and Leo (Pepón Nieto, Bulgarian Lovers) inherit the latest victim's apartment, they offer it up to Ray's mother, Antonia (the saucy Concha Velasco, Kilometer Zero), but Victor's master plan is to create the ultimate 'gayborhood,' and the older woman doesn't fit the demographic. Meanwhile an eccentric detective (Rosa Maria Sardá, All About My Mother) and her sexually-confused son, Luis, begin to undercover the scheme. In this fast-paced comedy, Chuecatown is brimming with zippy one-liners, a smorgasbord of male eye-candy and comic mishaps in the great recent tradition of Spanish cinema. (Spanish with English subtitles)

Life ain't easy in "BOYSTOWN" (Chuecatown) (TLA Video) for poor Leo (Pepón Nieto)! His driving school students leave him exhausted; his comic book geek hus-bear Ray (Carlos Fuentes, "Kilometer Zero") seems more interested in an old flame, his mother in-law Antonia (Concha Velasco, also "Kilometer Zero") hates him; he's being framed for the murder of their landlady; and the sex scheming real estate agent Victor (Pablo Puyol, "20 Centimeters") who's seemingly making a play for him (but really Ray's inherited apartment building) just made Leo get his back waxed.
It's a crime that Leo can't catch a break in the manic Spanish farce. But the hunky lovechild of Russel Crowe and Mark Addy is a delight to watch as a modern-day Jackie Gleason. "La Cage Aux Folles," "American Psycho" and the work of Pedro Almodóvar blend nicely in a saucy black comedy that argues for old fashioned Cary Grant values over those of "Sex and the City's" Carrie Bradshaw. -- Thomas Allen Heald, [...]

"Boystown" (Chuecatown) (2007) is a gentrified area of Madrid, in which long-occupied flats are being purchased and upgraded for resale to upwardly-mobile gays. Victor is the realtor making the rather generous offers, to the mostly older widows living in the area, but doesn't take "No" for an answer. If necessary, he'll murder the elderly owners in order to make sure the flat will be available.

When it is revealed that bearish gay couple Rey and Leo inherited the home of one of Victor's victims, Victor tries to cajole them into selling the flat, but they are renovating it for Rey's feisty mother. The old lady doesn't like the flat, and instead intrudes on the lives of the couple, driving a wedge between them. Victor takes advantage of their arguments to befriend Leo, hoping to get access to the flat that way. Meanwhile, it's up to a matronly police investigator and her sexually confused son/patrol partner to try to solve the case.

Kind of a simple story, but done in an endearing, witty and entertaining manner, making it a good viewing choice. Spanish with English subtitles (somewhat difficult to follow, since the characters talk fast). No DVD extras, other than chapter stops. Would be rated R for sexual content and some rear nudity. I give it four stars out of five.

I find a lot of films that are focused on the gay genre to be very trite and unrewarding for the viewer. This was the exception.

Saw it at a film fest last year and have been waiting for the DVD to share it with my friends. It's definitely a dark comedy with several laugh out loud moments (and I rarely laugh out loud). They acting is great and the characters are easy to attach to.

Overall a very well done film. Were it not for the subtitles I'd give it 5 stars....I mean, who likes to read when you can stare at the guys.

The title is a compliment! "Boystown" is a very good black comedy, style of which reminds me some works of Almodovar.
Laughter is mixed with tears, happiness with sadness, comedy with thriller plus a bit of absurd.
There are not paper characters in this film. From "straight-from-hell" mother-in-law to hypohondric detective and her "still-in-the-closet" son. From evil estate agent to cute chubby driving instructor.
Very good and very advised to watch.

This is a great little Spanish film that doesn't quite know what it is, and that is its' strength. It is a gay, murder, mystery, relationship film that surrounds property deals, but is actually a comedy.

The basic plot is that a corrupt estate agent is bumping off old ladies in Madrid's gay neighbourhood in order to but the property cheep and make big bucks out of the pink pound. The story revolves around two cuddly bears, one with an over bearing mother in law and one who develops a crush on the estate agent.

There are some lovely comedy pieces and some great direction from Juan Flahn. There is a stressed police chief who is trying to track down the murderer and her side kick son is just excellent as he slowly creeps out of the closet.

This is in Spanish with very good English sub titles and with a run time of 94 minutes that just seem to fly past.

This is said to have been influenced by Almodovar and yes you can see it, but this is a great film in its own right and signs of an ever emerging Spanish film scene that needs supporting and applauding. If you like this then check out `Chefs Special', another little gem of a film.

This movie is funny and endearing. I think the supporting characters are stronger than the main actor--don't let that deter you. The men are loving and real; I bought this movie after having seen it on video and am very pleased with my purchase.

I like the Spanish black comedy, they have for sure the ability to be funny without being stupid. For sure they are not realistic, at least not in all their aspect, but Boystown has a worth more, to show you a very common type of couple, the so called bears, that not always are main characters in a movie. Rey and Leo are handsome but not pretty, I can see their physical appeal; they are nice and funny, but not "flamboyant". They like beer and meat. The crime subplot is funny, but sincerely, what I like most is the love story between these two not so "little" teddy bears.

If you are after a good laugh and dont mind very very black comedy (and some swearing) then this certainly is the movie for you. If you have a Spanish background you will appreciate this humour even more.

cannot say i like this film because i was not aware that it was in a spanish movie with Eglish caption