Customer Reviews

Crutch

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

 

 

CRUTCH is a film you want to like: it feels honest, from the heart of the autobiography of writer/director/producer/actor Rob Moretti, and it aims to deliver a statement about the dangers of drug abuse and how to conquer it. The problems with this film are 1) it all has been said and shown before, 2) the camera work and editing are so inconsistent that they become intrusive, and 3) the actors selected to enact this downfall film are pretty much folks with good intentions but little finesse. Obviously made on a very low budget with a group of people who appear committed to the project, it has everything we could want from an Indie except polish.

David (Eben Gordon - unfortunately not resembling a 16-year-old boy he is supposed to be) is trying to hold together his fragile family of adulterous father Jack (James Early), an alcoholic self-destructive mother Katie (Juanita Walsh), and brother and sister. Jack leaves the family for his paramour, Maryann is hospitalized for rehab after an injurious fall, the other siblings are copeless, and David attempts to escape reality by joining an acting class. The acting teacher Kenny (Rob Moretti), accompanied by his close friend and confidant Maryann (Jennifer Katz), encourage David's young ability and despite wise Maryann's warnings, Kenny responds to his attraction to David.

Out of need for order in his life David opens up his sexuality and becomes bonded with Kenny. Kenny's hidden drug addiction is uncovered by David and David begins to use the coke and his downfall begins. It is a love/hate relationship, David becoming the movie star Kenny's drug habit prevented. And eventually David attempts to return to his family and girlfriend only to meet with disaster until in the final moments of the film we find David in a 12-step program. The ending summarizes how each of the characters' lives stand at the present via screen statements before the credits.

As said before, the film cries to be loved but the technical aspects of its creation simply fall short of the much-needed chemistries that this inexperienced cast is unable to deliver. It may be an example of the writer losing the necessary distance from the final product by being over-extended in the making of the film. Grady Harp, June 05

Wonderfully filmed, poignant story, fantastic actors. An impressive film to say the least. I hope to see it in wide release so all can enjoy. The story is a coming of age story of an endearing young man and his struggles with addiction, family, and love. Writer/Director/Actor Rob Moretti must have had a roller-coaster of a ride creating this film. It is charged with honesty, hardship, and an underlying theme of Making/Creating and fighting the Unmaking/Destroying. The demons of this film reside in each of the characters, but they are ousted by the goodness and will of those same characters. Eben Gordon is brilliant. I can't wait to see his next project. He plays David, the protagonist. His execution of character development reminds me of Edward Norton's in "American X". He goes from young and innocent to hardened and wiser within a wonderfully timed and subtle arc.

Rob Moretti impresses as David's mentor, Kenny. The relationship these two actors create is potent, real, and honest. It brings to mind the torrential joy and disaster of my first love certainly. With everything else Moretti must have dealt with on set as director/writer I find it very impressive that he and Gordon created such synergy. Most of the other actors did very well, though I would have loved to see more of Frankie Faison as Jerry. An intricate film and wonderful experience. It was very impressive.

I could not even get all the way through this film because of the poor acting skills of the leads...To begin with the actor who plays David (Eben Gordon) looks twenty six and not sixteen and Rob Morretti (Kenny) is flat and achingly dull in the role as teacher/seducer. So much of the content was stereotypical and almost comedic such as the mom (who is a boozer) who hides her stash in the toilet tank or Kenny putting his hand on David's shoulder and uttering that old cliche "if you need someone to talk to" There are so many great gay films out there, however, this is not one of them.

I bought this because my cousin is in it. I really did not think it was very good. The story line was okay yet the script was awful. Some of the actors were okay others not so much. The cinematography was awful. I just kept in mind that it was low low budget.

Would not have purchased except for the connection.

No, this is not a hollywood film with perfect editing and cool special effects. But I think the way it was filmed fits the story. This is a house of dysfunction and the camerawork helps make it very personal, like you're right in the middle of it. The actors are fabulous, most especially Eben Gordon. I think he plays David's vulnerable side and shows how he changes very well. He's an extremely talented young man and I hope to see much more of him. If you're only into the hollywood style movie, this is not for you. But if you're in the mood for something dark, and a little different, this is definitely worth a look. It is sure to have an impact.

... this would be it. It is an insipid, oft-told tale of adolescent dysfunction elevated not a bit by its gay context.

In addition to a hackneyed script and uniformly weak performances, the entire sorry affair suffers from looking like Helen Keller was the director of photography. Dark, dreary images of dull, foolish people.

There *are* worse ways to spend a couple hours. But who wants to travel to Guantanamo at this time of year?

The movie itself is based on a true story. The movie does not have closed-captioned and hard for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to understand the main story of the movie. It's hard for me to know what is happening without closed-captioned for hearing impaired.

Crutch is quite an involving story, it's just a pity that the film is spoiled by an under-qualified cast that just doesn't quite have the talent to pull off the serious subject matter. Crutch is reportedly based on a true story, and Rob Moretti is not only one of the lead actors but also the writer, director, editor, and producer.

The film is obviously a labor of love for him, but the problem is that the lack of any talented actors results in a rather lackadaisical and tepid film that tries hard to be uncompromising and provocative but often comes across as so melodramatically over the top that you just can't take most of it seriously. Drugs, alcoholism, and the sometimes-difficult process of coming out, lay at the heart of this uneven and often unintentionally funny film.

Sixteen-year-old David (Eben Gordon), is living the stuff of suburban nightmares. His Dad (James Earley) has been seeing another woman, and his mother, Katie (Juanita Walsh), has taken to the bottle. She spends most of her waking hours in a daze, ignoring her sullen and morose children. David is left to cook and clean for his two siblings, but he enthusiastically attends acting classes led by the flashy, thirty something Kenny (Moretti) and his quirky assistant Maryann (Jennifer J. Katz).

Soon Katie is admitted to a rehab center after receiving 27 stitches in her chin from a fall she was too drunk to feel. David's brother and sister don't want to deal with Mom now that she's a mental invalid, so the burden falls on David. Occasionally arguments and fights break out, but throughout much of this familiaral breakdown the family goes through their days in icy and frosty silence.

David finds solace scribbling frenetically in his tattered and threadbare diary, and courting his pretty girlfriend Julia (Jennifer Laine Williams). Julia also accompanies him to acting classes. Almost immediately, Kenny takes a shine to David and begins his stealthy dance of seduction. At first Kenny just wants the sex, but David, adrift at home, begins to fall for the seemingly compassionate older man.

Things begin to spiral out of control when both of them get involved in drugs and drinking. Kenny has been maintaining a secretive addiction to coke, and when David accidentally finds his hidden stash, he too gets addicted. It is soon revealed that Kenny is a washed up actor who has never been able to rise above his shameful spiral of drugs and self-hatred.

As the story progresses, David retrospectively narrates - in one instance he tells us that he was impressionable, and in another instance he says that regardless of what happened, he really loved Kenny. The film certainly has its moments but the tepid acting combined with the odd casting - Kenny should really have been played with a much older looking actor - hamper the overall dramatic impact of the film. In addition, Moretti and Gordon just aren't that appealing.

The film also has Zack (Tim Loftus), a bookshop clerk whose over-the-top swishiness is as unrealistic as it is offensive. Loftus' efforts to instill a kind of lighthearted effeminacy into the proceedings effectively undermine the gritty suburban reality that the film is trying so desperately hard to create!

In all fairness, Crutch isn't a complete disaster. Moretti does achieve in creating a type of intimacy with the audience and the story is so personal that you can't help but feel like a voyeur trapped in the small houses, apartments, and restaurants where most of the action takes place. But it's just too hard to buy the initial premise that Morett's life was as fraught with such drama and tragedy as this film makes it about to be. Mike Leonard June 05.

You can get the the synopsis from the rest of the reviews. I will focus on the acting. The story itself at times is very melodramatic, I think mainly because the the story itself is full of one hardship after the next. David is dealt a very raw deal in his young life. The the actors in this movie for the most part dealt very well with a tough script. Eben Gordon was very believable as the troubled 16 year old David. He has a very endearing quality from the beginning of the story which makes you pull for him throughout the movie. I liked the fact that he looked closer to 20. A thirty something with an actual 16 year old (although it's what really happened) would have made it more difficult to watch. Rob Moretti's performance had a great balance of manipulation and likability. It's understandable why David falls for Kenny. The story is very personal. Knowing that it is based on a true events makes you feel like you are watching a personal journal brought to life. Very disturbing, but worth experiencing. It also doesn't hurt that the leads are not too bad to look at.

NASTY! Rob Morretti directed an autobiographical movie about a slimy actor turned drama coach who seduces one of his teenage students, leading the boy into a dark world of sex and drugs. In a twisted move, Morretti, who in real life was the student, plays the teacher in the film. With the possible exception of the teacher's friend and sort-of conscience, there is not a single likeable or sympathetic character in sight. The production values are bad, the acting pretty awful, the writing is trite. Perhaps the film provided therapy for the director, but I can't imagine any other reason for its existence.

Don't make the mistake of buying this movie, like I did. Don't even bother to rent it, or watch it for free at a friend's house. It isn't worth the time. All you'll get from watching it is a bad taste in your mouth. Avoid at all cost!