Customer Reviews

The Fluffer

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer's "The Fluffer" is an earnest, honest and humane attempt at exposing the Gay Porno scene through the eyes of a young gay man Sean (Michael Cunio), new to Hollywood who falls in love with a gay porno star after he rents a movie he thinks is "Citizen Kane" that turns out to be a gay porno starring Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney).
(When the obviously oblivious Sean brings what he thinks is CK to the check out counter, the clerk winks and says: "Doing the Classics tonight, huh?) Sean proceeds to apply and get a job at Janus Films, maker of all of Johnny Rebel's films,as a cameraman and thus sets the film and his infatuation in full motion.
Westmoreland/Glatzer have the sense to steal from some of the best movies: isn't Sean really a palliative for the Phillip Seymour Hoffman character in "Boogie Nights," who is as over-the-top and overwrought in love with Dirk Diggler as Sean is laid back and introspective about his feelings for Johnny Rebel? And it's much harder for Sean to stay cool about Johnny in that, not only is he a cameraman he's also Johnny's designated "Fluffer."
There are some heavy-handed, though earnest attempts to delve into the psyches of Sean as well as Johnny but most of this falls flat as it merely upsets the equilibrium of the film: is this a psychological study or a light comedy? It is possible to be both, but the transitions need to be handled with more aplomb than they are here to be be meaningful and effective.
The final scenes of the film are a hoot though, with blatant references to Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth" with Sean standing in for Paul Newman and Johnny for Geraldine Page as Sean consoles Johnny in a cheap motel in Mexico. That scene also cannily references Michelangelo's Pieta!
They probably bite off more than they can chew in "The Fluffer," but Westmoreland/Glacker show a real sense of style, grace and directorial know-how; especially difficult with the obvious constaints of a small budget. Look for these two to do great things in the future.

It's hard to explain what a "fluffer" is on a family website. Suffice it to say that a fluffer is someone on the set of a porn movie who makes it possible for a male porn star to maintain the illusion that he is enjoying what he is doing on screen. Women can fake it. Men, obviously, cannot.

That said, *The Fluffer* is a realistic picture about the gay porn industry. It is also about how vanity, insecurity, helplessness, and ultimately, self-destruction, get expressed in the life of a man who appears to have everything: beauty, fame, people who love him and willingly sacrifice themselves and their own dignity - for a while anyway - to take care of him. In many more important ways, it is an almost perfectly realized cinematic exploration of the relationships between longing and fulfillment, fantasy and reality, love and obsession, the glitzy and the mundane. It's also about growing up and the deep sources of self-respect, how for some, as Blake said, "the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom," while for others, it leads to spiralling self-destruction and, finally, to despair.

The movie treats all of its characters with respect almost bordering on tenderness. The porn superstar's self-destructive dive is not played as a stereotype. Some of the characters in this movie seem functional if not particularly happy with their lives. Others - the three main characters really - find themselves on a pathe to either imminent self-destruction or imminent self-discovery and transformation. The movie does present, for one thing, a morality tale. But the general morality of porn itself is not examined in this movie.

A final word: the excellent commentary track is revealing and deeply provocative, pointing out the places where the screenplay or the camera (or both) is communcating the film's dramatic insights as well as it's perfectly wrought structures.

Highest recommendation.

A lot less provocative than you might think, this one has some really good stuff going for it. The reality of the gay porn industry, some nice performances, well-made. But - and it's a big one -- I really hate these films that do the gay boy chasing the bad straight boy thing. It seems degrading and after a point in the plot, a little unrealistic. What ruined this film for me was the last half hour. I won't spoil it but it seemed forced, overly dramtic and ultimately a little dumb. Really, porn is porn and Boogie Nights did this 1000 times better. Rent, but I would not buy.

I was surprised at the overall tone of sadness and depression in this movie. The actors, who very believably played struggling youths growing up in a porn/stripper world, were the highlight of this film. Maybe the script needs more credit for the intentional lack of flair and in the end is VERY believable.

This is not a "feel good" movie, so don't expect a sense of happiness at the conclusion. After watching a convoluted movie like this and knowing these types of situations DO exist in real life, made me thankful my life is "simple" compared to this.

This film won't win any Oscars, but it's worth the watch for it's raw production value...4 stars.

This film starts promisingly, with an attractive cast, a great story premise, good production values and a good soundtrack. I really wanted to like this film. Sadly, it soon went off the rails and never really recovered. I hated the entire last third of the film and the awful ending.

The lead actor (not the one on the cover, the other guy) is a total hunk and quite a good actor too. The rest of the cast is also very good, but, in the main, the supporting actors (such as the wonderful Deborah Harry, whose impressive musical career always seems to overshadow the fact that she is actually a very talented actor who always chooses edgy and interesting material) are wasted and totally under-developed. The story focuses only on the two male leads, and since one of those characters is very unappealing, self-absorbed and, sorry to sound harsh, but basically just boring, that does not lead the film too many places to slide but downhill.

I wanted to like this film, and I would say that if you're interested you should watch it, but don't bother buying it.

Well firstly, the "obvious" comparison with "Boogie Nights" is not particularly appropriate. Whilst "Boogie Nights" weakens and ultimately fails when moving away from the world of the "skin flicks" environment, "The Fluffer" goes from strength to strength in its characterisations and story focus of the three principal subjects.

In this writer's opinion, the movie bears a more appropriate and favourable comparison with "The Player" in terms of its production values, storyline and direction. Where "The Fluffer" wins hands down is in its somewhat more mature and balanced examination of not dissimilar subject matter and importantly the effects which "Hollywood lifestyle" can have on its various characters. In many ways these two excellent films are two sides of the same coin.

For a "low budget" film, the production values are exceptionally high. The intelligent script, sets and casting are at all times on the button. The quality performances of the principal and supporting actors are always and without exception utterly believable and the direction shows an understanding and style sadly lacking in most mainstream movies.

Sean Gurney, irresistible, a delight on the eye throughout the film, provides the lynchpin of the movie. A modern day Mitchum, his "presence" and credible persona engenders the very difficult role upon which the parts of Michael Cunio and Roxanne Day and their main stories depend.

Whilst Sean Gurney provides a driven, handsome, conceited "player" who generates our compassion whilst simultaneously rejecting it, Michael Cunio, he of the innocent eyes, plays a naive and vulnerable graduate from film school with all the eagerness inherent in the part, and Roxanne Day plays the long suffering girlfriend/lapdancer who wants the cottage and white picket fence which their lifestyles deny them

As an added bonus, were one needed, there are more "celebrity" cameos than in any other film since "Around The World In Eighty Days" and copious homage to some of the great directors of all time.

Sadly the DVD is not anamorphically enhanced for modern widescreen TVs.

Question, is it "just" Hollywood or the porn environment or haven't we all "fluffed" someone in our business or personal lives to achieve something we want?

Almost boring, but a little moving at moments. Far, far from a good film. Chock full of typical gay coming of age movie cliches. The main character is good, but underwritten. And what's the deal with the female stripper scenes? I love female nudity when it's appropriate (Center of the World), but this was way out of place. Gratuitous. And no male nudity? It's a gay film featuring Gay "Porn Stars". Geez! The only enjoyable characters are the photographer and the secretary! They get about 5 mins of screen time. Skip it.

One of writer and director Wash Westmoreland's porn films, The Devil's Bottom, was the first ever adult film, gay or straight, to be included on the LA Weekly best films of the year list, and his break-out into the mainstream is promising. The film opens with a misunderstanding, as Sean (Michael Cunio), a young ingénue newly arrived in Los Angeles, borrows Citizen Kane from the video store only to discover he has been loaned a gay porn film called 'Citizen Cum' by mistake. West's porn industry training is put to good use in the opening sequence of Citizen Cum, which is strikingly erotic, whilst avoiding any explicit images, and which successfully fetishises its star, the anti-hero Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney), for the viewer from the outset. Significantly, this is also the first and last time in which sensuality can be found in the porn film sequences and shoots, which are subsequently sterile and ludicrous.

Sean's ensuing obsession with Johnny leads him to procure a job as cameraman at Men of Janus, the production company that has an exclusive deal with Johnny. Much of the film's considerable humour rests on the early porn movie scenarios, always an easy source of laughs but presented here with freshness and originality. A city slicker dominates two hapless dungaree-wearing rustics, a pool cleaner does some unpaid overtime with his boss and the actors steal viagra between scenes to maintain the illusion of arousal. Men of Janus (Janus being, as the boss explains, "the god of entrances and exits") have produced such vintage movie titles as 'Tour De Ass' and 'Tranny Get Your Gun'.

Both Sean and the reprehensible yet magnetic Johnny invite empathy throughout, despite their complicity in the many tragic events the story narrates. The capacity of Johnny's girlfriend Babylon (Roxanne Day) to convey innocence and goodness even when dressed in pseudo-bondage stripper costumes is remarkable. Sean's immersion into the sleazy world he is experimenting with occurs with disturbing and insidious imperceptibility. His job description rapidly expands into 'fluffing': helping the porn stars out when they have problems maintaining arousal. Encouraged by Johnny to experiment with crystal meth at an industry party, the hilarity of Sean's wired description of Hitchcock's Vertigo as 'pure porn' temporarily masks the sinister nature of his transition from classic movie buff to fluffer and criminal accomplice.

On potentially dangerous ground with both their morality tale plotting and heavy use of symbolism, the directors somehow make it work. Sean removes the batteries from his kitchen clock in order to fuel his remote control for pausing Citizen Cum lovingly at every body shot of Johnny Rebel. The frozen clock, eternally trapped at the same moment, remains a motif throughout the film, until a new clock faraway finally chimes the next minute for Sean, relieving him of his emotional stasis. The protagonists' descent into emotional betrayal, drugs and loss of selfhood is enacted with considerably more plausibility and directorial restraint than the orgiastic downward spiral of Boogie Nights.

Black and white flashbacks to Sean's childhood and the almost inevitable introduction of a childhood abuse subplot are less successful. Though the motivation is clear, the equally tired plot device involving characters crossing the border to Mexico in this as in other movies produces little more than a sense of gratitude to Ridley Scott for driving Thelma and Louise into the Grand Canyon instead. However, even the handling of these elements is far less crass than the treatment they receive in many Hollywood studio pictures. Indeed, the film throughout merits particular praise for its subversion of traditional cinematic narratives: unrequited love, coming of age and crimes of passion follow unpredictable courses in an intelligent and compassionate movie.

Call me strange, but I have a huge facination for 'behind the scenes' movies and documentaries about the porn industry and those who perform on camera. I actually find it more facinating than porn itself. Even in our so called 'modern' society, sex is still very much mostly reserved for behind closed doors. So people who go that extra step in life and open up their sexuality for the world to see intrigue me. So when I came across this DVD - a fictious behind the scenes look at the gay porn industry and the people associated with it, I couldn't resist the urge to add it to my ever expanding DVD library.

I have read alot of negative reviews from gay men and in the gay press about this movie. Perhaps they were expecting something titilating??? If you're expecting to be aroused, then look elsewhere. The Fluffer is a no holds barred look at the gay porn industry. I have read reviews from people actually involved in the industry and basically their comments where that it is very realistic as to what actually happens.

The story basically comprises the downfall of a popular male porn star, and the effects this has on those around him, including his girlfriend and the guy hired to 'fluff' him but who also has a major in infatuation with him.

The porn industry is presented merely as a business - and just like any profit based business, it is designed to make money. What ends up on video is just fantasy, and not realistically representative of what happens behind the scenes in the porn world or indeed in sex between 2 people. Just like 'mainstream' movies really - there is a script and people act out a fantasy. Porn is really no different. Though there is nothing wrong with fantasy!

The viewer is left to make up their own mind about the porn world from this movie. It is neither presented in a positive or negative way. It's quite refeshing that the filmmakers' haven't imposed their own thoughts and judgements on the viewer. It would seem as though it is a negative assessment of the porn world, considering the downfall of the major porn character 'Johnny Rebel', but as one of the behind the secenes crew points out - working in a department store also stuff's people up, why should porn be any different?

Wonderful performances from all of the cast here - especially Scott Gurney. He underplays the role for emotionally subtly to perfection.

The DVD is well presented with good picture quality. The audio commentary from the two directors is wonderful - always entertaining and engaging, and they discuss many wonderful aspects of not only the movie, but the porn industry as well. A selection of deleted scenes adds interest and value - especially with the optional audio commentary. A gallery of the mocked - up porn video covers is included - and they are so realistic apparently guys were contacting the producers as to where one could purchase the movies!!! There is also an interesting extra called 'Johnny Rebel extras' - basically a composite of extended scenes and the odd outtake. Very entertaining, but far too short. A gallery of movie stills and trailers for other movies round out the selection of extras. It's great to see these small, independant features being released with an entertaining set of extras -I hope this trend continues.

If you're interested in the behind the scenes aspects of the gay porn industry, and are not afraid to face reality, make sure you see this DVD.

Turns out it is interesting, well-acted, has complicated and moving characters, and is really well-done overall. Truly, I was surprised.

It's not Oscar-material, but Scott Gurney is a perfect self-centered opportunist who can't get enough of whatever pleases him at the moment. Turns out once in awhile he wants Sean, a young employee in the "industry" who can get him "ready" to do his "job." Sean knows what Scott is about, but can't help himself, and neither can Scott's girlfriend or the producers of the porn Scott "Mikey" does.

Don't expect torrid sex or a fairy-tale ending, but the story is an authentic look at unrequited love and the depths to which we will go, against all odds, to see if our love can be returned, even by someone who is incapable.

It's worth looking at. Recommended.