Customer Reviews

The Young, the Gay and the Restless

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

 

 

This dvd had its moments, but only a few. I enjoy camp, and have a good sense of humor, but there was very little humor here. The acting and dialogue were so poor that I couldn't enjoy the camp value that was intended. Sound quality was also very poor; at various points in the movie I couldn't hear what was being said because of the loud background music. Not worth the money by a long shot!

This video (I hesitate to call it a movie because it was NOT a movie. Just a loose assortment of scenes that were overacted, underwritten and barely directed.) was one of the worst things I have ever seen. There wasn't a single moment when anything happening in it made sense. I watch soap operas, and this wasn't even close to a parody. Say what you will of the soap genre, there's better acting in any daytime sudser than in this piece of trash. At least in a soap opera, you feel for at least one character. I was hoping there would be a delightful twist where everyone was shot to death at the end, but no such luck. I guess they're saving that for a sequel.

Bad acting, writing, directing, camera angles, color, voice overs and editing. Not even the boy candy can hold your interest until the end of this mess.

Well, there are things that are so bad, they aren't even funny anymore. Satire is a very demnding genre and should only be tackled by very good directors with a great cast. This just doesn't cut it.

This is neither the best movie nor the worst, but middle-ground. I think it attempts to be more than it is, which is mildly eye-popping. if you're the type to actually WATCH soap operas and get a kick out of the spoofing of them, you'd be better off with SOAP (the wonderful sally field movie). If you're into gay films, well there's really not much of that here. sure you have one hubby lamenting the constant provocations of his brother-in-law, but that is only talked about, and you get very little of it on-screen (unfortunately). the majority of the film is the over-the-top imitation bette midler performance offered by the grande dame (really a guy in drag) and her insane hubby. But the acting is all over the place, as sometimes the actors are playing it straight while delivering rotten dialogue (the actress playing cynthia is wonderful) and other times (the actors playing the hubby and the brother nicholas) the acting - and dialogue - are deliberately bad to showcase how bad soaps are in general. I really think the actors here could be good actors, but the thing is, like a lot of soap actors hired for their hunk appeal, they're not meant to be good. But there are some bad casting choices here, mainly the houseboy, who seems to be a twink in search of a - what? I couldn't see the appeal, frankly, and found tiresome all the scenes which were about him or featured him. In fact, it seemed his scenes were all some different - purposeless - movie. One additional bit of carping, that I found distracting, is why are all the men wearing lip gloss? I wanted to take a tissue and wipe all the faces. So if you're looking for a gay film, you're actually better off looking elsewhere. Or just rent this one, for an experiment. this is definitely a love it or leave it film.

Joe Castro wrote and directed THE YOUNG, THE GAY AND THE RESTLESS with an obvious attempt to make us giggle at just how preposterous the daytime TV soaps are. In many ways he manages to show us that madness: quick scenes between characters that flash on and off the screen in seconds with only a few lines delivered to make room for the next split second vignette suggestive of commercial breaks; actors that are attractive despite being unable to demonstrate even the basics of the art of acting; situations so over the top that they require one-ups-manship in the next moment to keep the plot from sinking into the absurd.

The plot is simple: a dying unpopular mother Victoria Gaylord (Ms. Elliott is the actor's moniker) is wealthy, married to a lecherous Francis Gaylord (Joe Haggerty), and has a wild group of children of questionable heritage - Cynthia (Holly Karrol Clark) and her narcissistic husband Phillip (Caleb Campbell), Nicholas (Justin Marchert) who has his gay eye on Phillip, Josh (Jeremy Dubois) etc. all of whom have an eye on Victoria's fortune. The Gaylord house is filled with party fixings and among the decorations are the topless butler and his entourage of would be assignations - Damien Christopher, Michael Oliviera, Dennis Richardson, and Kerry Liu. The 'good doctor' Dr Bender (Buck Davis) is called along with his nurse/illegitimate child/fortune hunter (Chris Brown) and the many secrets of this absurd family all surface with the subsequent murder, brain transplant, ménage a quatre...it just goes on and on.

Parody on the order of, say, Gilbert and Sullivan can be witty, acerbic, naughty, and very intelligent. Castro seems to have written this little bit of treacle in an evening, called in his friends and neighbors to pose and read lines with the emphasis on exaggeration, and quickly turned out a movie for public consumption. Unfortunately the mixture (though a good idea) just doesn't work. One 'good' but still annoying aspect of the film is the presence of a music score obviously added in the editing room at a level that covers the lines so that they are inaudible: that is a mixed blessing. This is a film for the curious viewer who has a lot of patience and easy laugh quotient. Grady Harp, January 07

In this clever, over-the-top satire of daytime soap operas, "The Young, The Gay and The Restless" (2006) especially pokes fun at the current trend of including gay characters in such shows, by providing a storyline where everyone seems to be gay, married to someone gay, flirting with someone gay, or contemplating murdering a gay character. And, like actual daytime "soaps", there's several plots going on simultaneously, as well as instances of cheating spouses, sexual predators, longtime grudges, incest, sluts, suicide, jealousy, gold-digging relatives worried about their inheritance, a secret past criminal record, and even a bisexual foursome as a bit of icing on the cake.

In charge of this extended dysfunctional family is elderly but feisty and rich matriarch Victoria Gaylord, who brings everyone together for her birthday celebration, which is cut short when she has a fainting spell. Her husband, Francis (who has some skeletons in the closet as well), calls Dr. Bender who arrives on scene and proceeds to argue with Francis about who has her best interests in mind. Daughter Cynthia arrives at the party late with her husband Phillip, who is concerned that his wife is a bit TOO close to one of her brothers, and is also afraid of being "hit on" by gay brother Nicholas. Meanwhile, flirty gay houseboy Andrew is juggling a couple of prospective future as well as one former boyfriend, all of whom show up to court him, as does a young lady who wants to be Andrew's "try it once" woman. Dr. Bender's sassy assistant, Nurse Jones, arrives last, but her treatment plan for Victoria isn't exactly what others had in mind.

A well-written, campy, tacky, sarcastic, (intentionally and brilliantly) overacted and hillarious treat, not to be missed! The only negative is a technical gaffe: the background music is way too loud, and sometimes drowns out the dialogue. But I can't hold that important enough to give this creative confection less than a full five stars out of five! DVD has no extras, other than chapter stops.

A gay soap opera with all the melodramatic silliness and a touch of fabulous! If you don't take it serious and just enjoy the campy performances, it's worth a look.

The Young, The Gay & The Restless (Formally, Lake St. James) is a campy yet witty soap opera spoof. It delivers nonstop laughs & catty one liners that will forment your brain. The amazing Joe Castro has taken a break from the horror genre to show you his playful yet creative comedic side. In this new comedy the characters are bright, witty & brilliant!! Some of the performances deserve an OSCAR. Holly Karrol Clark(Cynthia) & Miss Elliotts(Victoria Gaylord) performances "R" outstanding!! Kerry Liu(Kristin) is just an amazing actress that delivers those bitchy one liners that you can't seem to get enough of. Joe Haggerty's(Francis Gaylord) performance is not to be missed in this mini comedy drama. The Young, The Gay & The Restless has premiered in 6 film festivals throughout the United States & with each premier the audiences have been captivated with shock, anticipation but mostly LAUGHTER!! What are the families dirty little secrets? What is Phillip(Caleb Campbell) hiding from his wife Cynthia? What is Cynthia hiding from Phillip? Looks like Andrew The House Boy is OVER BOOKED again with sexcapades & WHO WILL DIE, YES DIE?? Will it be Dr. Bender, Kristin, Mark, OR ?? Tune in & find out what shocking secrets lie for you in this explosive FAGTASTIC DVD.
You won't believe your eyes!

The funeral scene is to die for!

A must see for any soap opera fan.

This movie delivers the trash & takes it out!! (Cult Movies Magazine)

Schroeder (DJ WACK "O") of Orbital Traxx Records & Cult Movies Magazine

Please Note: When ordering The Young The Gay & The Restless make sure you are purchasing the NEW RE-MASTERED version. Original release had audio & video defects (NOT to any fault of Jesco Entertainment nor Joe Castro) & once brought to the distributers notice a 2nd batch was released with trailer & bonus features. Ask your seller what version you are purchasing. Thanks