Customer Reviews

Traveling to Olympia

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Like one review I read that was quite simple, I agree: "I liked this film". It was filled with good qualities, and yes, some flaws. I purchased this film out of curiosity - how could it be rated a 1 and a 5? I had to see for myself.

The Good: I liked the story line, and the valid attempt at making a point (almost documentary style) about speaking out about the gay rights of youth in America. I was around when "ACT UP" first made waves in our country, and this film tries in it's own way to weave a good story line, and sexual excitement.

The Story: Follows the plight of a young lad (Johnny) after his release from several years in a correctional facility. He gets a job, and a small place to live, makes an honest living and will not hustle for sex - Cheers on this point! He actually has great qualities, and soon finds himself in a relationship with a somewhat older guy named Joel. The second story line follows 2 friends of Joel's, one a young wealthy college student, the other a 40-something politician. The 2 forge a relationship (quickly I might add) which includes the movies first intense sexual scene (some might say soft porn - we never see the act, but you'll see more then in an R-rated film). The relationship changes viewpoints and makes our politician come "out" while supporting gay rights. A third story line (sub-plot) is odd, and would likely have been cut from any major studio release. You might call it a filler plot to add some more beauty and sex to the film. Clearly the idea behind the film is to keep the viewer waiting for more (sex that is). The ending is wrapped up nicely...no more details here.

The Bad: The audio is bad. But deal with it. They clearly didn't have a lot of money here. I'm not making excuses, but let's be fair - this is not a Warner Brothers release - because they would never release such an artsy in your face film. The acting and direction are on par for a film with a small budget, and yes, some of it is bad - but could I do better? It often reminded me of a community theater performance. There are no DVD extras, and I wasn't expecting any. It's clearly an original film, and some simply won't like the flaws in acting, direction and sound. The royalty-free background (and often the foreground) music got to be a bit overbearing.

Bottom Line: This would be a great film for a party with friends - you will laugh, either at some of the campy lines, or the film flaws that are in your face! And you'll like it if you want to see some sexual scenes - without the sex actually on camera. Parts of the movie are hot! Definitely not a 5, and definitely not a one. I give it a solid 3 (so close to 4) - and I will likely check out other films from Richard Anthony Films. And if you want the true independents to survive, support films like this one.

The main problem with TRAVELING TO OLYMPIA is that it can't decide what it wants to be: an inditement of unfair treatment of gays or a soft-core porn flick. It is much to "talky" and "preachy" and it's lecturing to an audience that is already converted. And it's terribly SLOW. Oh, is it slow! There are also numerous gratuitous scenes such as a clumsy dance by unattractive, would-be cowboys in a gay bar and a song by a singer whose off-keyed wail is so bad you will reach for the mute button. There is also an exterpolated scene with two people we have never met before who have a tender, highly erotic love scene. ("This was your first time, wasn't it?" "Yes.") But we stop wondering who these people are and just enjoy the first enjoyable thing in this movie. As to the main love stories, Justin McFarlane and Michael Harboush are engaging performers and make us care for their final declaration of love. Though it seems odd that someone who has spent from age 16 to 19 in a penile institution would have his navel and both nipples pierced and someone who is in his early twenties would be a successful attorney. But most peculiar of all is why the cute, wealthy kid played by Donald Allen wants a balding Daddy-figure. (Wealthy Daddies keep cute twinks. Wealthy twinks do not keep old Daddies.) The final annoying thing about this film is that there are no chapters so one has to fast forward to get to the "fun" scenes. The film means well which is why I gave it two stars, but the scripting, the direction, and the acting (with the notable exceptions of the three performers mentioned) is stricly amateur.

"Traveling to Olympia" interweaves two separate, gay-positive stories.

The larger one shows Johnny, a slight 19-year old (played by Justin McFarlane), leaving a reform school in Chehalis, Washington, hitchhiking north to Olympia and eventually moving in with a hunky lawyer-lover, Joel (played by Michael Harboush), in Seattle. Assisting are the popcorn king's young son, Chip (played by Donald Allen), and his new lover, Washington State Senator Matthew Bradley (played by Dennis T. Kleinsmith). This is a story of how gay people can help one-another come out and overcome obstacles on the way to true love and social justice.

The smaller story is told almost completely in pantomime and music. An unnamed actor (possibly Michael S. Parker) comforts and cleans up a fellow caught up in a hate bombing of a gay youth center. The fellow runs off later with another one, leaving the actor alone. In the next installment, he is able to find someone else and make a successful go of it in an emotionally satifying way.

One can criticize the lack of extras on the DVD and the script's demand that so many characters provide their personal and family histories. The characters are more psychological profiles than real people.

I would have liked the Jeff character (who was not linked to an actor's name) to have had a bigger role since he had the looks and the ability to deliver lines well.

The movie is low budget, the acting is fair, but the movie's heart is in an unusually positive and constructive place, showing people's resiliance well. The movie depicts a variety of normal, but nice-looking people, not just the denizens of the local gym. The many skin shots are well done. Uplifting but not deep.

Possibly the movie wasn't as technically flawless as some that I've seen, give the guys a break, we're not talking a 2 million dollar budget. The actors brought a wonderful honesty to the characters, they didn't shy away from the sexuality and as a matter of fact used their passion as much to develop the characters as the dialogue. Cast and crew alike, were willing to take chances. The story was more honest and less sugar coated then many out there. Kudos to all involed in this production. I eagerly await future productions, as I'm sure they will continue to get better and better.

This movie is possibly the worst movie ever made. The acting and dialogue are of the quality seen in an elementary school play. The background music is loud and sounds like someone is playing a tape to fill in the many empty spots. The sound is so poor that it's often difficult to make out what the actors are saying, not that it matters.

In the middle of the movie, we're suddenly shown new characters who come out of nowhere, have no meaning to the movie, and are not seen again after their brief appearance.

I don't always expect a lot from gay themed movies, but even the worst ones I've seen are better than this. I know nothing about movie making, but I could have done better myself.

...

Traveling to Olympia has plenty for most people. A good story line that keeps your interest. Enough erotica that is realistic but not a huge production. I expect to see more productions from this up and coming movie producer. I enjoyed Traveling to Olympia and I think most people will too. I am looking forward to future productions.

I have seen "Traveling to Olympia" on DVD. It was one of the best movies I have ever seen. It was wonderful and I am looking forward to more from this company. Please let everyone know I do not agree with the other two bad reviews.
Thank You,

I had heard from a friend that this film was very good. So I had to see it for myself. I found that the guys in the film were very good looking and the plot was pretty good. Other than some of the story was not believable because in the gay community, younger guys DO NOT associate with older gay men for the most part, but I do realize that this is just a film. But I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to all.

Ok, so the video was hot and kinda kinky which is cool. The only thing is that a lot of the time, it had really boring scenes that made you tired. But it did end up leading to nice sex scenes. So, yeah, cool beans

I am amazed by some of the positive reviews of this movie. First, the production value of this film is extremely poor. The sound is awful, and the soundtrack which never seems to end gets to be so loud at times that it drowns out the dialogue. Second, the acting is, for the most part, atrocious. I have seen junior high school productions which had better acting than this movie. Third, the plot made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Aside from the inexplicable relationship between the old man and the wealthy young guy, two people appear in the middle of the movie, hang out, make out, and then disappear--they are never tied into the movie's plot whatsoever! There are many, many excellent low budget gay films out there. I highly recommend "I Think I Do" instead of this movie. In addition, I also highly recommend "Urbania" and "The Broken Heart's Club." I also highly recommend that you save your money and avoid this pathetic attempt at film-making at all costs!!!