Customer Reviews

Vacationland

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

 

 

"Vacationland" (2006) tells the story of Joe, an 18 year old high school senior in Bangor, Maine who longs to move away from poor white trash roots and this town, with a dream of attending art school. He gets a job as the live in caretaker (and occasional nude model) for an elderly disabled artist, while also working part time at a local market along with his sister, who wants to get out of town as much as he does. For most of high school, Joe has also had a crush on his best friend, Andrew, who plays on the high school football team, and uses alcohol to try to relax with girls, but who actually feels the same way about Joe. Two girls they dated eventually convince them to explore their mutual attraction for each other. and they also check out the local gay disco. Joe is secure about his sexuality and his plans for school, although he has no idea where the money will come from, while Andrew continues to drink heavily while trying to reconcile what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and if Joe should be a part of it. One night, a face out of Joe's past returns to haunt him, and brings to the surface feelings he thought were long buried.

This dark, broodingly emotional coming-of-age film was directed and co-written by Todd Verow, as a semi-autobiographical memoir of growing up in Maine. Newcomer Brad Hallowell (as Joe) does a commendable job breathing life into a character that isn't written very well, while the rest of the cast (including Gregory Lucas as Andrew) appears to be trying for the "Overacting Hall of Fame." The photography is good, except for the amateurish and distracting title credits, but the sound has problems (narration with a deep echo often drowned out by too-loud background music.) The significance of the title is a mystery, and I can only guess the town is supposed to be some kind of vacation destination, though that is far from evident in the film. DVD extras include a few deleted scenes and a trailer, no commentary. I'll give it three stars out of five.

The cinematography for this film could have been made much better, however, for the budget I would say that it sufficed more than enough. The story was decent, though, the actor playing the "str8" role isn't quite up to par as I thought. Interestingly enough, the actors playing in the movie are hot which is probably the main selling point.

It's not a g reat film or a bad one.
It just doesnt go anywhere fast. It's quite dark and gritty in places and very light and silly in others.
the boys are cute but it could have done witha better and tighter script.

Ok, liked the premise of this. Loved the friends realising they are gay and hot for each other. Loved the kissing scenes...sigh, I am such a romantic...bring it on!
Seemed to jump ahead a bit, would have liked to see Andrew come more slowly to the realisation that he wanted Joe big time, Joe was already there. It hinted that there had been something previously but would have liked to see it. There is a scene in Deleted Scenes feature but didn't add a lot.
What I don't understand is the Tim character, well I do...abused boy, still with abuser after many years...one really f**ked up young man. BUT what was the deal with him standing over the prone figure of a beaten up guy who had FAG written on his forehead and was dying from a beating (I think he was dying)? He didn't finish him off but he kissed him, with a plank of wood in his hand. Then he ran off when disturbed...thought he did the beating then wasn't sure. Then when Joe and Andrew dump the abuser in the same spot with FAG written on his forehead he sees him and stops and...? Can the next reviewer clear this up for me please - you might be a bit more observant and could pick up the nuances?
I think the inclusion of intolerance is realistic - although that didn't come up in Joe and Andrew's circle because there was no chance to see them in that context after the girls demanded they DO IT.
What is a bit disturbing is the inclusion of pedophiles (the fat man) in the gay club scene (pedophiles like young kids/youth (because they are SICK), not 20's etc)...there is already a perception in the land of red-necked-bigots that gay men want young fresh meat and have no scruples about age (lock up your kids coz the fags (hate that word!!!!) will be in quick if you aren't watching) which is not true...did this movie have to include it? Not that the re-necked-bigots would be watching but others do. Yeah I know it is based on fact...but still....
So conclusion: didn't hate it, loved the kissing scene, could do better.

As the story unfolds, Joe is a teenager to whom many unpleasant things have happened in life. All in all he has accepted himself for the way he is but is searching for a better existence and something with real meaning. He plays the game of fitting in with his peers, but Joe is and has long been in love with his best friend Andrew who has yet to discover exactly who and what he is. Andrew is also playing the game, but is deeply attracted to Joe underneath it all and there is a strong bond between them. The film seems to be more about overcoming the struggles of the past, dealing with the present and trying to figure out a way to find true happiness that just doesn't seem to be a part of every day life. This scope would have made a perfect film had the story been written better and put together in some way that made a whole lot more sense.
The film falls way short of it's potential and leaves the viewer feeling rather empty and unsatisfied. With some after thought a few of the pieces begin to make more sense, but overall a bit disappointing. One major drawback for this project is the sound quality which is horrible! I found the two lead actors; Brad Hallowell as Joe, and Gregory J. Lucas as Andrew (who bears a striking resemblence to Englands Prince William) to be quite attractive and felt they played their parts extremely well. The passion between them seemed genuine and very well portrayed. About all of the other actors in this film were not very good with their roles, seemed to lack acting ability and came across quite poorly cast. In fact I would have liked to seen most of the other characters deleted completely from the script, and seen more emphasis on the leading characters. Another factor I found a bit unbelievable were the ages of these two guys playing the part of 18 year olds. They are a bit older than that, and it shows. It might have worked better with the same fellows but as college students or perhaps even different actors although they were quite good conveying their characters otherwise. There were a whole lot of flaws to endure and the film is rather dark with a lot of unexplained happenings that make little if any sense. The DVD contains a few deleted scenes, at least one of which could have worked well in the film with a little work, however the whole thing is 104 minutes without the additional scenes. Nothing else to offer but the theatrical Trailer. All in all, I really, truly like this film, but it fell so flat from it's potential. It's a shame it couldn't have been done with more professionalism, a well written script, better actors in at least most of the roles, and a whole lot better editing and sound. I have no clue as to why the title "vacationland". There's absolutely nothing in this film to explain that. I like it well enough to give it 3 stars but I'm so disppointed that it fell short of what it could have been.

Previous reviews of this movie are quite varied, some liking it and some hating it
and that's the beauty of art. Yes, this film is art and the writer has a message
to convey. The film is clearly low budget with completely unknown actors.
Nevertheless, there is a lot about the film that stuck with me after I viewed it.
The relationship between Joe and Andrew clearly progresses and deepens as the film
progresses. There is a obvious chemistry between Joe and Andrew and for first time
actors I thought they did a good job, especially with the make-out scenes. We have
no idea about the orientation of the actors but they surely seemed authentic when
"getting it on." There is also a plot in the movie: how to grow up in a bad
environment and how to deal with painful experiences and bad baggage from the past.

The final comments from Joe at the end of the movie sum up the theme, that no
matter how bad our life seems we can always make the best out of bad times and
we should grab onto the good times, not hesitating for a second. After all, this
isn't a dress rehearsal -- this is the show! I'm glad a watched the movie and I
played the final scene several times. Of course I agree with many of the astute
observations of others that the editing is not good, there are gaps in the plot,
the sound isn't high quality, and the scenery of the "vacationland" is not
exploited. But the film was, for me, a great experience.

The director can't tie his shoe, much less his sub-plots together. Terrible acting. Bad sound(sometimes this can add a certain unique quality to the film...retro or more realistic, not here).

BAD BAD BAD

This movie is painful to watch. I love indie films and gay and lesbian films.. but this movie is a shade better than a home movie.. the cinematography is decent, but the acting is terrible and the audio sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom... everyone delivers their lines like they're reading them right off a cue card.. their timing and delivery is horrible... the actors have no life and their on camera presence is lifeless and boring. The dialog seems like it was written halfway and the actors were asked to improvise the rest. As I said before, the poor sound quality would be distracting if there weren't so many other bad things going on. The "looks" of the actors are mediocre, so there really isn't eye candy to make up for everything else bad in this movie... definitely not worth wasting money or time on.

Vacationland is a movie with many flaws, but they are all expected in a low budget production. The main flaw is also his main attraction for me: the two young boys in the story... They are really too old for their role, they can't possible pass for two teens, but nevertheless, they are really cute. So yes, my mind says that the director has made a big mistake chosing them, but my heart says that it is very happy to have the chance to see them.

Movie had decent looking guys. Not such an interesting story line as they made it out to be.