A story about two guys trying to make it in the big city
A trash-talking drag queen, an estranged couple, a horny room-mate, and a résumé-wielding actress - these are a few of the people complicating matters for two young men desperately searching for a place to be alone in Jim Fall's bright romantic comedy Trick. As sweet as it is hilarious, Trick affirms the possibility of love in the most unlikely of circumstances as it follows its two appealing heroes on their perambulations through the gay demi-monde of down-town Manhattan.
An aspiring musical theatre writer, Gabriel (Christian Campbell) is talented, dedicated and ambitious. But there's one problem with his songs: he's detached from the big emotions he's writing about. He needs some excitement in his life, something better than running lines with his crazy actress friend Katherine (Tori Spelling) over a Chicken Caesar.
So Gabriel tries out a local cruise bar, where he briefly exchanges looks with go-go boy Mark (John Paul Pitoc), the male ideal in a red thong. Later, the two men find themselves on the same subway train. Mark's approach is no-frills, but his delivery is irresistible, and he picks up the bashful songwriter as nonchalantly as a handkerchief. Thus begins an all night odyssey that finds Mark and Gabriel bouncing all over down-town Manhattan as fate, friends and misunderstandings conspire to keep them from consummating their passion. But as the sun rises over Greenwich Village, the would-be lovers are left with the feeling that the evening has yielded something far more gratifying than a one night stand.
Also starring Steve Hayes as Perry, Lorri Bagley as Judy and Clinton Leupp as Miss Coco Peru. Written by Jason Schafer.
Special Agent Matti
*Sighs*
There's nothing like young love. Not that I ever experienced it.
And you wonder why I'm such a bitch?
Trick, for the non-Americans among you, is the same thing as trade. Trade, for the non-gay among you, is the same thing as casual sex. Hot, sweaty, meaningless, guilt-free, erotic stimulation without relationship worries or the need for conversation. Like chocolate without the calories.
What's good about Trick is that Christian Campbell gives Gabriel an air of innocence that a nun would be hard pressed to match. Even when he says he likes to suck dick, butter wouldn't melt in his Calvin Kleins. Which is not to say that he isn't rootable, quite the opposite, but you'd be just as likely to give him milk and bikkies as you would pesto and Chardonnay. In utter contrast, John Paul Pitoc's Mark is the epitome of hormonally over-achieving homosexual. Hot, hung and horny, butter would not only melt, you could use it to fry eggs. Or waffles, if you put it on his abs. The contrast between the two leading men gives the film a tension that goes beyond sexual (yes, there is more to life than sex) and puts it in the realms of classic romance.
For such a gay-centred and sexually dynamic film it's ironic that the only people who have sex are heterosexuals. Fortunately, they aren't very good at it so you don't have to put up with much. The middle-class morality (no love without abstinence) is a bit much to swallow, but you have to remember that this is the USA: puritan morals are in-bred.
Fortunately, you don't have to be gay to enjoy Trick. Like Beautiful thing before it, this film celebrates the joys and pains of love but also adds the joys and pains of lust. Gabriel and Mark's nocturnal journey in search of a rooting zone drags them through the lives of some seriously messed-up people, forcing them to look at themselves and their relationship along the way. Trick is a funny wander through the secrets of the night and into the light of day. It will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, even if you weren't sitting next to anyone when you watched it.
If there was ever a romantic movie that just happened to be about two guys, this is it. You can even take your mother.
Oops, almost forgot: Tori Spelling is hilarious, nothing like the ditz she plays in Beverly Hills 90210, she's the fag hag from hell. Don't avoid the film just because she's in it, you'll actually enjoy her work.
M (Sexual references, medium level coarse language, nudity)
89 minutes (1:29 hours)
Film: 30 March 2000