Raymund is a carefree graphic artist who is filled with doubt as he is suddenly faced with the responsability of looking after his seven-year-old nephew Zach. But while taking care of Zach, Raymund finds himself in the middle of building a relationship with his new lover Tim.
Little Boy/Big Boy is a pretty schizophrenic experience. Part of it is supposed to be a heartwarming tale of a gay man learning to grow out of promiscuous ways by taking care of his young nephew. The other part of it is just your typical gay exploitation movie. These are things that generally do not mix well, and funnily enough, they don’t. Because no matter how you spin it, orgies tend not to be heartwarming. There’s potential in this movie, but it all gets lost as it falls back into old habits.
Raymund (Paolo Rivero) is a gay graphic designer whose carefree ways have left him unable to commit to a long-term relationship, his partners inevitably leaving him when they learn of his promiscuous ways. His life takes a major turn when his sister comes over and tells him that she’s going to Hong Kong, and that he has to take care of his nephew Zach for summer vacation. Raymund has to adjust to having this new element in his life, all while he develops a committed relationship with a new guy.
At its core, Little Boy/Big Boy is your basic high-concept romantic comedy movie, except it isn’t nearly as funny, and there’s a lot more gay sex. But when you get right down to it, this is just a movie about a commitment-phobic guy who learns a bunch of lessons as he gets saddled with taking care of a young boy. And judging it as a romantic comedy, it isn’t very good. The movie doesn’t seem interested in telling us why exactly the main romance is worth fighting for. The way it’s portrayed in the film, the relationship seems really shallow and almost purely sexual. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would encourage growth at all, which makes the entire story feel kind of meaningless.
The production is pretty solid, minus a few glitches. The movie misses out on details. Like, what kind of graphic designer works in Powerpoint? And there are a couple of scenes that have terrible lighting continuity, if they’re lit well at all. Otherwise, though, the film is solidly made. Aside from the little hitch in lighting, the film has some pretty decent cinematography. Direction is okay. The gay sex scenes are still pretty excessive, but I don’t think we’re under any illusions anymore that these are anything more than exploitation pictures.
Paolo Rivero has turned out to be an okay actor. He still has trouble in dramatic moments, often veering straight into overacting territory, but for the most part he keeps it steady. That’s more than can be said about Douglas Robinson, who at times seems like he has trouble just spitting out his lines. Young Renz Valerio is okay as well, his precociousness certainly adding some appeal to the movie. The bit players of the movie don’t fare nearly as well.
Little Boy/Big Boy has an agenda to push, but it doesn’t really push it very well. In the end, it seems more concerned with shooting gay sex scenes than really telling a cohesive story or presenting a relationship worth investing in. A few technical glitches don’t help the overall picture either. And it’s a shame because the movie actually has moments that put it a step above your average gay exploitation film. But the environment doesn’t really seem right for telling good stories anymore, and all that’s left is the pandering.
Little Boy/Big Boy is a pretty schizophrenic experience. Part of it is supposed to be a heartwarming tale of a gay man learning to grow out of promiscuous ways by taking care of his young nephew. The other part of it is just your typical gay exploitation movie. These are things that generally do not mix well, and funnily enough, they don’t. Because no matter how you spin it, orgies tend not to be heartwarming. There’s potential in this movie, but it all gets lost as it falls back into old habits.
Raymund (Paolo Rivero) is a gay graphic designer whose carefree ways have left him unable to commit to a long-term relationship, his partners inevitably leaving him when they learn of his promiscuous ways. His life takes a major turn when his sister comes over and tells him that she’s going to Hong Kong, and that he has to take care of his nephew Zach for summer vacation. Raymund has to adjust to having this new element in his life, all while he develops a committed relationship with a new guy.
At its core, Little Boy/Big Boy is your basic high-concept romantic comedy movie, except it isn’t nearly as funny, and there’s a lot more gay sex. But when you get right down to it, this is just a movie about a commitment-phobic guy who learns a bunch of lessons as he gets saddled with taking care of a young boy. And judging it as a romantic comedy, it isn’t very good. The movie doesn’t seem interested in telling us why exactly the main romance is worth fighting for. The way it’s portrayed in the film, the relationship seems really shallow and almost purely sexual. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would encourage growth at all, which makes the entire story feel kind of meaningless.
The production is pretty solid, minus a few glitches. The movie misses out on details. Like, what kind of graphic designer works in Powerpoint? And there are a couple of scenes that have terrible lighting continuity, if they’re lit well at all. Otherwise, though, the film is solidly made. Aside from the little hitch in lighting, the film has some pretty decent cinematography. Direction is okay. The gay sex scenes are still pretty excessive, but I don’t think we’re under any illusions anymore that these are anything more than exploitation pictures.
Paolo Rivero has turned out to be an okay actor. He still has trouble in dramatic moments, often veering straight into overacting territory, but for the most part he keeps it steady. That’s more than can be said about Douglas Robinson, who at times seems like he has trouble just spitting out his lines. Young Renz Valerio is okay as well, his precociousness certainly adding some appeal to the movie. The bit players of the movie don’t fare nearly as well.
Little Boy/Big Boy has an agenda to push, but it doesn’t really push it very well. In the end, it seems more concerned with shooting gay sex scenes than really telling a cohesive story or presenting a relationship worth investing in. A few technical glitches don’t help the overall picture either. And it’s a shame because the movie actually has moments that put it a step above your average gay exploitation film. But the environment doesn’t really seem right for telling good stories anymore, and all that’s left is the pandering.
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