101 Rent Boys

The film is probably what you might expect if you are interested in the subject of hustling. What might surprise you, however, is the level of depth the film makers allow their numerous subjects to have by simply letting them talking. Each of the interviewees helps to further complicate the viewer's crude and stereotypical understanding of the hustler trade, using their honesty in terms of sexual identities, proclivities, varied backstories, thoughts on love, and interests outside of hustling to present thselves more fully as human beings who deserve respect. While a wonderful documentary, it isn't without faults. One does question the filmmaker's ethics. Given the large sampling of subjects, it is easy to feel cheated since not all of the guys interviewed are given an equal opportunity to express themselves (the piece could have been longer without sacrificing its sense of endearment). On a separate note, for those who intended to watch the film: it is emotionally devastating. Just prepare yourself

Quite raunchy. Where did they get some of these characters. I just could not make them to be rent boys

Suffering from frantic editing, curiously detached interviewing, and containing little in the way of insight, this documentary on the lives of 100 (they deleted one who was underage) street hustlers in LA is fascinating, yet incomplete. Just at the point we begin to connect with any one of the guys, the director inexplicably cuts to another scene. At best, this is a glimpse into lives we never notice yet have great worth, at worst, this film was an excuse to spend time with these guys under a "legitimate" cover. Most tragic was the inclusion of a female on the crew. Clearly the guys were uncomfortable with her and did not open up. It's definitely worth a look, but mostly I felt disappointed in the lost opportunity.

Very well done. It gives you a lot of insight into why men go into this profession. It will break your heart at sometimes and also make you wonder how desperate some men are for the human connection that these men provide.

Bought as a gift for a documentary fanatic. I'll have to assume it was okay because I have heard no complaints.

I can't believe that anyone would pay 90% of these men for sex. Many are hopelessly middle-aged, unattractive and inarticulate. And few are articulate enough to offer any real insights about life on the street. Only two or three of the100 can be in such demand that they would have any interesting insights to share. Bottom line: This is a very sad film. "Horseman, pass by!"

With a title like 101 Rent Boys, I was expecting a wide array of interviews with a large number of men. Admittedly, including all 101 interviews would be prohibitively long, but I did expect to hear more boys than I got. Some boys were featured often, in multiple segments, while some we barely got a glimps of--of course those were the ones who I thought seemed most attractive and wanted to hear speak, and not just a quick camera pan. As for extras, there arent many on this disk--a few extra interviews which were interesting but limited, and a directors voice over where you only hear the directors comments, and not the video soundtrack at all, making it difficult to understand what comments from the boys the directors were referring to--especially frustrating when the director says "wait, wait--here comes that comment I was referring to" and there is dead silence! That is the first time I have ever seen a glitch like that on a DVD, which made the technical quality of this DVD feel less than professional. All in all, I think of this as an interesting television documentary, but not a DVD I can recommend for ones permanent collection.

When I was a kid, for some reason I was really into the movie Where the Day Takes You - that glossy, glamorized Hollywood account of homelessness and (to some degree) hustling. I think a lot of it stemmed from my urge (and some half-hearted attempts) to run away myself. Regardless, I sometimes thought about what life as a hustler would "really" be like. So when I heard about this movie, I was very intrigued. And now that I've finally gotten to see it, I would definitely say it is as close as I've come to a real account of the life of a hustler, without my having much personal/experiential knowledge of the actual scene itself. Granted, the "observer effect" certainly comes into question in this doc (more than most, it seems), so we can never be sure if the person being interviewed is playing to the camera or even just making things up (after all, they are talking about illegal activities - and not only sex, but drug use and, in one sensationalistic case, bank robbery). Most of the names are pseudonyms, and almost every guy seems like he's lying about his age. But my cinematic cynicism aside (which could just be my own perceptual baggage), I felt that this was a compelling, sometimes thrilling, oftentimes painful and sad depiction of many lives spent turning tricks. It's certainly not a glamorous account, that's for sure (one man ruefully reflects, "To my knowledge, I'm the only one who got out from that time period. So... I'm the lucky one"). And while there's undoubtedly a voyeuristic element to all of this (again, more than in most documentaries) and there's nudity and the topic revolves around sex, this film is more of a psychological document than it is a sexual one (as another man says at the beginning, "I thought I was gonna hafta come here and have sex or something. But instead I'm just exposing myself on television - I don't know what's worse"). Indeed, self-reflection never comes cheap (why do you think psychologists charge so much per hour?). One leather-clad gentleman sums it up perfectly: "I feel kind of naked because I'm looking at this aspect of my life for the first time." Such is the world of "intimacy as a commodity" (as one hustler puts it), and this is as intimate a look at this world as one is likely to get without personally being a part of it. (and a final word of caution: if you think this review is too wordy, then definitely don't get this movie. Because this film is mostly made of words; there's a whole lot of talking. It genuinely is like getting an adult magazine just to read the articles)