Going Down in La-La Land (Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2011) – movie review

THIS.

Seriously, THIS. Such a great movie. Casper Andreas (whom I met last year at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2010, he came to the premiere of Violet Tendencies) does it again. With Going Down in La-La Land (Casper Andreas/USA/2011/EN/Total time: 101 min), Andreas demonstrates again why he is one of the directorial forces to be reckoned with not only in the queer film world, but cinematically speaking overall, in the indie circuit.

Let me give you first the YouTube trailer and a synopsis from the VQFF 2011 site (and by the way, this year’s programming has been rock solid).

Last year director Casper Andreas brought his charming “fag-hag” comedy, Violet Tendencies, to the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, selling out two screenings and making news on CityTV’s Breakfast Television. This year Casper is back with an impressive foray into dramatic filmmaking.

Based on the novel by Andy Zeffer, Going Down in LA-LA Land is a no-holds-barred look at Hollywood. Adam, a baby-faced New Yorker, moves to Los Angeles to—you guessed it—try to break into acting. He and his theatre school chum Candy move in together, but their non-existent careers don’t pay the rent. Candy seeks older, wealthier bachelors, while Adam slips into gay porn and escorting. New to and naïve about the gritty world of sex work, Adam is lucky enough to find a steady trick who also happens to be a famous television dad on a family sitcom. It isn’t long before their affair is swept up in whirlwind of Hollywood gossip that puts Adam in a spotlight he never bargained for.

Going Down in La-La Land is the story of your everyday, wholesome, beautiful young boy (typical surfer look with perfect physique, gorgeous blue eyes and awesome blonde hair), Adam (the impossibly beautiful Adam Ludwinski, who shacks up with his best friend Candy (Allison Lane. also flawlessly perfect in her role) to save money while he attempts to “make it as an actor in Los Angeles” (the goal of just about every other individual who moves to Los Angeles).

Adam, flawed as he is, can’t find a steady job until he finds a p0rn store that will give him a job as a production assistant. Casper Andreas in the role of Nick is your typical p0rn director who does his job powered by crystal meth and goes on sex-crazed binges for days at a time. Andreas does an amazing job in his directorial role and makes all of us hate him in his role as Nick, the even-more-flawed-p0rn-inducing new boyfriend of Adam.

Adam turns to, well, “turning tricks” (aka escorting) to make a living, until he finds John (Michael Medico in a performance that really melts hearts as the closeted high-end actor who falls madly in love for rent-boy Adam). I would give away the ending if I spoke more about the movie, and unfortunately I saw the SECOND performance so I’m not sure you’ll be able to catch any more showings at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2011 but if you can, and if by some miracle, VQFF opens one more showing, you should TOTALLY see it.

Casper Andreas, you’ve made me addicted to your movies. Well done, buddy.