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      House of Boys

      Released Jul 29, 2011 1h 53m Drama Romance LGBTQ+ List
      50% 8 Reviews Tomatometer 49% 100+ Ratings Audience Score In 1984 a gay teen (Layke Anderson) runs away to Amsterdam and finds a home and a lover (Benjamin Northover) at an all-male cabaret. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (18) audience reviews
      Paul L While there have been a lot of comparisons to Burlesque, the film that House of Boys most aspires to is Boogie Nights -- both have large casts of interesting characters, and the story arc are the same (hot guy runs away from home and becomes involved in sex work in the exuberant, celebratory first part of the movie, with a tonal shift into tragedy, and a redemptive coda), The difference is that House of Boys ambitions are (mostly) unrealized, as characters and relationships remain underdeveloped, and much of the tragedy seems unearned Nevertheless, the actors are engaging, and the first two thirds of the film are so much fun its easy to overlook the flaws, and the viewer is willing to endure the rest of the film which descends into a combination of maudlin melodrama and Afterschool Special earnestness. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/24 Full Review david l House of Boys lacks nuance in its script, and the pacing and tonal shifts are all over the place. Still, all of the characters are so well developed, the first half is a lot of fun and the second one, though too disparate in tone and plot, was still very emotional and tough to sit through. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A very open view of the lives that still effect the gay community and still is unspoken and feared. A film that is emotional and very real still today. Recommended for all but even more so for the LGBTQ community. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member A child of the 80s, this movie took me back to a time of first love and a promise to myself to die of anything other than AIDS. My favorite line in the movie is Frank looking down at a pocket watch and tells the doctor treating his dying boyfriend "I was just thinking about time. it's funny, when you have it,you don't need it. when you need it you don't have it." Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Entertaining but extremely inconsistent in tone. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Coming of age drama, sex comedy, AIDS melodrama, musical, love story. This film is a mixed bag to say the least. Its confused identity is likely its failure. Certain aspects of it are great fun and the tragic turn is almost poignant. It just seems too dragged out and yet the story is rather underdeveloped. It's a pleasing cast of characters and an interesting premise. The minor characters are far more interesting than Frank & Jake though, which is where we are left to steep in at the end, topped off with a very pointless epilogue. Fun musical numbers and an entertaining supporting cast make this mildly recommendable. The last reel is a bit of a downer though. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (8) Critics Reviews
      Sheri Linden Los Angeles Times Against the odds, the indulgent mash-up of sex, old-fashioned corn, romance-novel fantasy and AIDS tragedy is a mostly winning combo. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 22, 2011 Full Review Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times A gay tragedy in three acts and more than a dozen excellent songs, "House of Boys" conveys an emotional honesty that overrides its dated style. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 28, 2011 Full Review Andrew Schenker Village Voice For all its hanging on the details of the boys' heavily eroticized performances and its graphing of the relationships between the young performers, the film is at once too drawn out and underdeveloped. Jul 26, 2011 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Udo Kier shows up in a supporting role and gives everything a spirited turn. Rated: 2.5/4.0 Sep 11, 2020 Full Review Steve Ramos Boxoffice Magazine [A] sweet natured and showy go-go boys drama. Rated: 3/5 Jul 30, 2011 Full Review David Noh Film Journal International The message is everything in this film that one wants to recommend to the young and uneducated in a forgetful age, despite its lack of originality and its dramatic lapses. Jul 29, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In 1984 a gay teen (Layke Anderson) runs away to Amsterdam and finds a home and a lover (Benjamin Northover) at an all-male cabaret.
      Director
      Jean-Claude Schlim
      Screenwriter
      Robert David Graham, Jean-Claude Schlim, Christian Thiry
      Distributor
      Matson Films
      Production Co
      Delux Productions, Moonstone Entertainment, Elsani Film
      Genre
      Drama, Romance, LGBTQ+
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jul 29, 2011, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 30, 2020
      Runtime
      1h 53m