Showboy (2002)
"Showboy" reminded me of the abysmal
"Lisa Picard is Famous" in that it's a video verite,
faux documentary about a character with a sweet heart
held up to ridicule so that all the cruel idiots in
the audience can laugh at him.
This film has the flimsiest, most
unbelievable premise I've ever seen. Christian Taylor,
who actually is a writer and who actually works on
the HBO Series "6 Feet Under" is fired by series creator
Alan Ball. (This is where the fiction starts). Instead
of simply trying to get another writing job in Hollywood
or even calling his agent, he disappears to Las Vegas
with dreams of being a showboy in a Vegas casino spectacular.
Horseshit. I didn't buy this for one fucking second.
And if you don't buy into this, the rest of the film
is really pointless and rather stupid.
But what's worse is the way Taylor
creates a character which we are invited to laugh
at. At least, his homosexuality, which is apparently
also true-to-life, isn't used for a joke at all. He's
no self-hating fag like Nat DeWolf in "Picard." The
subject is so far removed from so much of what we
see here that the damn film (if you wanna call it
that) barely belongs in a gay film festival.
Taylor's "character" is treated
as a buffoon while a documentary crew, purportedly
there to follow him because he is a Brit working in
America (but really in on the fact that he has been
fired), trails him on his quest to do "research" for
a new script. The fact that Taylor's character lies
to them and they don't call him on it sets up this
plot device of following him to dance rehearsals,
dance classes, auditions and into third rate talent
agents' offices. In the process he also auditions
for Siegfried and Roy (who are hilarious spoofing
themselves), gets a friendly consultation from Whoopi
Goldberg, and even consults a plastic surgeon about
helping to buff up his body.
But the real agenda here is to ridicule
the dreams so many gay and straight men have of going
to Vegas and working in a show. Sure, this story is
different because Taylor is already older and a personality,
but the insinuation is clearly evident: Isn't Las
Vegas cheesy! Aren't these people who spend their
lives trying to get into Vegas shows as dancer and
entertainers real dolts! We are invited to laugh at
a man's dream and that is never fun. Never.
Albeit, the making of the film is
far more interesting. The filmmakers didn't clue everyone
in on the joke and eventually E! Entertainment News
caught up with Taylor (again, a TV writer on a hot
cable show in reality) at an audition for "Jubilee,"
one of the biggest Vegas shows, and questioned him
about it. The filmmakers often went into rehearsals,
auditions and meetings and pretended what Taylor was
doing was reality to get honest and emotional responses
from them. It's sort of a mean-spirited and pompous
"Candid Camera." Some people, like Siegfried and Roy
and Taylor's gay male roommate dancer, were in on
the joke when the cameras were rolling. Many were
not. And the way the film holds them up to ridicule
is revolting to see. They are exploited for being
themselves and are made to look foolish for being
honest and sincere people. How cruel.
"Showboy," however, is far worse
then just this. It's poorly edited, poorly paced,
filmed in ugly video and goes on far too long. It's
boring as fuck in many places. I can't think of one
redeeming quality.
Notes:
Also with Adrian Armas, producer/writer
Jason Buchtel (who plays a cameraman), and Alan Ball
(as himself).
Directed by Taylor and Lindy Heymann,
who plays the documentary filmmaker in the piece.
Taylor and his chums apparently
conceived of this film when there was going to be
a writer's strike in 2000. He was looking for a way
to make a movie without being credited as a proper
writer (therefore no union hassles) during the strike.
When the strike didn't occur, Taylor, who had been
taking dance classes for 9 months, and friends filmed
the piece in one month, during August in Vegas.
Erich Miller, who plays Taylor's
roommate, was actually one of the oldest showboys
working in Vegas when this film was lensed. He was
in the cast of "Jubilee" but was fired (and quite
distraught about it) soon after filming ended. Taylor
met him on-line in a chatroom designed for showboys.
