Luster (2002) User Reviews

Worth watching!

[blue-lagoon · 6/10 · 2 January 2008]

One thing is true about this movie. It requires lot of patience (atleast in my case). But if you stick with it till the second half, you might actually start enjoying it!

The first half introduces Jackson, his love interests and the people who love him. However, as pointed out by other reviewers, you are left wondering why in the first place (apart from his good looks) anybody will fall for this guy?

However, the second half is quite realistic. Sam's revelation of the pain of being unable to meet Jackson's expectations touches a raw nerve in Jackson. This makes him aware of the pain felt by Derek whom he had turned down without a second thought. By the end, Jackson begins to appreciate Derek's feelings and considers him "special".

"Lack"Luster is more like it

[markrw · 31 December 2003]

Just in case...****Possible Spoilers***

I respect independent filmmakers and the fact they continue to produce despite limited funds and little recognition. I also respect the amount of work that goes into such a production. I know everyone involved from top to bottom worked hard on this film. So the question lingering in my mind is this... Considering the time, effort and obstacles... why didn't they at least have a good script?

LUSTER is just another in a long line of films to emerge from the "new gay cinema" that started in the early '90's. And like all the rest - it sucks. Bad script, bad acting and low production values.

First the script. Coppola once commented about the dilemma of every filmmaker. He said all filmmakers aspire to something greater. But at the same time they don't want to be seen as pretentious. This script may aspire, but in the end it is pretentious. The film centers on a young man who knows nothing of love but falls in love every 10 minutes. And the biggest problem is that by the end of the film he still knows nothing of love. The character doesn't grow or learn so what we're left with is a series of events that culminates into nothing. Then there's the dialog. Does anyone over 16 actually use the term "buzz kill" anymore. While the writing tries to be authentic to the world it's trying to emulate, it fails to actually capture that world. Also, there's a scene in the beginning that is SO reminiscent of a similar scene in "High Fidelity" it's embarrassing to watch.

Then there's the acting. With so many starving actors in Hollywood, how hard is it to find decent actors? Apparently harder than we all thought. None of the performers seem prepared to act on film. Most of the time I felt like I was watching an acting exercise by students who were less than prepared. But blame for the poor performances can be spread around. It's the director's responsibility to pull good performances from his talent and here he drops the ball.

And finally the production standards. There's really no excuse no matter what the budget to have shots that are out of focus, yet that happens several times in this film. And there are the scenes in the office building that take place in almost complete darkness. Apparently they wanted to capture the cityscape outside the window but were either unable or incapable of lighting the interior to compensate for the color temperature. So what we get are several scenes in silhouette that are hard to watch.

Like I said in the beginning, I respect independent filmmakers but the hardships they face cannot be used to forgive bad scripts with lousy dialog, inadequate talent, poor directing and a failure to meet minimum production standards. Despite good intentions, LUSTER is just another bad independent film that fails to live up to the promise of the movement.

See it if you must

[sundog1 · 1/10 · 23 January 2004]

Luster is a coming of age story about a group of 20 & 30 somethings in L.A. in the midst of an odyssey into their teens. And they are soooo cool & punk rock. They've got that really rebellious "I'm REAL punk rock & I'm not a poseur & you ARE & the rest of the world sux" thing from high school still going pretty strong.

Everyone in LA is infatuated with the lead character Jackson, even the "guy next door" who stalks him at work. I'm not sure why, since I was eventually hoping someone would smack Jackson upside the head & shut him up.

Amongst the film's problems are too many story lines & subplots fighting for attention, none of which seem to blend or create a sense of relevance to Jackson's life or a cohesive central theme. The worst of these is an S & M subplot that seems terribly contrived, misplaced, & rings totally false with the rest of the film's "realism."

There are a couple of funny moments, like the photographer & the interaction with her "subject."

And of course there are a couple of full frontals from a really good looking guy, which help this situation along slightly.

But worse of all, I never felt for a minute why Jackson was lusting for these guys & guys were lusting for him. There's no sexual chemistry in this movie between anyone. NADA. Just a bunch of obnoxious & pretentious brats pretending to deal with "real life" & "art." Yuck.

Plenty of better queer films out there.

See it if you must.

worth watching for a queer audience

[saltsan · 7/10 · 15 October 2002]

LUSTER is a winsome, engaging look back at a time in the early 1990s when queer nonchalance began to overtake gay pride for the first time.

Something like an early Gregg Araki film (although less angry and more light-hearted), LUSTER is a funny, sexy, and a generally fast-moving look at the early Nineties from the not-too-distant perspective of the early Twenty-first century. It's hardly a classic, and hardly the kind of film that will stay with a person as the years go by, but the film's entirely adorable actors and characters help make this sweet and sexy film very much a worthwhile experience. At least it seems that way for a gay audience looking for something beyond the usual post-Queer milquetoast like IN AND OUT or WILL AND GRACE..

Are you people out of your minds?

[Charlotte_Kaye · 1/10 · 5 October 2006]

This indy "drama" is completely and utterly awful! Just because you are gay and watching a film about gay men and/or women does not mean you have to abide by some unwritten rule forcing you to say that it's good. I watch a load of independent movies, many with budgets much lower than this film had, and I have yet to see such a badly written, badly directed, badly made and woefully badly acted dud as this. The film is as unfocused as it is unbelievable and veers off on side plots that contribute nothing to the main storyline.

And Justin Herwick is a good actor in the lead role? Please don't make me laugh. Are you friends of his or something? His emotions do not change a single time throughout the entire film and he mumbles his way through all of his dialogue as if he could care less. I've never seen such an inept and lazy performance in my entire life and it's one of the main things that completely ruin this film. It's as if the actor thought he could cruise on his looks alone. Sad thing is, he isn't all that in the first place and you have NO clue why everyone in this movie is in love with him. He's not very bright, average looking, self-absorbed, incredibly boring and slutty; your typically dumb airhead club kid type. Yet everyone in this movie is falling all over him as if he's either a drop dead gorgeous and/or fascinating person. Please!

But of course there's a heavy-handed moral to the story after most of the running time has been used up basically showing a bunch of guys parading around naked, useless subplots that exist basically to show even more nudity and people spitting out laughably angsty dialogue (a part where one character compares love to 9 miles of intestines in the human body is about the worst attempt at "deep" dialogue I've ever heard). The horribly conceived "it's time to grow up" moment in question though is when Sam (Shane Powers), a friend of Jacksons, kills himself because he's also secretly in love with him! I guess at this moment, almost at the very end of the movie, we're suddenly supposed to sympathize with Jackson. Too bad you'd already spent an hour wishing Jackson would get run over with a bus and that the Sam character is so poorly underwritten you know almost nothing about him.

1/10 (I'd give it a 0 if I could)

My goodness people - Chil Out.

[Brandy-28 · 7/10 · 15 June 2009]

This is was on a list of gay films I wanted to see and wouldn't you know it. I came upon it on Saturday night - just like that. I thought it was a fun movie. I think a lot of people won't like it because it obviously didn't have a high budget and didn't have all the Hollywood pizazz that you get from a Hollywood blockbuster.

I thought the title character finally learned his lesson at the end, because of the end. That's all I will say. The nudity of course didn't bother me. But I thought the final nude scene was fantastic. This guy didn't look like he had a nice body with his cloths on (you know skater boy body), but when he took off his clothes and did the 360 view of his body. My goodness. Got me hot!!!!!!!! Trust me, you will love this movie. Rent it. Buy it. Or wait - it will be on cable again this week.

Truly terrible gay genre film

[mrtnn · 1/10 · 23 September 2009]

This film ran on the Sundance Channel last night, and after watching less than ten minutes of it, i knew I was in the presence of yet another poorly written, embarrassingly acted piece of TLA crap. This film had me groaning out loud at how poorly written the dialog is. It makes Kevin Smith films seem like Shakespeare...and I hate Kevin Smith.

If you are so starved for frontal nudity, I guess you could turn the sound off and get a few nice bodies to look at now and then. But I warn you, if the sound is on, you're going to be screaming at the screen.

Don't waste 90 minutes of your life on this mess. Rent "Shortbus" instead.

Reminiscent, funny, quirky, symbolic, thought-provoking, enjoyably ridiculous – relax, watch it

[grahamperrin-1 · 7/10 · 1 January 2015]

Reminiscent – I was never part of that scene, but I recognise many of the situations. Funny – in the right places, and the few dark parts of the comedy are … appropriately dark. Quirky, and unexpectedly thoughtful – or thought-provoking, in not too deep a way. Some of it's emotionally symbolic, which sounds a bit arty but it's not; it's down-to-earth.

Luster is not all of those things at once in any one part of the film, nor should it be. It's a smart mix that's effectively packaged. More than OK, I felt positively good after watching it.

There's some caricature, and that's expected, but it's fitting. The characters' emotions are totally human. The timeline is enjoyably ridiculous, but I don't imagine for a moment that this was intended to be realistic. Cramming the whole thing into a single weekend is part of the essence of what makes the package effective. I shan't spoil the plot by commenting on the other essential parts.

Incidentally, it's not the orgy that's pictured on the cover (I never expected it to be – a friend recommended the movie over a decade ago).

A memorable film that I'll keep, and certainly watch again, more than once. For that alone, I want to give it 8/10.

Some of it's 9/10. Overall, it's a 7 – take your time, set aside any preconceptions, watch and enjoy.

Avoid this movie at all costs!

[hellishlygood · 1/10 · 1 January 2008]

I decided to watch this film as despite that it seemed to have a ridiculously low budget, there were some very good-looking guys in it. I have to say that there was not one good aspect to this entire film. The story line is weak and completely unrealistic whilst the writing is painful. There was no passion between any of the actors and the main thing i could not get to grips with was how everyone "fell in love" with someone else after seeing them for two seconds. If the main character does not annoy you to death, then Billy's (played by Jonah) portrayal of a masochist in an S&M relationship will! The main character is unintelligent and full of himself. The director's poor attempt at making the characters seem poetic or artistic is laughable. The whole 'music store' scene is clearly an attempt to make these boys look deeper than regular 'club-kids'. It failed. The attempts at poetry or deep conversation are as pathetic as the acting! AVOID THIS MOVIE!

hit the marker many gay based films miss

[armourofwings · 9/10 · 11 January 2007]

Luster is more a movie about a guy who happens to be gay ,not a GAY movie. Jackson is an amazing character for this film because like this film although he is strange he is believable and thats how the whole film is dramatic enough to be a movie but not so much that you find no common ground. The relationship between characters is amazing and As a gay guy i can honestly admit i have "fallen in love" a million times before learning the person's last name like how Jackson is crazy over billy who he knows nothing about. That impulse for a connection is totally believable and the film makes you look at the characters and go i have a friend like that or more importantly "i am like that"

Another Awful Gay Themed Movie

[ZanderZion · 2/10 · 13 August 2014]

The portrayal and the story was just perfectly be defined as awful. Their might be potential but then it was awful. "Luster" maybe it was all about a glow of feeling of every characters in the movie, such Sam feeling for Jackson is just like a luster, just a glow but faded to nothing; Jackson incest with his own cousin; Jackson's feeling to Billy etc., all are like a flash then gone. It was poorly emphasized, thanks that the actors aren't famous and after watching they will just pass and be gone in your mind. And the frontal nudity were useless but I get the point of Jackson character at end, "maybe he realizes he doesn't need to be fond and look for others, for the love of his life is just there for him waiting, and so he ran to Derek, afraid of losing him as he loses Sam".

Note: I always wanted to watch LGBT film that can showcase learning, the nature and life of LGBT people etc. but Luster isn't a good movie just poorly made.

You can't please everyone, Everett, just me

[Boyo-2 · 10/10 · 6 April 2005]

I find it a little dismaying that the majority of comments for this movie are negative, but hey, what do I care what a bunch of strangers think? I liked it just fine, and that's all I really care about. I must like it, I've seen it at least four times and counting...

For one thing, I can't think of another movie that's like this one. If the definition of a good movie (or, at least, part of the definition) is that it's something new, then "Luster" certainly fits that bill. What other character is like Jackson, is like Derek, is like any of them? IF so, then which movie were they in? The actor that plays Jackson is very good, I thought all the actors were really terrific. I can think of certain scenes that might have been better written, but I can't fault any of the actors for anything. Everyone really fit their role and everyone was completely believable.

**Remember you were warned that there ARE spoilers!** There was a lot of humor (I loved the way Sandra said "oh my God" the second time in the sentence "Bi? oh my God! oh my God!" and when Sam asked Jackson if Jed was in the hospital and Jackson said no, he's in the mens room, and the 'first cousin' line), the director really knows what guys find sexy in other guys (the way Jackson looks at the kid fixing his cycle and the way the kid is photographed) and the ending was really terrific, even if I was very sorry that Sam died cause I kept thinking about how sad his Mom would have been. That's really it in a nutshell, for a second I thought about these characters in the real world, and I can't say that many movies make me do that at all. That doesn't make me crazy, it makes the people real.

Thank you Everett Lewis.

good flick

[daveup-2 · 8/10 · 20 August 2006]

The film had the edginess and campiness of a Greg Araki film, with some moments cinematography and character development reminiscent of Gus Van Sant. The characters were sexy, quirky and fun to watch. The story was engaging. The production quality (lighting and sound) was lacking a bit, but not too bad. Hopefully we will see more of Justin Herwick, who played the lead role. He reminded me of River Phoneix. Supporting actor Jonah Blechman (who played Billy) was adorable and his character added some punch to the film. Those who like a mix of raunchiness and reality with the esoteric and attempts to "be deep" will enjoy the film. I definitely did.

fUn,fLesH,aNd, LuST

[netguyz · 9 December 2003]

I knew this was going to be a `cool' flick from the opening credits that just list the first names of the cast and crew, but it isn't without its flaws as well. Namely some campy acting, a customer in a record store squealing for Madonna, to numerous subplots that tend to bring down the film as well as audio that tends to be muffled in spots. But overall the more it went on the more I accepted and enjoyed these vagabonds and the flaws found within.

The story centers around a punky, skateboard, party goer, poet, named Jackson (Justin Herwick), who works at a record shop called, how appropriate, `No Life'. After waking up from the aftermath of an orgy he inquires about a boy who was there, Billy (Jonah Blechman) with whom he develops an infatuation for and decides to track down. Who wouldn't! He's a cutey but he he too has some flaws. Needless to say Billy is the boy toy of a record mogel played by Willie Garson (Sarah Jessica Parker's gay friend Stanford on Sex and the City) who gets off on getting beat up. It does get a bit ugly and some people might not like the S&M. Throw in Jackson's hunky cousin Jed(Barry Wyatt), a clean cut collegiate type customer at the store (Sean Thibodeau) who's in love with Jackson, a lesbian friend named Alyssa (Pamela Gidley) who screws around with Jed and is later found out by her lover, and you get a smorgasboard of a soap opera. The one character I really wish had been more developed and with whom I felt something towards was Jackson's supposedly straight boss and friend at the record shop, Sam (Shane Powers). He gives a real emotional performance at the end and his story only scratched the surface. The other performances are hit and miss. Sometimes they're great and then at other times it seems campy and silly. It's a real mixed bag along with the storylines. Take it for what it's worth though and you'll have fun with these characters, their loves, lusts, and losses. The DVD is stereo and the transfer is a bit grainy but it only adds to the seediness of the tale. I didn't expect much more from a low budget `indie' and it also includes a short documentary with the director and a film commentary and trailers for other TLA releases.

Note: plenty of full frontal nudity From TLA Releasing

Interesting Movie - Sean Thibodeau as Derek does a Great Job

[RexLA · 9/10 · 8 December 2005]

Fun movie about alternative life in LA.

Sean Thibodeau as Derek gives it an interesting twist and gives a poignant performance.

His character gives the movie its heart and sole.

Shows an interesting side to LA and people trying to find there way.

Some of the characters seem a bit extreme, but does add to the theme of the movie.

Jackson makes for an interesting protagonist: watching his evolution makes the movie interesting.

He and Derek make for an unusual pair but that makes it even more intriguing.

For a low budget movie it really does an excellent job.

Worth your time to watch.

The transition between Jackson and Derek makes the movie.

Fresh and fun

[Mort & Spunky the awesome cat · 9/10 · 14 August 2004]

In gay cinema, we've finally gotten to the point where, like every other genre, most of the new stuff is crap. If you liked "Broadway Damage" or "Friends & Family", this may not be your cup of tea--those two definitely weren't mine.

******ambiguous spoilers********

I thought "Luster" showed originality and was enjoyable. It's essentially a story about a young man hitting the "holy shit, I need to grow up" point of his life. Most times I've seen that storyline, I've wanted to beat myself up for being stupid enough to watch the whole thing--not here. I thought it was very amusing. It was well written, acted and directed. The friend's death and cousin stuff didn't add anything to the story. They seemed more like cheap gags (one for laughter, one for tears) than meaningful contributions to the story, but overall it was a good effort. Its style reminded me a little of "Swoon" and "The Living End." Don't be dissuaded by the mediocre rating, particularly if you're in the mood for something a little different.

How i grown up in a weekend

[Chaves7777 · 8/10 · 27 December 2007]

Jackson, he tell us, fall in love with at least 20 people every day, or kind of i can say. Jackson (Justin Herwick), the center of "Luster", is a poet who works in a friend's record store. He lives writing, drinking, fallen in love and having sex in some orgies. His cousin came to his house and then Jackson questioned about incest. There is a writer as a friend, a funny photographer, she is lesbian, Jackson is gay. There's a stores customer who sees Jackson, and then he questioned about love at first sight. Jackson what to see a boy from the last night orgy. Jackson write for a strange famous artist, maybe he have a chance of work with he. And all of this only in a Friday morning. "Luster" going to tell us what happen to Jackson and how might he change finally at the Sunday morning.

From director Everett Lewis, comes this drama about the love, the young and the old. I can see that "Luster" is some criticized, for bad. The fact that a films is about gay people doesn't mean that an heterosexual cant enjoy it, no deal with that, but there's exist homophobia in the public yet, so some critics just critic for good, doesn't matter if they give it a 10 or a 1. Some gay films can be so builds so selfish that it makes it feel that the film itself is just for a gay public, and that means that is bad because movies is not something exclusive. At least i can that "Luster" don't commit that error, actually, in spite of some technical issues, i found it very clever, fun sometimes, not funny at totally but very poetic in its totality.

"Luster" is an analyse to love developed in Jackson, who grown up at the end of the film. Is too a very nice and pleasant look to a lifestyle, where other wants drugs and others love bad treats. There's people who love feel pain in their flesh just. Maybe they feel it miserable, or just they love to turn on in that way? Jackson lives in that world at Friday morning, but when he really asks about if he really in loved, if he is really loved at a traumatic Sunday morning, he grown up. He realizes what life want to live.

"Luster" is about the conflict between love and desire in men, obviously demonstrated in the orgies that Jackson have, in the secrets of her friend. The man here, is Jackson. He think he was sure about the life he want it when the famous artist give him the job, but then he realizes of some things about the same art, the flesh and the man who going to give him the job.

But, in spite that Jackson is the center, the other characters, being or not involved with he, front that growing up to, questioned about it. More noted for the characters of Sam and Alyssa, this last a very funny woman who have a good definition of love and its chemical relation. All in "Luster" wonder things, have different lifestyles, ones want pleasures, others just love. But no all grown up, don't find the true. Others do it, others "don't butter" about it, don't cares it about it, other don't do it and lose the battle.

Its a pity that "Luster" have some technical problems, of course, it's not about it technical ways, the problem, no in its totality, is how was used it. Of course one can say that can be understand it taking on count that is a independent film, but i think that could be some more work in that, specially in sound, the camera work was good. The performances was great, by everyone, but i really feel it weird about the performances when Derek told Jackson that he is in love with him. That kiss was so technical, so i don't see it human, i feel it like plastic, inhuman, like if these two were machines. That was my unique complain, but, just for take the thing right, i love both performances, being honest and truly, specially from Herwick, maybe, with Gidley, the best of all movie.

I find "Luster", like i said, very poetic. I think that, actually, is Jackson who write this movie as his poetry work. Telling us his experience in love and how we, in some way, fall in love with him too.

*Sorry for the mistakes ... well, if there any.

SPOILERS - One of the worst pieces of art-film trash I've ever seen

[rstevek · 19 December 2003]

***** WARNING - THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! *****

Everett Lewis, the writer of this 20-something L.A. angst-fest, apparently watched "Clerks," "High Fidelity," and "Where the Day Takes You" back-to-back and said "Hey! I can do that!" Bad acting, bad writing, a zillion random characters with nothing to do, and the boys are not even that pretty. (Hell, the lesbians looked better.) The lead character has chosen one emotion - blase with a touch of sadness - to get him through the whole movie, which is basically a bunch of gratuitous sex-capades punctuated by musings on the nature of love, record-store hi-jinks, and a bizarre sub-plot involving "Sex and the City"'s Willie Garson as a closeted I'm-Elton-John-no-I'm-Sid-Viscous rocker. The hardest I laughed was fifteen minutes from the end when the main character's friend, whose part is underwritten and who is basically the comic relief, offs himself because he can't deal with his unrequited love for his blue-haired best bud.

Awful, Just Awful

[sammikat · 10 July 2004]

***Warning Spoilers Ahead*** This movie just made me cringe, with its depiction of the "gay experience." I am not sure why this film got funding because the screenplay is a boring mess! All this SM nonsense feels very contrived & completely unnecessary, & the protagonist is the most pompous jerk I ever saw! His "closeted best friend's" death is completely stupid & pointless, I don't understand why anyone loves this smarmy punk, much less feels the need to kill himself over him. There is no point in the whole film where I like any of the characters, much less sympathize with them. This is the kind of movie that you rent so you can talk about how bad it was later.

An excellent depiction of wounded love

[christian-385 · 16 April 2010]

I admire Everett Lewis greatly - there are too few auteurs like him making heartfelt realistically emotionally painful queer movies. LUSTER clearly warns us that in our lives (love) and everything that glitters is not gold".

The low budget nature of the film only reinforces the aesthetics. The cast is good and touching, the direction solid and the dialogue pacy and whilst it might sound corny in places - we've all thought or said the same lines.

That Everett keeps making films, keeps trying to challenge our lives should be commended.....were the studios more bold to drop big cash into his pocket I have no doubt that he could make and dazzle us all with a film as successful as MILK....thank god for queer film makers like EL....more please.