Houseboy, The

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - May 10 2008

With the opening frames of this film by Spencer Lee Schilly (Summer Thunder) you might be lulled into thinking that it's yet another gay romance with pretty boy actors. Rest assured this feeling will pass as The Houseboy is filled with sexy surprises and revelations. In his early twenties, Ricky (Nick May) is the third wheel in a relationship with two hotties in their thirties. While Ricky is supposedly out of hearing range, one lover promises the other "a new toy for Christmas" and then they're out the door for a Christmas vacation. A very hurt Ricky is left to take care of their apartment and menagerie of pets. With a vengeance, Ricky goes on a search for love using internet hookups and guys he meets on the street. Shockingly, he tells several of his "guests" that he's planning to commit suicide on Christmas. The tricks are mostly taken aback and respond uncomfortably with this stranger who has suddenly become quite intimate. Will his "lovers" come home to a nasty surprise, or will Ricky find the love he so needs over the holidays? Using his own apartment as a set and with a micro-budget, Spencer Lee Schilly has crafted a small gem with The Houseboy. Newcomer Nick May is extraordinarily human in this challenging role. Disarmingly cute, he brings layers and depth to his character. There's sex galore and some very hot guys appear naked. Always surprising, very real and overflowing with emotion and heart, The Houseboy is a must-see gem.

By: chromoman

1 star, at best

Big problems: big problems for our protagonist; bigger problems for viewers: there's very little to see here. There seems to have been only the most rudimentary elements of a script here, rambling episodes leading nowhere you need to be. "Situations" are set up, but to little end. use and sex in good measure are mixed in, but not in the use of any discernible story elements. Many "characters" roam idly through this film, but most seem to be there just to fill up time (mostly having -fueled sex).
Unlike many indepedent, low-budget films, it seems that some of these actors would have been able to actually act, had they been giving any real material to work with. A sad waste ot time and talent.

By: bradlevi

By: Amos Lassen

"The Houseboy"
A Gem
Amos Lassen
When I sat down to watch "The Houseboy", I had no idea of what to expect. All I knew of it I had read on My Space so I was totally and very pleasantly surprised when I found myself beginning to love Spencer Schilly's little film.
Nick May who is a cute new face on the screen plays Ricky whose job is to take care of the house owned by the couple of studs he has been having sex with. They have gone away for the holidays and Ricky is left to take care of everything. However when Ricky overhears a conversation between the two men that they want a new toy for Christmas, he becomes hurt and somewhat morose. He begins to look for a human connection in every way possible-via the internet, through hookups, through and through anonymous sex. Ricky begins to experience the typical lonely holiday blues. He is unwanted by his family and he fears that his place with the two guys does not have much time left. He begins to consider suicide and is thinking about committing it on Christmas Eve. When Ricky begins to talk of his plan with his tricks, they are startled and quick to leave him.
This is a drama that has so much going for it. The story is unique, the acting is good, the dialog is real and there are a lot of good sex scenes. Nick May has a boyish charm that wins you over from the first moment he is on the screen---which is the first moment of the movie. His struggle with his feelings for the couple he lives with are all over his face and his expressions are wonderful. Ricky's depression grows deeper when he is left alone to take care of a house that he feels he is about to be throw out of and when he thinks about the fact that he is disassociated from his mother. He begins a moral decline with usage and anonymous sex and thoughts of suicide. He seems no reason to continue living-he has no friends, his lovers have gone away and he is lonely.
What really interested me in the movie was the lack of emotional ties between and among the characters especially in the sex scenes which are filmed both darkly and . The characters are what are important in this film. It would seem that a movie that deals with suicide would be a downer and this is where the surprise comes. There is optimism here and the movie does end on a happy note.

By: Gaelan

Quiet, meditative film about very little. Cute actors. Bad, bad daddies. Would have been more fun if he had to foil some burglars. Really did not register the 'excessive use' others noted... seemed pretty normal for a depressed boy alone in the big city on the holidays. If you are in a zen mood, go for it.

If you are not in a zen mood, at the end you will wonder 'ummm...what was the point exactly - and could it have been accomplished in a 20 minute short?'.

By: RES

I am a bit surprised that the few opinions I have read here are either negative or cool. This is a lovely little independent film. That it has "depressing" points (as one reviewer mentioned) is hardly a reason to rate it poorly: a thoughtful film is seldom a laugh fest. In addition, it does not use sex as titillation, if that's what viewers were expecting or hoping. Sexual episodes are used as plot points folded into the narrative with purpose, and quite expressively; though, given the protagonist's looks and sweetness, they could hardly be other than delicious. It's difficult to understand the objection to the depiction of use. It is certainly no endorsement as it is clearly used as a means of darkening the mood. Nick May's performance is very genuine and quite touching. The film flows and holds together well, except for a few moments (e.g., I could have lived without the Santa Claus episode). Closed-captions wouldn't have hurt, though the dialog was usually relatively easy to understand for something recorded in this "natural" way. The transfer is very grainy however, with a lot of digital artifacts. Nevertheless, this film can be recommended with scant reservations.

By: Just Me

By: Conner

By: Bobby