Hollywood Je T'Aime

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Aug 25 2009

Jason Bushman's feature debut (his short Serene Hunter is on the S is for Sexy shorts collection) is a charmingly loving tale of a sweet Parisian lost in the wilds of gay L.A. With its explicit sex fantasy sequences and star Eric Debets extraordinary comic talent (he reminds us of a hot Roberto Benigni), this has quickly risen to the top, becoming one of our all-time gay cinema favorites. Like the Wizard of Oz, the story begins in a black-and-white Paris (most certainly not Kansas) where Jérôme (Eric Debets) still holds a candle for his ex, who moved onto other boys long ago. Deciding that he needs a fresh outlook on life, Jérôme packs his bags and heads for Hollywood, where he intends to follow his dream of becoming an actor. Landing in L.A. the film shifts to color and a seedy Hollywood motel (not really Oz, but it will do). The very adorable and naive Jérôme takes a long bus journey to the beach where he meets Ross (Chad Allen)(perhaps the Tin Man), a temptingly hot stoner. But our boy won't be tied down that quickly. On Santa Monica Blvd. he chats up tranny hooker Kaleesha (she's the Scarecrow) (Diarra Kilpatrick), who falls in love immediately with our wandering naïf. She takes him to her home, where boarders seem to come and go. Jérôme settles in and goes on a few auditions, completely unprepared for the insane world of the bottom reaches of show business. All the while, Jérôme is dreaming of sex with his ex-boyfriend. And these dreams are gorgeous explosions of sexual fantasy. With his world thrown upside down (and the dreams), the young man must decide if LA is really the place for him. There really is "No place like home". Kudos go to star Eric Debets and writer/director Jason Bushman for creating this superbly entertaining film. The gentle humanity and humor of Hollywood je t'aime make this an essential film. (English and French with English subtitles

By: Amos Lassen

"Hollywood Je T'aime"

Following a Dream

Amos Lassen


"Hollywood Je T'aime" is one of those movies that win the viewer over in the first few moments. It is stylish, charming, funny and very honest. Jerome, a gay Frenchman from Paris flies to Los Angeles during Christmas and after breaking up with his boyfriend. Like so many others, he is pursuing his dream of becoming a movie star and finding love, fame and fortune in the process. His naiveté leads him to meet some real characters and he finds himself taking an acting job and he has several misadventures. He is a Frenchman who finds himself in the midst of those who do not fit into life as we know it.
The film stars Eric Debets who you may remember from "Serene Hunter" and old friend Chad Allen as Ross, a hunky stoner who meets Jerome at the beach. The film is quite sexually explicit and Jason Bushman directs the film that shows how Hollywood should film romantic comedies-the humor is sharp and intelligent. We see underground L.A. as we usually do not see the city. It is gay life in the 1990's with its sexual excesses.
I love the character development and the cinematography is beautiful. What we ultimately learn is that no matter home seems to us, there is no place like it.