101 Rentboys

[Guest hunklover]

I know this was discussed earlier this month, but I just saw "101 Rentboys" last night on Cinemax. It was interestng, however, they needed to make more of a distinction between the street hustlers and the other escorts. The program focused mainly on the guys who were somewhat screwed up and deep into the drug scene. It didn't spend much time with the guys who you would consider pretty intelligent and seem to have their lives "together".

 

Sure, there's a side to escorting and prostitution that is pretty seedy, and dirty; and if you are going to do a show on that...fine. But why include only a few of the guys who seem to have it together and making it okay, then almost ignore them?

 

Many of the escorts I've had the pleasure to have been with have been pretty "classy", personable, intelligent individuals. Many even had a college degree. Maybe in the world of escorting these type of individuals are not the norm. I guess I just wish they would have shown more of the other side of escorting that includes the lifestyles of some of the guys who seem to have it together, and are making a decent life for themselves while providing services to guys, like me, who need the companionship of another guy from time to time.

[Guest LAbuyer]

I agree with you. I think it would have been a much more interesting show to see the escorts that are together and make a living at it. We all know and can guess what the life of street hustlers and drug addicts are like, we've seen that story quite often. Its the other side that is much more interesting...to me anyway.

[Boink]

I agree. I said in an earlier post that the most articulate and attractive (by far) subjects were the ones who also happen to have done some porn work. Out of the 101 guys, there couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 or them. They seemed out of place in this particular documentary.

[Houston Bonfires]

I too saw this somewhat disturbing program and found myself wondering why the negative aspects were being emphasized. Thanks for confirming my impression. I did enjoy John Ross, Ted Matthews and others who seemed to have a clear understanding of themselves and what they were about. Good to see at least a part of my experiences represented. As you said; my contact with escorts has been a positive experience in that the education and intelligence level has been considerable.

[Boston Guy]

I haven't seen the show. But, at the time they were doing the interviewing, some of the escorts I knew had been been approached and turned them down. It was precisely because they had other things going on in their lives that they didn't want to touch this show and definitely did not want the notoriety.

 

So perhaps it may be that there was self-selecting going on.

[+ deej]

They emphasized the sleazy sensationalistic side because that sells. Guys with a "normal" well-adjusted life who happen to escort for a living isn't the story they wanted to tell. <sigh>

 

One of the porn stars they interviewed is a good friend of mine and he told me the whole interview made him feel sleazy in a way the porn industry or escorting never had. Particularly when they handed him a $50 bill on camera at the end of the interview. (He didn't know they were going to do that.)

 

They *intended* to show the sleazy side of prostitution.

 

Some day, I'd like to see a documentary about the other side of the sex business -- or at the very least a balanced account. It isn't all sleaze, after all.

[Guest jeffOH]

I did an interview with a T.V. reporter on the local ABC affiliate here in Columbus a couple of years ago. We talked for at least 45 minutes...she asked some very good questions and I

felt like I had gotten my point across. Well, when I saw the

edited version, I was somewhat disappointed. I realized she had

used what I'd said for her own agenda, which was to stick it to

the major daily newspaper here. They are one of the few large

city newspapers that run escort ads and the family who owns the

paper also owns the CBS affiliate here. I haven't seen 101 Rent

Boys, but I'll bet they had an idea of how they wanted it to turn

out before they interviewed anybody.

 

http://Jeff4hire@aol.com

[Guest Zach DC]

Yes, Rentboys 101 was pretty dismal.

 

The film was a myopic view into the world of male escorts. The boys interviewed were a colorful mix of sad, sadder and truly pathetic. The few "well-adjusted" escorts interviewed stuck out like sore thumbs.

 

Some of the more dramatic interviews even appeared to be setup. The stories they told just didn't gel. Some seemed like complete fabrications and some tales were a little contrived. Either to tug at our heart strings or offer comic relief.

 

The most honest thing about the movie was the filmmakers' admittance that they were pandering--they were going for low drama. That was evident from the beginning of the film.

 

They used a gimmick of insisting on paying every boy on camera. An off screen arm reaches out to hand each boy a $50 bill for completing the interview. Talk about cheesy.

 

Even the most high class escorts would find it challenging to remain dignified under those conditions. Being paid in front of the world. Being paid a lousy 50 bucks. And more to the point, the insistence that everyone accepts this fee on camera. Basically, daring all to remain polite and gracious whores. (Smile for the camera and try to hide your shame.)

 

A few did accept payment with dignity. But of course, many took the low road. (Big surprise.) Some picked it up with their mouths, their butt cheeks, snatched it like a thief, etc., etc. (Isn't that so funny or so sad?)

 

That gimmick was pure cheese and sleaze. All it did was perpetuate the myths.

 

Of the 101 guys they documented, most were on the low end of the spectrum. A few of these so called "rentboys" looked like they had never held 50 cents let alone 50 dollars.

 

I saw the movie last year at a film festival. I remember there were some touching moments and a few good laughs from me and the audience. But as a whole it left the audience somber. As an escort, I had an inside seat, so to speak. I thought it to be a dim presentation of a gay subculture as "documented" by gay filmmakers.

 

Rentboys 101 is coming to a video store near you. It's on cable. The movie is entertainment. These guys knew how to make big profit on no budget. Spin 101 stories (at $50 each) and sell the movie as an important documentary.