WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Boba_Fett1138 Directors are really like their movies. I like Nicolas Cage as an actor and I give him more credit than most people and critics do. His looks are good for the type of characters he always plays but he in my opinion should stick to acting, rather than directing movies, or he should at least next time pick a more interesting script.The movie tries hard and its intentions are all good but the movie just isn't quite 'it'. The events and situations in this movie are just far from interesting. characters come and go, that it becomes hard to see where the movie is trying to head to and what it tries to achieve. For a serious movie that's about a gigolo the movie stays surprisingly much on the 'choir boy' and good, positive side of things. On top of that the movie moves too slow at points and some sequences go on for far too long. It's obvious that Cage wanted to make the movie and its feel more 'European' than 'Hollywood', but he should just leave 'European' movie making to Europeans next time.The main character is such an unpredictable and aggressive one that it's also hard to sympathize for him at moments, as is the case with almost every other character in the movie.The actors all mostly did a good job. Nicolas Cage obviously has some good connections in Hollywood, also thanks to his family of course. It's a good and real character movie but it's just too bad that the script and characters in it isn't any better.It's not that this movie is really bad, it's more that if offers so little refreshing, interesting or original. No wonder that the movie got overlooked and is so little known to people.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

krisstan69 I just recently saw this movie on either HBO or Cinemax, and let me tell you, for me it was like a train wreck, once you start watching, you cant stop watching. So, it was after 1:00am when I flipped it on, thinking I had found something to help me go to sleep, but once I started listening to it and getting the movie plot down for what it really was, I was shocked, then very interested in what would come of the characters. When Sonny went crazy in Texas when he was with that blonde girl, that is when I really just went 'what the hell kind of movie is this?' That didn't stop me from watching however, just kept me on the edge as to what he was going to do from then on. Mena Suvari I thought was great, because this wasn't the typical nice little Hollywood roll for her to do, it was different and edgy, and she was wonderful in it. The ending threw me off, but still made you think and kinda make up your own conclusion as to what happened with them.

digital821 i am a film student and i make it a point to stay up till 330 a.m just to watch movies like this. first there were slow moments, and some forced actions between characters, but franco's acting is always superb. i mean the shot where he flips out in the car, or when he screams at the naked girl on the floor. directing is basic. the editing is fast and tells the story well. i liked all the characters, the mother had me hating her the second she spoke and james made me feel bad for his character. i honestly think that if you want to see a good undiscovered movie that wont win awards, but can be picked apart for joy and scrutiny then this will do it. overall acting is very well, and the story has a few plot holes but if you watch the direction the director wants you to then it makes up for it

rosscinema This isn't a bad looking film and the performances are all fairly effective but once the first 30 or so minutes have passed you've pretty much seen what this has to offer. Story takes place in New Orleans in 1981 where Sonny Phillips (James Franco) has just been discharged from the Army with the hopes of finding a job someplace but his mother wants him to come back to what she taught him. Jewel (Brenda Blethyn) is an ex-prostitute who taught her son the same thing and he was very popular for the wealthy older ladies in the area. Jewel has a young girl named Carol (Mena Suvari) working for her and even though she has a number of tricks every day she still talks about getting out of the business and living a normal life. Also living with Jewel but just as a renter is long time friend Henry (Harry Dean Stanton) who has lent a helping hand for the both of them.*****SPOILER ALERT*****Sonny doesn't want to go back to being a prostitute but when he is unable to get a job he seems to have no other resources in life and at times gets very angry after finishing with a customer. He becomes very jaded and remorseful and when Carol suggests that they go off together and start a new life he can't even bring himself to admit that it's possible for such a thing to happen.This film marks the directorial debut of actor Nicolas Cage and while he does show that he can tell a story at a good pace the main flaw comes from the script itself. This story is very reminiscent of the ambiguous neo-realism films from Italy and France of the 50's and 60's in which the script just allows us to watch Sonny slowly become angry and bitter and to allow prostitution to inevitably become his unfortunate life. Critics point out that the film doesn't offer any insight to Sonny and instead we see the usual clichés and one can't deny that those flaws are evident but there are some good things that should be noticed in Cage's direction. One is the solid performances he gets by all of his actors and I think Blethyn's Southern accent isn't to bad but I think Suvari gives arguably the most effective performance in the film. There is some of the usual prostitute with a heart of gold in the script but when she begs for Sonny to say something positive about their future while it's pouring rain it reminded me that she is indeed one of the more talented young actresses out there. Cage also gives the film a more sordid look at what was going on around Bourbon St. during the early 80's and I found the mood to be pretty effective. But the script doesn't give you anything fresh to view and for the most part the characters just seem to be going through the motions of the films actions. This isn't a bad film and Cage seems to have some talent as a director but this is still a script that fails to be revealing.