Movie Review: Boystown (Chuecatown)

Boystown (Chuecatown) 

Canonigo Films, Filmax, Castelao Producciones, Generalitat de Catalunya - Institut Català de les Indústries Culturals (ICIC), ICF Institut Català de Finances, Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO), Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA), Televisió de Catalunya (TV3), Televisión Española (TVE), Spain, 2007. 

Suave real estate agent Victor (Pablo Puyol) has a dark side. He murders old ladies and sells their apartments to wealthy gay couples. Victor wants to make Madrid's Chueca a luxurious gay residential area. Bear gay couple, driving instructor Leo (Pepón Nieto) and odd-job man Rey (Carlos Fuentes) live in house where their neighbour is murdered and they become main suspects. 

Victor

Rey and Leo

Multiphobic Inspector Mila (Rosa Maria Sardà) and her closet gay son Luis (Edu Soto) investigate the murders. Dead neighbour leaves her apartment to Rey. Victor wants to buy it but Rey wants to give it to his tiresome mother Antonia (Concha Velasco). Leo is jealous of Rey because Rey is seeing his ex-boyfriend. Appearance of mother puts further strain on Rey's and Leo's relationship as Antonia thinks that Leo is not good enough for her son. They have also a writer friend Lola (Mariola Fuentes) who writes a novel based on Leo and Rey. 

Luis and Mila

Lola

Antonia

Victor schemes to kill Antonia and frame Leo. Leo's jealousy is ruining his relationship with Rey. Mila and Luis try to find the real culprit before it is too late.

This crime comedy is bit like films of Pedro Almodovar. It seems that all of the film's main gay characters have mother issues. It offers some laughs here and there with a decent thriller plot. Pablo Puyol is a good "American Psycho" style killer and Pepón Nieto and Carlos Fuentes are a sympathetic pair. However many of the jokes feel like inside jokes about Spanish (gay?) culture and politics and the gruesome crime plot darkens the overall light mood a bit too much. 

You will never watch "X-Men" the same way again.

Wolverine Chuecatown style

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#19. Movie about someone who belongs to sexual minority)

Rating: Good

Starring: Pepón Nieto, Pablo Puyol, Concha Velasco, Rosa Maria Sardà, Carlos Fuentes, Edu Soto, Mariola Fuentes, Joan Crosas, Pedro Veral, Montse Alcoverro, Ángel Burgos, Margarita Calatayud, La Prohibida, Josefina Güell, Antonio Municio, Carmen Pardo, Germán Tormo, Elías Torrecillas, Eduardo Casanova, Ana Fibla, Nacha la Macha, Oliver Moon, Bruno Oro, Josele Román, Tamara 

Director: Juan Flahn