DVD Review - Go Go Crazy

Go Go Crazy is one of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries like Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show, but set in the world of the Philadelphia gay bar scene. Gay bars or nightclubs in Philadelphia or any city feature male dancers who are basically strippers, lower rent than say the Chippendales, and these male dancers are often called go go boys. In Fred M. Caruso's movie, a competition has been established to find the best go go boy.

The movie feels like it's built mostly on improvisation where each actor, of which there are ten, come up with their own lines of dialogue with no script and all off the cuff. The actors include the five go go boys competing for the winning glory, the three judges of the contest, the sycophant stage hand, and the hostess.

The hostess is played by Hedda Lettuce, an actual drag queen who is essentially playing herself. She's the MC and her only role is to insult and riff on everyone with some insane one-liners. All the others really commit to these mostly self-centered, superficial characters, and the commitment by some is what really makes the movie hilarious.

Paul Cereghino plays Chase who is nicknamed "grease lightning" for the slickness of his hair. Chase is from Amish country yet he is what's commonly referred to as a "bitchy queen." Michael Cusumano plays Kiernon, a headband-wearing, Russian ballet dancer who wants to create a ballet based on his traumatizing bear attack. Nick Kenkel plays Vinnie T, a karoake singer who looks and acts as if he were pulled from the Jersey Shore reject pile. Eric Spear plays Ken, a Broadway star wannabe, and Ryan Windish plays Connor, a straight beefcake who is a bartender at Trocadero.

Christina Bianco plays Tina Perkins, a Celine Dion "embodier" who is the Paula Abdul of the judges. Rick Crom plays Hank Smutny, another judge as well as the club owner who gets blowjobs from his employees. Jake Steel plays Blake Goldenrod, the third judge and former go go boy-turned-porn star. Last but not least, there's Derek St. Pierre who plays Simon, the stage hand who crushes on one of the contestants.

Watching the contestants or anyone here, it's hard for us to crush on anyone. Some may find the oiled-up, toned and practically nude bodies attractive, but really these boys are the height of narcissism and self-aggrandizing in desperate and pathetic ways. It makes you laugh and also feel sorry for them.

Three Stars out of Five.
Not Rated but Recommended for Mature Audiences.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 24 mins.