Plot: What’s it about?
A lot can happen in twenty-four hours, especially if it’s the day before your birthday and you have plans to enact a dream of yours. In just such a situation is John (David Arquette), who is only a day away from his next birthday, and is ready to make a dream of his come true. John’s dream is spend just one night in a nice hotel, no matter what it takes. Also in this story is Donner (Lukas Haas), who is younger than John, and has a dream of his own, to run away with John to Branson, where the two can have a life together. While these dreams may seem a little simple to most people, to John and Donner, they are not so simple to make come true. You see, both of these men work as male prostitutes, turning tricks to stay alive and have some sort of life of their own. John has worked the streets for a long time, and knows there’s only one person who will help him, and that’s himself. He has every intention of making his dream come true, even if he is forced to rob his clients or a local drug lord to attain the money. Even though Donner knows John’s solitary mindset and claims of not being gay, he stills feels the desire to be with John, and make a life with him away from the bitter streets they currently walk. It’s this need of Donner to help John that starts off with positive vibes, but results in a mistake which could cost them both their lives.
This is not exactly the type of film I expected to enjoy, but the atmosphere and characters really packed enough punch to make this a keeper. The street scenes seem very gritty and realistic, which really helps the viewer to understand how the characters feel about their work and the world around them. As you should be able to gather from the plot synopsis, this film deals with male prostitutes, which involves homosexuality and promiscuous, sometimes unsafe sex. So if either of those topics will send you running for the exits, this is not a movie you should look into. If you aren’t offended by those concepts in a film, you’re in for a real cinematic treat with this movie. The writing is solid, direction is excellent, and the acting is top notch, not much more you could want from a low budget flick, if you ask me. I recommend the movie to fans of character studies and dramas, and Fox Lorber has issued a nice disc, although the transfer is lacking. All in all, if you like the film, the disc would make a very nice addition to your collection.
Scott Silver, the writer and director of johns, made his debut with this movie, but his work certainly shows no signs of inexperience. This movie is vastly superior to his second film, the style over substance flop, The Mod Squad. Hopefully Silver can get back on track in the future, and make more movies like this one. The main stars of johns are David Arquette and Lukas Haas, both of whom deliver solid turns. Arquette (Scream 1-3, Never Been Kissed) is the heart and soul of the movie, and carries the burden without ailment. He brings the desperation and exhaustion of his character across very well. Lukas Haas, who I’ve only seen in a few roles, impressed me with this dramatic skills. Haas (Mars Attacks!, Leap of Faith) has done mostly smaller roles in his career, so I was glad to see him find more screen time here. The supporting cast is also talented, including performances by Craig Bierko (The Suburbans, The Long Kiss Goodnight), Richard Kind (Sink or Swim, Stargate), Wilson Cruz (Supernova, All Over Me), Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket, Natural Born Killers), and Elliot Gould (American History X, Dead Men Don’t Die).
Video: How does it look?
Johns is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. Despite the low budget roots, the image seems clean, although the transfer itself is less than what we expect from our beloved format. The colors are the best of the visual presentation, and have no problems to report, with bright hues free from bleeding. The only trouble within the colors is the inconsistent flesh tones, which tend to get wild time to time. Contrast levels seems accurate, no serious issues to discuss with them. Where the transfer falls apart is the compression area, which leaves the image littered with frequent errors, such as shimmering and pixillation. While this does happen often, the visuals are still decent, but it’s damn distracting to tell the truth.
Audio: How does it sound?
Where the video fails, the audio succeeds, with an outstanding remastered 5.1 track used. Man, the soundtrack, which is driven by blues style tunes, will rock your house! The effects are minimal, used mostly for atmosphere via subtle audio, with audio focusing on dialogue, which is key to the flick. Every word come through loud and clear, with no problems to report at all.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The disc contains some decent bonus materials, including a commentary by actors Lukas Haas and David Arquette. This track is a good listen for fans of the movie, and has some interesting tidbits about the making of the film. Filmographies and awards, a weblink, production credits, and the trailer round out the goodies
