Review: YouTuber Max Emerson’s gay hustler drama ‘Hooked’ lands with a thud
A vital topic gets a heavy-handed treatment in writer-director (and social media star) Max Emerson’s “Hooked,†a cautionary melodrama about a homeless gay hustler that, in more skilled hands, could have evoked a latter-day “Midnight Cowboy.â€
The film finds 18-year-old Jack (Conor Donnally) turning tricks to stay afloat while living in a Manhattan youth hostel with boyfriend Tom (Sean Ormond), both of whom apparently fled oppressive, homophobic parents.
Desperate for a better life for himself and Tom, Jack impulsively puts his faith in wealthy new client Ken (Terrance Murphy), a closeted gay businessman with a long-suffering wife (Katie McClellan). But a sudden trip to Miami with Ken turns ugly for Jack — and proves no bargain for Ken either.
What exactly Jack expects from Ken is a bit fuzzy. Less clear is why the confused, self-hating Ken (he wishes a pill could remove his “urgesâ€) takes the bratty and volatile Jack under his wing so quickly, wholly and expensively.
It’s just one of many forced, unconvincing situations that unfold as Emerson struggles to paint a meaningful social portrait, one that often feels surprisingly retro and clichéd from a guy who seems pretty hip on YouTube.
Spotty acting and casting, many thinly drawn or over-the-top characters, weak stabs at humor, and some awkward editing and dialogue further undermine this well-intentioned effort.
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‘Hooked’
Not rated
Running time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.
Playing: Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills. On VOD June 5.
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