Issues 101

Unfortunately, this film should be mandatory viewing for film makers, so that they can see what mistakes NOT to make in their films.

Issues 101 has real problems. As a romantic drama it's a failure. Seeing this film only a few hours after watching Andy Warhol's Trash led me to question why Trash is so riveting (albeit in a sick car-crash sort of way) while Issues 101 required real force of will to watch to the bitter end.

Neither film has well scripted dialogue and yet they couldn't be more different in their audience impact. One is fascinating to watch and one is painful to watch.

Somehow in Trash we see beyond the flaws and imperfections and see that there is truth (in this case what it must have really been like to be in a dead end relationship with a junkie in late 60's NYC)

In Issues 101, we see no such truth. The reality of the digital video contrasts wildly with the inane dialogue (lacking in both sense and substance). The result is an insipid film lacking in truth, excitement or interest. The flaws were so off-putting as to keep yanking the viewer back to the `real world' and not allowing for the willing suspension of disbelief that works for most films.

The REAL problem for me with Issues 101 is that it gives me a terrible case of the `might-have-beens.' For the most part the actors were pleasing to the eye and the ideas presented in the story could have been told so much better.

On the surface, a story about a fraternity pledge that somehow gets through a chink in his frat brother's straight façade, the frat brother setting the pledge up with his younger fraternal gay brother to take some of the pressure off, and the jealousy that ensues are all great plot elements. However in this film almost none of it works. The sex with the supposedly straight brother goes way too far without an adequate `gosh was I drunk set-up'. The whirlwind speed with which the pledge and the younger brother get seriously involved happens way too quickly. And finally the pledge causing all these issues is neither handsome enough nor charming enough to make us believe that either brother would be interested in him.

To make matters worse there were scenes that were totally unmotivated and others that were totally unnecessary.

I understand that this film ran out of money near the end and so much was lost in the director's vision but overall what was left is nearly unwatchable and actually painful to sit through.