Hollywood, je t'aime
(USA/France, 2009, 95 mins)
Directed By: Jason Bushman
Producer: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Screenwriter: Jason Bushman
Cinematographer: Alison Kelly
Editor: Phillip J. Bartell
Cast: Eric Debets, Chad Allen, Michael Airington, Diarra Kilpatrick, Jonathan Blanc
Music: Timo Chen
Website: http://hollywoodjetaime.com/index.html
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hollywoodjetaime
Nursing a heartache after breaking up with his boyfriend, Jérome cannot bear the notion of spending Christmas alone in dreary Paris. He spontaneously books a flight to Los Angeles, where he hopes for fun, sun, and maybe even a little Hollywood stardom. Upon arrival, however, Jérome’s dreams are deflated by poor public transportation, dumpy hostels, and phony Hollywood fringe folk. The journey is not completely fraught with failure, however, as he befriends a sexy pot dealer, a gorgeous trans hooker, and an aging drag queen with her own jaded take on Hollywood.
Jason Bushman’s fabulous first feature constructs a contemporary odyssey through the City of Angels’ underrepresented class, a queer view that the town’s trademark silver screen typically ignores. Eric Debets stars as Jérome, a sort of gay, French version of Buster Keaton, who hilariously flirts through troubled waters with the constant apparition of his impish ex by his side. Like a homo Homer, Jérome learns that the fantasy of leaving is ironically countered by an old Hollywood adage: there’s no place like home.