THE POOL BOYS
US, 2011, 107 minutes, Colour.
Matthew Gillard, Brett Davern, Efren Ramirez, Rachelle Lefevre, Tom Arnold, Robert Davi.
Directed by J.B. Rogers.
No recommendation for this one although fans of crass comedies judge it as quite funny.
In the past, some commentators refer to films has having “a low moral tone”. This is the case with this film – which is reminiscent of Risky Business and The Girl Next Door. Rich people go on holidays leaving the house in the care of characters who are not particularly responsible and get caught up in plans for turning the vacant house into a brothel – although this film’s dialogue is rather prim, wanting to avoid the word, prostitute, and substituting the word, escort.
A young man has graduated and is about to apply for a scholarship for Harvard. He is played by Brett Davern. His cousin, Matthew Gillard, is a seemingly respectable businessman but, in fact, is a pool boy at a mansion and shares an apartment with some suspicious characters, drugs and sex being involved. When the young man finds that his job in Washington has been sabotaged because the senator is a paedophile, he rings his cousin in LA, is deceived initially, but realises the truth, that his cousin is something of a loser.
There is a brainwave and it is decided to the mansion into a glamorised sex resort, building up not only a group of escorts, who all look like the supporting cast of a Hollywood soap opera, and a range of clients, some of whom are very kinky.
The young man resists first, but then brings his mathematical capacities to organising the goings on, admitting to himself that he is a pimp. When the owners of the house return, the owner, being a businessman, demands the money instead of turning them into the police. The examiner for the scholarship arrives and is immediately put off. The final idea is to have a huge party, along with sexual shenanigans, with neighbour, Tom Arnold as himself, exhibiting all kinds of mania. The young man’s parents arrive, the truth is revealed, he has discussions with his father – and, as always, no matter what the situation, all is forgiven.
While any human activity can be the subject of comedy, even this subject, but the basic premise has an exploitation of women, sexuality, of dominant males who are making money – all dressed up as a glossy sex comedy.
