Review of José (2020) by Greatmartin — 14 Feb 2020
I have been sitting here for an hour trying hard to find something positive to say about this movie and the best I can come up with is, "It isn't a bad movie!".
This movie runs 85 minutes and if all the useless 'fill' was edited out it just might have made an hour TV show in the 1960s except now the quite not out of the closet gay 19-year-old uses a phone app to hook up with other guys.
Jose has a needy, religious mother and when he finally falls in love he has to choose between her and the man he loves.
Does the fact that he is poor and lives in Guatemala make this an 'interesting and different' movie? No!
What and how does his mother make a living? How does Jose make a living? He stands out in the middle of the street waving his hands, seemingly directing traffic. Why does Li Cheng, the director, and screenwriter with George F. Roberson, bring in a scene with Jose's grandmother except to allow a few more scenic shots? How does Jose, so poor, have the money to spend on 'rent by the hour' hotel rooms to take the guys he meets over the phone app?
Why do Cheng and Roberson waste time with unnecessary cinematography and storylines that go nowhere? Why not tell us about the mother, the grandmother and, certainly more about Jose and Luis, the man he falls in love with?
Yes, there is nudity and showing men having sex and about as interesting as showing heterosexual couples having sex in their movies! Oh yes, no full-frontal nudity and only one quick sideways shot!
It is not all bad and/boring as there is a 10-15 minute scene of Jose (Enrique Salanic) and Luis (Manolo Herrera) riding on a motorcycle along the countryside that is as romantic, joyful and Valentine Day's worthy as you could have seen in and 1960s movie.
This review of José (2020) was written by Greatmartin on 14 February 2020.
José has generally received positive reviews.
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