brett-denver OK. Where do I start? I used to spin around in a video store and rent whatever I pointed to. There were some bad movies out there; "Whore" was pretty awful, "Dirty Habits" (about spying nuns) was at least tolerable. This was simply the worst piece of cinema I've ever seen.First it was totally predictable. I'd comment about how I bet they make a "Pretty Woman" reference and within a minute it was there! That was like number thirteen of 20 or so poorly scripted things that occurred in this film. Poorly made, poorly shot, poorly directed. Horribly acted. This isn't even a movie. It's torture. It's unbelievably bad.Nobody is going to give a gay hooker a job in the real world. Just because you're pretty and nice? Please. And it wasn't as if the eye candy made up for the cinema excrement that made up this movie. ugh.

acciojosh I don't like putting people's hard work down, but it feels like a thirteen-year-old girl who has a fascination with gay blokes and doesn't know a thing about them wrote it. Ian is meant to be from Sydney, but can't even hold his accent for an entire sentence, let alone even hit the right Aussie accent when he does. The plot is full of holes; the editing was terrible, the script short and the direction could not have been any better. The budget may be low, but I have seen movies without budgets that use talent to pull them off and they work. It was a high school movie, not something to be proud of. My suggestion for the creator; centre on one plot, pay more attention to their acting talent than their bodies and be more assertive with your actors when it comes to direction. For the rest of us - if you can sit through the entire movie without wanting to scream, throw something or roll your eyes, I will be surprised.

lasttimeisaw An indie film about two couple gay men's lives, how they deal with relationships and responsibilities. Every man has his own problem, dashing outside, but desperate inside.How to pursue the lifestyle you are seeking for? How to find another perfect half of your life? Films can offer different options, but reality itself deters you, not everyone is lucky enough to get what he wants. The world looks more colorful and uncertain when you are aware of its capacity and emptiness, rather depressing.Actors are all unknown, and the acting is just so-so, not so convincing but for a small romantic film, I should not ask too much.Still not get the title, why "200 American"? Maybe I missed something and I admit I had been fallen asleep during the film playing. Shameful for me! I always think I can survive from any films no matter how boring or awful they are.

NJMoon Director Richard LeMay admits on his DVD commentary that he changed his mind halfway through writing 200 American about what story he wanted to tell. But it doesn't take LeMay's commentary for us to realize that this film's major problem is lack of focus. The title alone should indicate that the central figure must be Ian, the Aussie rent boy searching for a way to stay in America without a legit green card. But LeMay instead opens his film from the POV of Conrad, an ad exec on the rebound from his ex, looking to get off with a renter instead of risking the emotional perils of dating. Never mind the fact that Conrad is a hunk that anyone would gladly bed gratis. Doesn't anonymous sex (for free) also imply 'no strings'? One would think so. The ad game must be going pretty well for Conrad, because he eagerly shells out a thousand clams for his hourly Boy from Oz to stay the night. But mid-vid LeMay ditches the inigmatic saga of Conrad and Ian for a more conventional romantic soap opera between Ian and Conrad's white bread co-worker Michael. To compensate, LeMay quickly resurrects Conrad's ex and proceeds with one of the most predictable pairings in queer cinema: Ian and Michael. Add to this lack of dramatic structure the fact that there's something a little lethargic about the whole affair and you've got a ho-hum gay indie.The dialogue tends toward the trite and the editing and cinematography are very hit and miss. The script's single funniest moment (although it tries for many more) involves confusion between the Dalai Lama and Lorenzo Lamas. A fed-up fashion model also provides a much-needed cathartic blast. Oddly, there's an unfortunate subplot about white slavery that should have hit the cutting room floor.LeMay's greatest asset is his cast, all of whom reportedly worked for free. They manage to make even the most illogical of plot points bearable. If it weren't for the quality of the performances, 200 American might well be totally unwatchable. If LeMay had spent some of his 200 on a script doctor, this film might have been something worth owning. As it is, it's just a 'renter'.