I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
The plot of the film is pretty basic and simple. Four high school senior boys are on a quest to lose their virginity, but with the queer twist that everyone is gay! We meet Andy, who fantasized all the time about his exchange professor. Jarod is the school jock baseball player, Griff is the trusty best friend, who we later learn has a crush on Jared which leads to some comical blunders and mishaps. Nico is the campy flamboyant sidekick who has a thing for older men – but is still in the closet with his mother and dating a blind girl. The boys are close friends and are all virgins and they decide that this summer before going to college they all need to lose their virginity. Jarod lands a date with a hunky baseball player but can never get the act done. Griff tries his best to get Jarod's attention until finally he has to just say it out openly at the end. Andy, who has been lusting after his professor almost gets into a BDSM situation with his teacher which is live streamed and somehow manages to escape. Nico tries his luck with older men, before his mother finally confronts him and he comes out and she is very very supportive. The four friends finally manage to lose their anal virginity on the final night of the summer.
You have to remember to not take the film seriously at any point. It is supposed to be a spoof of films like 'American Pie' and does justice to it to a large extent. Andy's over supportive father giving the friends some gay knowledge was hilarious and awkward and embarrassing; all at the same time. The situations that all these friends end up finding themselves were funny , when you look at it from a spoof point of view. The minute you take any of it seriously, you will totally roll your eyes and scream in disbelief. The acting is VERY over the top by all actors but I guess that was the idea and the summary given to them. The situations are very predictable, some of them crass and cringy, but like a said, when you make a spoof film, its hard to objectively review a film for its own merits. I remember enjoying the film 15 plus years back when I first saw it, but watching it now; I had mixed reactions. This amateurish comedy does give a lot of awkward gags about coming out and sexual misadventures, but I can see people either enjoying the stupidity of it all or bruising it aside completely. I will leave it at an average rating, since it wasn't that bad that you could't leave your brain aside and laugh at just how silly the whole thing was. (4.5/10)
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The only reason I rewatched this was cos I realized I had not reviewed it here on my blog. Otherwise a movie like this.. and watching it second time... probably would never have happened. :) lol