Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Speedway Junky is the kind of film that upon seeing Jesse Bradford's name scroll through the credits (Interesting slow-shot / overexposed camera effects on the credits, might I add.) makes you realize that, yes, this kid seems cursed with mediocre, low-hitting scripts that are largely uninspired and weakly executed upon the screen. I caught him in Swimfan quite some time ago, only to feel the second impact of a young man who's seemingly dark and handsome, albeit short and not quite sculpted, looks get him in the Hollywood door, but leave him little to work with. Ah, but the string of devoid and shelled-out characters hardly stops there in this would-be thriller. Kleptomaniac.com harps, "A star-studded cast and very cute male leads makes this low-budget sleeper about hustling a real treat." Treat? Did I miss something?

Oh, that's right. The male leads are cute, and therefore, make this film worthwhile -- of course, if you're not into the whole acting and talent phenomena.

Johnny, a young man feeds his ambition for race car driving and supporting his family, by winding up in Las Vegas, the unfortunate albeit predictable victim of hard times. He takes to the streets out of desperation, but particularly because $20 in any town won't get one very far. Winding up in the company of some rag-tags -- Eric (Jordan Brower), who teaches Johnny quite a few pick-up-lines to prep himself for life on the street; Steven (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), the fast-talking and successful gay hustler prototype; Scooby (Justin Urich), who frequently hijacks vehicles; and Veronica (Daryl Hannah), the matron to the lost boys -- Johnny learns survival, which puts him all the closer to realizing his racing dream.

Maybe I'm spoiled by the second edition of Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry, but I quickly learned that this film wasn't so much about surviving on the street, but more about the unrequited love between an utterly isolated and disillusioned gay boy and his straight paramour.

There was, in fact, no hustling. Sure, we get hints of a proposition by some creepy guy in the first act (to which Eric replied, "He wanted you to bark like a b*tch, didn't he?"), and Jesse successfully lands an (unseen) excursion with two co-eds toward the end of the film, but I hardly saw anything speaking of survival in the film.

Survival solely depends upon how well the kids get by with stealing from twenty-four hour convenience stores, and the cops seem all but interested in apprehending them. The kids don't go hungry for too long; whatever prostitution they commit remains keenly cut from the viewers, and that we only suspect what they're doing. In fact, sex work, disease prevention, intravenous drug use, sickness, despair, "making it," "getting out." All these seemingly more interesting motifs and concepts to examine in the course of the film -- all were cut out.

In fact, the cops' attitudes best resembles a disinterest and lack of concern reverberating from audience seats. And with good reason. Gay boys loving straight ones -- that's a trope done to death, don't you think?

If anything, I give credit to Johnny's relentless pursuit of his dream. He makes it unabashedly clear that's what he's after at least... five times... in the film, complete with chalky and malpracticed country accent. North Carolina. Richard Petty's team. As for the rest, it seems rather halted. Whatever time on-screen, the gang parties, smokes marijuana, and drinks beer, so wherever the money's coming from, they haven't a care in the world. Eric wants out, wants freedom, wants Johnny. I'm glad for Veronica's involvement, though. A washed-up former dancer, she provides counsel and nurturing, not to mention the wisdom, but unfortunately that too is washed away in the perpetual agony of the plot.

Johnny provides Eric the level of love and understanding he craves, though to predictably cut short ends. An unfortunate drug incident inevitably leads to the shoot-out that spells the end of our jewel on screen, but to be utterly honest, it seemed too easy the way out. Director Nikolas Perry plays the utterly low hand -- epitomize gang violence among these youth, though their experiences on-screen beforehand would hardly qualify as a suitable backdrop / build-up. Why JT (Erik Gavica) and Eric engage in a gunfight (for other than empty dramatic tension) over someone else's cocaine hardly fits the turn-around and revitalization of the relationship between the two male leads beforehand. It's... it's the proverbial plot twist that's devoid of context. And just when you thought Eric finally found the affirmation and love he had been searching for, bam, gutted at the end.

Johnny survives, succeeds, and seemingly forgets his history, only to have a teary-eyed Veronica smile in affirmation -- never mind that somebody close to them both died. Moving on? I suppose one would have to in a lifestyle like that, the film might suggest after all. But even then, in a story utterly bereft with bad stitching and pointlessness, it was hard to care about what went on in front of me.

I spent more time laughing at the bad come-ons and Johnny's utterly perfected, "Oh hell!"

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age