Tom (Zachary Quinto) has recently split up from his wife, with whom he has two children, and is dealing with his sexuality, which he has repressed his entire life. He hires hustler Cameron (Lukas Gage) to come to his home and give him a massage, with the special request of a ‘happy ending’. Cameron is happy to oblige but as they get down to business, and Tom reveals more about his life, Cameron decides to help Tom fully embrace being gay. As the night takes a wild turn, revelations come to the fore and Tom and Cameron’s encounter ends up being much more than either of them expected.
‘Down Low’ is a cross between a raunchy comedy and a meditation of endings and beginnings in life. It’s the writing debut of Lukas Gage, who viewers will recognise from ‘The White Lotus’, ‘You’ and ‘Euphoria’ to name a few, and he also stars as one of the leads. The film wastes no time throwing you into the plot as we meet Cameron as he works his way up to giving Tom a handjob at the end of a massage. From the opening moments you’d be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a bawdy affair but despite an expletive-filled script and plenty of sex talk, ‘Down Low’ never really goes far enough in that direction.
Instead, the film becomes pretty much a two-hander between Tom and Cameron as they get to know one another over the course of an evening. Tom is nervous, not quite comfortable with his sexuality and a novice in the gay world. Cameron on the other hand is cocky, experienced and determined to help Tom fulfil his potential as a gay man. What better place to start than a hook-up app? Within minutes a hot guy is banging down the door and the seeds are sown for a fun-filled threesome. Of course, things go horribly wrong and the film veers off in a “Weekend at Bernie’s” direction rather than the ‘American Pie’ vibe you’ll be expecting.
From the point things go wildly off the rails but not in a funny ‘The Hangover’ style way. Cameron spits out straight talk about the gay experience while Tom soaks up the wisdom of his new master. A dotty neighbour, played by a scene-stealing Judith Light, adds to the havoc and before they know it, Tom and Cameron are in the middle of a nightmarish series of increasingly more bizarre plot twists. The film does try to ground things by Tom making some admissions about himself but all that succeeds in doing is making the tone even more uneven.
In the midst of it all, Quinto and Gage are clearly having fun. You can see it on their faces and it is evident from their performances. Quinto gets to play a character unlike any other he’s played before and Gage steps away from the douche-bag stereotype he’s been stuck in (for the most part) giving a zany performance in the process. Even when the film starts to become wearing, you have to admire the energy between the two actors. Simon Rex adds a bit of much-needed comic relief as someone who gets dragged into Tom and Cameron’s mess and tries to help them clear it up.
‘Down Low’ had the potential to be a laugh-out-loud comedy of the likes we haven’t seen for a while but unfortunately it doesn’t have any idea what kind of film it wants to be. Is it bawdy? Yes. Is it dramatic? Yes. Is it over-the-top and very silly? Yes. By trying to be everything, it ends up being not much of anything. The kitchen sink was thrown at the script and a bit of streamlining to give the film more focus wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Cast: Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage, Simon Rex, Judith Light, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Arroyo Director: Rightor Doyle Writers: Phoebe Fisher & Lukas Gage Certificate: 15 Duration: 94 mins Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Release date: 13th November 2023
