[yasr_overall_rating]
A power hungry intern pimps out his apartment to sex-starved politicians, only to find his boss using it to have an affair with the girl of his dreams.
With the 2016 US Presidential race in full swing and political policy on the forefront of everyone’s mind, director Peter James Iengo (“Partners”) and writer Brett E. Lewis (“High Maintenance”), gives us “C Street,” a comedy centering around an intern and the hush-hush service he provides to numerous Congressman and Senators within the Senate. Using his connections to gain influence and favor, Guy Poppet, played by Evan Hall (“Just Ask,” “L’Absinthe”), maneuvers and juggles the sexual desires of all who require his services. Even his own boss, Senator Fallon, played by Dylan Walsh (“Nip/Tuck,” “Congo”), is a frequent patron, often using his intern’s apartment as a “Love Crib.” Unable to separate his personal life from his political career, the line between being his intern or his pimp becomes blurry to say the least. However, when Guy develops feelings for fellow intern Haley, played by Shuan Licta (“Smash,” “The Lake”), only for Fallon to snap her away, Guy re-evaluates whether a political career is worth the strain on his personal life.
“C Street” opens to a political rally, red white and blue bunting adorning a stage somewhere in middle America. Hundreds of people screaming their support for Fallon as he gives his address to his adoring supporters. Filtering through the crowd we see Guy, handing out buttons and badges to supporters eager to display their support. Minding his own business, Guy is suddenly pulled aside by Senator Huxter (Jessica Blank), a bi-polar sexually frustrated deviant who proceeds to flirt and blackmail him at the same time. By this time in the feature, we are unaware of Guy’s “Sex Den” so this little interaction is a bit confusing to the viewer, however, it does kick-start the theme running throughout the movie, sexual frustration. Defeated, Huxter leaves a flustered and speechless Guy to gather his thoughts as Fallon’s speech comes to its conclusion. Relieved to be away from Senator Huxter, Guy walks over to Fallon to congratulate him on his speech, giving the viewer their first interaction between the two central characters. The dynamic between the two is immediately set, as one would expect, Fallon is the dominant influence over Guy who’s pretty much a pushover when it comes to sucking up to his boss. We discover they have an arrangement, Guy helps get a new Healthcare Bill passed and Fallon will make Guy the youngest senator aide in the Senate. The relationship between the two is all one way with Fallon bringing women over to the “Love Crib” whenever he wants to. He’s immediately portrayed as a misogynistic, sexist pig who has no regard for his interns’ privacy or his supporters opinions. He rarely displays remorse and when he does, it’s always as a ploy to get what he wants. Most of the time that’s sex! As things develop, we discover the big secret, Guy pimps out his apartment to facilitate the certain needs of individuals, the sexual needs people have a hard time full fulling themselves. Nevertheless, Guy is adamant that he’s “not a pimp, it’s a strictly bring your own girl situation.” As Fallon takes more and more advantage over Guy’s weak nature, fellow intern Haley and the girl of Guy’s dreams, starts a relationship with a smug, unapologetic Fallon.
Now I could understand maybe one Congressman or Senator acting like this, an individual that lost his way and was abusing the system to keep his infidelity secret, however, as the movie unfolds, a multitude of Congressman and Senators come out the woodwork. The next crazier than the last! It all becomes a little too much, the influx of new characters is an assault on the senses. I can see what they were trying to achieve, adding these over the top characters, it expands comedic value but in this case, not comedic quality. Ranging from Manboy, an over the top uber gay sex slave, to a coke-addicted mentally insane Congressman, the stereotypes will beat you into submission. While some of the comedic scenes work, some fall flat on their face. In one scene in particular, Guy and the police wrestle over a bag of cocaine resulting in its contents ending up everywhere. It was so cringe-worthy, it’s hard to believe they kept that cut. At the same time, as being a comedy, it’s also intertwined with a love story and political drama. As a movie, I don’t really think it knows what it is, the characters are barely developed with a short almost forced backstory. Nor does it focus on the politics, it’s in the background and it’s a constant theme but nonetheless, it also feels undeveloped. Granted, it is a comedy but with cheap farcical schtick and frat house sex jokes, it struggles to be anything more than a mess. As the story develops, secrets start to unravel and media attention forces all sides to make difficult decisions.
As a comedy it’s hard to say this works on either a comedic or entertainment level, it’s hard to watch and at times, is cringeworthy. Evan Hall who plays Guy, is the only real saving grace, he hold things together quite well in an otherwise dire story. He plays the timid pushover with an ease that makes me think he has played this kind of role before, he keeps your attention and is the only one you feel any real connection with. Dylan Walsh as Fallon is not a role that will stretch his acting range nor will it be a role he will look back on too fondly. He plays the sexist, bloated typical politician with ease, never really pushing himself or others around him. You can’t blame him too much though, the material he had to work with must have been tough to develop. All in all, the story is unrealistic, stereotypical and so convoluted and mixed up, it’s hard to ignore. Painting politicians with this brush during this time of political scrutiny, is always going to be a good marketing ploy, however, the content and story leaves a lot to be desired. Read a good book and give this one a miss because you won’t miss much!
Available now on VOD
