Review: Gay film viewers might recognize Eric Debets from Jason Bushman’s short film Serene Hunter, which appears in the Wolfe Video collection S is for Sexy. In Hollywood je t'Aime, Debets carries Bushman’s first feature-length film, bringing comical charm to the role of Jerome.
Hoping to get over his ex-lover and start a film career, Jerome moves from France to Hollywood. Nothing could prepare him for the constant surprises of his new life. Jerome seems to take everything in stride, but we see that he often hurts behind those gentle eyes.
From the movie poster, I expected Chad Allen to also appear throughout the film, rather than as a supporting character. However, Allen still brings his own charm, playing an oddly likeable stoner. Aside from his more conflicted role in the movie Save Me, Allen’s work here offers a major departure from most of his other film and TV parts.
The other supporting characters bring a mixture of poignancy and humor, weaving through Jerome’s unsettled new life, teaching him about Hollywood and himself. Diarra Kilpatrick and Michael Airington appear as social outcasts in some ways and as overly guarded in others, but their characters provide a strong sense of family to Jerome.
Who better to make a cross-cultural movie about a Parisian in California than Jason Bushman, a graduate of Odessa High School? After Texas, Bushman went on to the University of California—Los Angeles and now separates his time between Silverlake and Paris. In interviews, Bushman acknowledges using his feelings as an outsider in Hollywood as an inspiration for writer and directing. Those channeled feelings lead to an engaging movie experience.
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