Showboy
Christian Taylor, a writer on HBO’s wildly popular series "Six Feet Under," agrees to let a BBC TV crew follow him for a "reality" series about Brits working in Hollywood. But after a crisis utterly disrupts his life he finds that his true calling may be in the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas stage rather than the harsh world of Hollywood show business.
The documentary crew first meets Christian while "Six Feet Under" is shooting on location in Las Vegas. Christian is an intelligent young writer/producer who is part of the creative team behind the series. Unbeknownst to Christian, who is miked, the crew is able to listen in when executive producer Alan Ball calls Christian into his trailer. Ball tells Christian that his contract will not be renewed for the following season. With a succinct and cold explanation, Ball suggests that Christian may be better suited to a hospital or legal drama. In a state of shock and denial, Christian disappears from the set and from the "reality" that the film crew has been documenting. After flying back to L.A. to track Christian down, the British crew discover that Christian has chosen to stay in Vegas and is renting a room in the suburbs from veteran chorus boy -- a "showboy" -- Erich Miller. Unaware that his firing has been recorded, Christian decides to fulfill his obligation to the documentary piece. He tells the crew that he is remaining in Las Vegas over the summer to research an "action film" that he is writing. Rather than call Christian on his lie, the director convinces Christian that the research he is "performing" has a lot more to do with his own personal issues and dreams than any film script. From strip-mall dance studios to the stages of Vegas’s top shows, from Siegfried & Roy to Whoopi Goldberg, the crew observes Christian’s bizarrely erratic, passion-fueled journey to become a "showboy." On the way, he encounters a cast of wild and wonderful characters who are the true life and soul of Vegas. At times, we wonder if Christian is having a nervous breakdown. Is fulfilling our dreams always possible, no matter how quixotic? What life crisis would force us to truly change our lives? SHOWBOY boldly asks the question: "What would you do if you were fired from your life?"
"A clever hide-and-seek game of reality versus fiction that reveals itself as not the movie you thought it was when the final credits roll." -- Stephen Holden, NEW YORK TIMES
The movie's website: http://www.showboy-themovie.com/