The Velocity of Gary

REVIEW
An intriguing cast can't save this personal urban drama filmed in the tradition of the Andy Warhol/Paul Morrissey collaborations. The story attempts to be a poignant yet hard-edged love fable set among the hustlers, trannies and homeless of New York City. It tells the tale of the strained love triangle between a charismatic bisexual, a male prostitute and a tempestuous Latina. The sultry but annoyingly whinny Hayek stars as Mary Carmen, a hot-tempered beauty desperately in love with Valentino (D’Onofrio), a small-time porn actor with big-time attitude. Things change when Gary (Jane), a sensitive rookie male prostitute, also falls in love with the magnetic, longhaired Valentino. Mary Carmen and Gary take a jealous dislike for each other as they battle for Valentino’s affections. But when Valentino becomes ill with AIDS, the two, in a fight to be his caretaker, are forced to look at themselves less as rivals and more as family. The story tries to be emotionally charged, but the characters never feel real. Let them wallow in their fucked-up sexual situations!