Star Maps

Odd, brave, if not completely successful drama.

A Mexican father in Los Angeles forces his son, who wants to be an actor, into prostitution.

The story details his misadventures in Hollywood in both the sexual and movie making arenas, as well as the completely dysfunctional family that surrounds him.

Much like Arteta's later films, there's a surreal humor under it all, and a genuine weirdness at how matter of fact its all treated. Good use of music as well.

The acting could have been better, which would have elevated it considerably. But it still is a unique, and strangely entertaining look at a warped and dysfunctional world.

Carlos is a young man with dreams of becoming an actor in Hollywood. However to get money and fill time until he hits it big, Carlos gets drawn back into his father's business which involves lots of young men selling maps to the homes of the stars – or rather using this as a front for acting as male prostitutes. When one of his clients offers him a bit part in her television show, Carlos takes the chance for a few lines to start him off. His father naturally objects and warns him that only him and his prostitution racket are what Carlos will ever have, but Carlos continues with his dream.

Despite having lots of things that it could focus on and therefore quite a bit of potential this film turns out to be rather a messy and unfocused affair that does enough to keep you watching without ever doing enough to grip or truly engage. It does this by simply keeping moving but for my money that was not enough; I wasn't really convinced by the world I was being shown – neither the gigolo world or the opportunities that Carlos got as a result of it. The two didn't sit well together and I didn't think Carlos suited either of them as a character either. Failing to convince me or engage me meant that I never got into the characters or their stories so, no matter what happens in the film, I honestly never cared for any of them enough to stick with it.

The cast try hard but most of them are just left trying without the material to work with. Spain was surprisingly good but his character was unconvincing and there was only so much he could do with it by himself. Figueroa is larger than life but again the material doesn't allow him to be a person. The support cast all have the same problems, all of them are trying hard but the material allows the audience to remain apathetic about them and their fate and their performances are diminished as a result.

Overall this is an interesting enough film but it tries to do too much and succeeds in none of them. The main failure is that it is never convincing enough to engage and, although it never drags, it is certainly difficult to care about all the things that are happening. Distracting then, but certainly not a "good" movie.

"Star Maps" appears to be a sincere dramatic product which simply spreads itself too thin. The film attempts to focus on the problems, unusual in both quantity and character, which beset a Mexican family in Los Angeles. However, it spreads itself to thin, lacks purpose, plays out uneven, is occasionally hard to swallow, and when it runs out of time it just quits. Overall the film has its moments but they're too few and too far between. A somewhat gritty drama with strong sexual content, "Star Maps" just doesn't measure up. Most likely to be appreciated by indie lovers and Mex-Am audiences. (C-)

I saw this movie and really liked it! The acting was excellent and the characters were very well developed. Even the smaller parts were notable, especially the part of the Bel Aire Man played by Bill Gordon. I recommend this movie to all art movie fans.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Star Maps." I found it to be a very unique and original film that was totally unpredictable, something which you don't see too often in today's films (I'm still trying to figure out what was up with Carlos' brother). I think anyone who has ever dreamed of coming to Hollywood to become a movie star or who has a crazy family they want to get away from, will relate to the character of Carlos and what he is striving for. Good acting from all.