The tale of 4 gay African-American friends in L.A: shy, virginal photographer Marcus, outgoing Lothario Hill, hot-to-trot rich kid newbie Dante, and fabulous drag diva Crystal.The tale of 4 gay African-American friends in L.A: shy, virginal photographer Marcus, outgoing Lothario Hill, hot-to-trot rich kid newbie Dante, and fabulous drag diva Crystal.The tale of 4 gay African-American friends in L.A: shy, virginal photographer Marcus, outgoing Lothario Hill, hot-to-trot rich kid newbie Dante, and fabulous drag diva Crystal.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 2 nominations total
King Mustafa Obafemi
- Hill
- (uncredited)
Andre Johnson
- Chris' Boyfriend
- (as Andre McClain)
Phillip Rhys Chaudhary
- Rodney
- (as Phillip Rhys)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Featured reviews
A Pleasant Surprise
When this movie began I didn't think I was going to like it at all. It seemed to be the same old tired and true gay story with all the exaggerated stereotypes. However, as I continued to watch, giving the movie a try, I found a pretty good, moving film. I identified with the main character in so many ways. I thought the acting was good too. I really felt the chemistry between the characters, emotionally as well as sexually. Kudos to the actors, producers, directors, etc for creating a decent movie about the life of black, gay men.
I do have one complaint. I was disappointed with the climax. It was like a two yard dash. It was like, boom, bam, that's all folks.
On another hand I must say that the Charlie's Angels reference in this movie made me laugh out loud for a long time. Good one.
I do have one complaint. I was disappointed with the climax. It was like a two yard dash. It was like, boom, bam, that's all folks.
On another hand I must say that the Charlie's Angels reference in this movie made me laugh out loud for a long time. Good one.
Great film with an interesting cast; sexy and fun!
This film taken in its proper context, low budget and Patrik-Ian Polk's first film, is an extremely fun and realistic look at a segment of the population that continually gets neglected by the media (film, television, etc). The humor is specific which might make this movie hard to catch for some. I saw it in Los Angeles and the audience laughed out loud the entire time, a definite crowd pleaser. A classic fairy-tale story with a to-die-for ending, possibility the fantasy for just about anyone breathing. The movie explores complex issues, placed in a comedic context. The costumes for the "Sistas": fabulous. Rockmond Dunbar: flawless. Seth Gilliam: fantastic. Everyone should see the movie for the pure experience. Did I mention, Rockmond Dunbar?
Wonderful :)
Patrick, many, many kudos to you for a wonderful piece of work. The screenplay as well as the performance of the cast was great! The story was a real adaptation of much of Black gay life in most major cities. I'm sure many of us have a close inner circle of friends that could easily be any of the four main characters in the story (me personally, I'm Marcus-smile). I also liked the fact that each of the characters had their own separate identities, without one having to stand out as more tragic than the others. Each character was able to eventually recognize, and successfully deal with his own drama, resulting in a positive outcome for all. This movie also illustrated that true friendship is rare, whereas "lovers" will come and go. I think that's a point that many people in this lifestyle overlook. We sometimes get so wrapped up in searching for love, that we sometimes sacrifice the love of our friends for a few moments of temporary happiness.
Overall, I look forward to the nationwide release of Punks, as well as it's video release-I'm definitely buying this one.
Overall, I look forward to the nationwide release of Punks, as well as it's video release-I'm definitely buying this one.
nice change of pace
It's good to see a film depicting non-white gay men in believable situations and of various types from drag queen to masculine, and with them not being objects of derision for the other characters or the audience. Very funny and well-made.
What I thought about Punks (2000)
Hey folks, I saw the film here in Chicago and was more than pleased. But I went into this wanting to like it...and I did. There was only one problem I had with the film and that was that I didn't really appreciate how the Black guys seemed overly interested in chasing white men. That was my only BIG problem. Other than that I was quite pleased. It was really intriguing to see a movie with all the leads being of color, and they were gay on top of that. I kinda felt like I was a fly on the wall looking at all of this. I'm can't hate on the fact that the direction was off (I wasn't affected by it). I'm sure the script could have been punched up a bit, but you gotta start somewhere. I'm glad this brother got his chance to show his stuff. It was very intertaining to me and seemingly to all the other folk in the auditorium (the film even broke while showing, I still enjoyed it), so that can only be seen as a possible opportunity for some other (or maybe even that tall skinny black boy again) aspiring artist to get a chance. I say go see it and go with a good attitude. Don't worry about whether or not the scene was in total focus or not. Take it as a slice of black gay (even if they spent waaaay to much time chasing white boys) life. GO SEE IT, AND HAVE FUN!!!!
Did you know
- TriviaThis movie was the subject of a September 4, 2019, segment on the National Public Radio podcast "Code Switch," titled "Searching For Punks." The segment was provoked first by the fact that the film is now very difficult to find in any format or on any streaming service. The reporters interviewed the writer and director Patrik-Ian Polk, who said that despite the movie's success on the film festival circuit, because of the taboo nature of the gay black subject matter, only one very small company offered to distribute the movie. That company failed to purchase the rights to any of the music heard in the film. Consequently, the movie never received a real distribution.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema (2006)
- How long is Punks?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $160,083
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $14,250
- Nov 4, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $160,083
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