The Fluffer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Fluffer

Directed by	Richard Glatzer Wash West
Produced by	Victoria Robinson John Sylla
Written by	Wash West
Starring	Scott Gurney Michael Cunio Roxanne Day Taylor Negron Richard Riehle Deborah Harry
Music by	John Vaughn Micko Westmoreland
Cinematography	Mark Putnam
Editing by	John Binninger
Distributed by	TLA Releasing
Release date(s)	2001
Running time	95 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Fluffer, a 2001 U.S. independent film, is a triangular story of obsessive love set against the backdrop of the adult video industry. The film was written by Wash West and co-directed by West and Richard Glatzer. The Fluffer features cameos from a number of figures in the adult entertainment industry, including Ron Jeremy, director Chi Chi LaRue, Karen Dior, Zach Richards, Derek Cameron, Chad Donovan, Thomas Lloyd, Jim Steel, Chris Green and Cole Tucker.

The Fluffer was an official selection of and premiered in 2001 at the 51st Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Berlin Film Festival). It was also selected for the Toronto International Film Festival that year, where it made its North American debut.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Sean McGinnis is a 22 year old film student who moves to Los Angeles to break into the movie business. While looking for work, he passes the time watching rented videos. He sets out to watch Citizen Kane, but the videotape has accidentally been switched with an adult movie called Citizen Cum. Sean becomes instantly obsessed with the star of Citizen Cum, Johnny Rebel. His interest in Johnny leads Sean to turn down work in the mainstream film industry to become a cameraman for Men of Janus, the production company that has Johnny under exclusive contract. On his first shoot, Sean ends up as a "fluffer" for Johnny, performing (offscreen) oral sex on him to help him maintain an erection and reach orgasm for the "money shot." He learns that Johnny's real name is Mikey, he is "gay for pay" and doesn't perform oral sex on other men or even kiss. Johnny has Sean fluff him on additional productions, and Sean's infatuation continues to grow. He confides his feelings for Johnny to co-worker Silver, who tells him that the relationship is hopeless because Johnny's a porn star and straight. Meanwhile, Johnny's girlfriend Julie, who works as a stripper under stagename Babylon but who has tried to move into mainstream acting, learns she's pregnant and looks to her female manager Marcella for emotional and financial support.

Trying to break from Johnny, Sean meets acupuncture student Brian whom he begins to date. However, Brian breaks up with Sean because of his continuing emotional unavailability, which results from his continuing obsession with Johnny.

Johnny's crystal meth drug use starts to spiral out of control. He goes on a five-day binge and misses a scheduled film shoot. The film's producer Sam Martins forces Sean to fluff Johnny's replacement for the shoot. Johnny shows up late to the set and is fired. Julie decides to get an abortion since she cannot rely on Johnny to help raise a child. She breaks up with Johnny and changes the locks to her apartment.

At the studio an expensive video camera goes missing, and company manager Chad Cox is found dead in his apartment. The police seek Johnny, under his real name Michael Rossini, for questioning. Johnny turns to Sean for help, and together they flee to Mexico. Once in Mexico, Sean sells his car for getaway money. Johnny initially denies involvement in Chad's death but later confesses to Sean that he killed Chad accidentally during a fight over the payoff for stealing the camera for drug money. That night Johnny offers to let Sean service him sexually, but for the first time Sean declines. Sean shares in oblique terms memories of being sexually abused as a child by a grown man neighbor. Johnny starts to cry, saying he can relate because of some of the "fucked up shit" he's been through and that he was made to do things he didn't want to do. Sean comforts Johnny and for the first time calls him "Mikey." They kiss.

When Sean wakes the next morning, Johnny is gone along with all of Sean's money. Sean initially tries to hitchike back to the United States, but ends up accepting an offer to go further south to an idyllic location he had previously suggested he and Johnny visit. Babylon packs up her apartment and drives north away from Los Angeles. Mikey survives in Mexico by committing armed robberies, his new gritty reality counterpointed as Sean reads a fan letter written to the fantasy figure Johnny, who in real life is like an animal on the run with nowhere left to go.

[edit] DVD release

The Fluffer was released on Region 1 DVD on September 20, 2002 (R-rated version) and September 28, 2002 (Unrated Special Edition). The differences between the two versions are minor; the R-rated version has some dialogue overdubbed with less explicit lines and slightly less nudity.