Review: Tiger Orange
Tiger Orange is a launchpad for pornstar-cum-actor Johnny Hazzard, but offers much more than that
If Tiger Orange accomplishes anything, it’s in answering one important question: Is there life after porn? For Johnny Hazzard, here under his real name, Frankie Valenti, the answer is an assured “yes.”
Valenti undoubtedly will draw people to the film, eager to see if his charisma with his clothes off can translate into work on the silver screen. In fact, Valenti is one of Tiger Orange‘s strongest aspects.
The story follows two openly gay brothers. Todd (Valenti) moves back home to live with Chet (Mark Strano, the film’s co-author) after his life in L.A. falls apart, and proceeds to disrupt his brother’s life. Chet has mastered the art of closeted living, blending into his rural community, running his deceased father’s hardware store, and existing alone. Todd is the opposite: outspoken, unashamed of his sexuality, but in a similarly empty state of existence to Chet, his life a series of sexual encounters and unfulfilling jobs.
The film’s conceit is the bubbling tension between the pair. Chet, jealous that Todd was able to overcome their oppressive father and live openly, loathes his brother’s looks and lack of responsibility. Todd is angry that his brother has shut off his sexuality, but resents that his inability to do so cost him time with his father that Chet enjoyed. When the two finally explode at one another, after Todd threatens Chet’s budding relationship with a former high school fling (Gregory Marcel), it’s tense, dramatic, wonderfully staged.
The rest of the film doesn’t always maintain the same standard. As a freshman effort from director and co-writer Wade Gasque, there are obvious signs of a lack of experience. Rough edges exist, but they don’t mar the overall experience, and a higher budget and tighter editing would likely have solved most of them.
It’s the performances you’ll remember after the credits roll. Valenti shines, striking a balance between asshole, rogue and passionate dreamer. With further experience and refinement, he could forge a career as a serious actor. Strano almost disappears under Valenti’s charisma, forced into a sad pout for much of the film — but it pays dividends when his character is finally allowed to let rip and open up his emotions. There’s a wide range of supporting characters, all of whom convey the folksy, small town ethos the film seeks to convey.
Though it can occasionally feel a little paint-by-numbers in its construction, Tiger Orange overcomes its familiar plot devices, offering two strong central performances and an intriguing contrast between its main characters. For Valenti, it’s proof there’s life after porn — and it’s a good life indeed.
Tiger Orange (
) plays Friday, April 17, at 7 and 9:15 p.m. at the HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Valenti will make a brief appearance after the 7 p.m. showing. For more information, visit reelaffirmations.org.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.