Poster Boy (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:19
Fresh:5
Rotten:14
Average Rating:4.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Television
Synopsis: This seething political drama stars Matt Newton as Henry, the closeted homosexual son of a rabidly right wing senator (Michael Lerner, who is terrifying). Known in liberal circles as "the Nazi from... [More]
Starring: Matt Newton, Karen Allen, Michael Lerner, Jack Noseworthy
Director: Zak Tucker
Reviews for Poster Boy
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Click to read the article Full Review |
|||
 3/5 |
Click to read the article Full Review |
||
 2/5 |
We all sat around in college having the sort of angry liberal rap sessions that this film painstakingly recreates. We don't have to relive them now. Full Review |
||
|
3/5 |
Offers an affirmation that conservatives are not ready to cast that proverbial first stone. Full Review |
||
|
Click to read the article Full Review |
|||
|
2/4 |
The people do not reduce to issues, but we know they will hit their issues marks reliably. Full Review |
||
|
2/4 |
While the movie's discussion points certainly rank on par with those political thrillers, there's not enough substance for the movie to succeed on its own merits, a point underscored by posters selling the movie on Newton's perfectly airbrushed chest. Full Review |
||
|
2/5 |
A polemic masquerading as a movie, Poster Boy unspools like a humorless lecture on right-wing homophobia.
|
||
|
|
Although audiences will admire the film's do-it-yourself energy and commitment, Poster Boy finally collapses of its own contrived weight, deflating just when it should soar into madcap -- or at least thoughtful -- satire. Full Review |
||
|
1.5/4 |
An overwrought story of American politics and image-making that really only gets interesting in the final act. Full Review |
||
|
2.5/4 |
The film touches on a number of hot-button issues, including homophobia, the ethics of outing, and the intersection of public and private lives, but it suffers from an excess of subplots. Full Review |
||
|
2/4 |
Some clunky writing and a distracting subplot limit the effectiveness of this ambitious low-budget indie. Full Review |
||
|
1/4 |
Poster Boy is a muddled coming-out movie that, for no good reason, unfolds flashback style as Henry tells his story to a sleazy newspaper reporter. Full Review |
||
|
1.5/4 |
Tucker's heart is in the right place. His work, however, isn't: Lectures belong in school, not in the movie theater. Full Review |
||
|
2.5/5 |
Even with satisfying performances from the principal actors, Poster Boy is longer on energy than focus. Full Review |
||
|
|
Director Zak Tucker is a bit too fond of jump cuts as signifiers of edginess. Still, when the material doesn't get in the way he's pretty good at getting across the emotional content. Full Review |
||
|
|
Coming during a period in which the collision of politics and gay rights has created perhaps unprecedented sparks, Poster Boy is a flawed but absorbing drama. Full Review |
||
|
|
The tale is unnecessarily fractured and becomes increasingly didactic as it collapses into a mess of shrill big-screen activism and smugly relayed leftist ideals. Full Review |
||
|
1.5/4 |
Screenwriters Ryan Shiraki and Lecia Rosenthal exploit red state/blue state tensions, scripting an act-up soap opera that unintelligently panders to pro-gay sentiment. Full Review |
||
|
5/10 |
Aside from topicality and good intentions, the film is reasonably engaging and well acted. But it's also more than a little bit overwrought. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Poster Boy
August 09, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds