I don't love road trip movies, I'll be honest. Until now. The idea of getting a trashy trailer and sending Max Ryder and Jake Bass, two of the most talented performers of their generation, out into the world with no filters is perfect for these two rapscallions. With Jake Jaxson's expert hands guiding, Max and Jake topped (everyone) my high expectations based on their amazing work in "Project GoGo Boy" and other big budget creations that have made these two superstars work hard for that title. What we get is a lot of dialogue, a lot of time clothed, plenty of sex, but also some surprises and plotting that should be taught in a university somewhere. Everything, every line of dialogue, every twist, every actor cast, is all done with purpose and leads us down a wacky adventurous path that gives Max Ryder and Jake Bass the absolute best roles they can ever play.
Blond and lean Max Ryder tends to come off as a good boy at first, while heavily tattooed Jake Bass is all in-your-face bruiser-wannabe. With the score to "Carmen" playing in the background, the guys explain that they are doing an East Coast road trip after all the work and promotion of "Project GoGo Boy." The brilliant dialogue, whether written or adlibbed, I don't know and don't care, starts immediately. Trying to name the trailer, Max suggests Rihanna. Nope. Molly? The producer behind the camera nixes that one as the boys burst out in laughter, but they end up naming it "Amy -- as in Winehouse," a very clever joke for those listening and paying attention and silly nonsense for everyone else.
We are assured that they are not playing characters, certainly not the ones from "Project GoGo Boy," where they detested each other enough for 12 movies. There's another reason for our blond strumpet Max to leave NYC, namely to get over a recent arrest. "Paying off a loan," he was "bear hugged" by four cops and locked away for 27 hours. Oh, don't worry, no pathos here. Even handcuffed, Max isn't too scared to have his handcuffs removed so he can adjust his hair and then pose for the perfect mugshot. "I think we should put it on T-shirts," he says of what he refers to of "the final product," his favorite pose. The first day's driving consists of getting about 10 feet -- Max can't see in the mirror, he thinks he sees a chipmunk, there is arguing, but it's all still cute.
On Day 2, Jake carps that, "we're on a dirt road." "No, it's not a dirt road, it's just dirty," Max says in correction. The scenery is at least as pretty as the flower tattoo on Jake's neck, but when they stop to take it all in, Jake gets on Grindr, much to Max's annoyance. "I have coverage," Jake notes, even in a remote area. Jake agrees to go Grindr-less, but both boys are horny and hungry. The former is of more interest to them. They set up what every trailer needs: a stripper pole, not that they have the tools or patience to actually install it. At one point, they are willing to mount it sideways to be a "limbo pole."
On Day 3, Jake pretend wakes up from pretend sleep with a quizzical look. He snarls at fake snoring Max, "where is your hand…it's in my ass!" Max tells him to think nothing of it, "we said nothing sexual on this trip ... it was an accident." They bicker and tease, but on we go. Max has to go to IHOP alone because Jake didn't want to go ("probably jacking off," Max tells the cameraman). Max talks of meeting Jake the first time. "It's a love-hate-hate-hate-hate-love kind of relationship ... 70% of the time I want to kill him," he says. "We work better as a team than when we are fighting." Fair enough, that's the whole point of the movie. Although it's Day 3 and no one has bothered to get naked yet!
Less necessary, especially at this point, is a digression where Max talks about the difference between his porn persona and his real life. As in all of these stories, we're told the personal self is more conservative, passionate, loving, kissable, sweet, while the porn version is the opposite. However, talk is cheap, it's the action we want to see.
And so we do. We see the non-Max part of Max with Ashton Webber, though the scene shows both passion and sizzle. Max and the tinted-haired pale-skinned Ashton sit on a bed groping at each other for a while before their cocks come out of their underwear. Max excels at this type of moment: trying to keep himself in check when all he wants to do is pounce. His big blue eyes don't know where to look, but his hand never leaves Ashton's cock. Things finally get hardcore when Ashton starts to suck Max's perfectly straight long dick. He does a nice job of it, using his hand a lot to keep the pace calm, but insistent. Then it's Max's turn. Ashton stands up on the bed in front of him and his gigantic thick hooked cock looks like an impossible fit. Max touches every part of Ashton's body except the piece, though Ashton keeps trying to get his mouth to it. When he does get to the cock, he touches and looks at it, almost studying it, long before finally putting it in his mouth. However he's decided to handle it, it worked, because he gives Ashton a terrific blowjob, able to get down deep on it. The face looks young and innocent as it looks up for approval, but the mouth is all experience. The guys 69, where Max turns on the more "Max" part of his personality, stealing the focus easily. With Max on his back, it's time for Ashton to fuck him. We don't see the insertion, or even a close-up of the action for a while. We see that Ashton is moving quickly and without any push-back. When we do finally see it up close, shot over Ashton's shoulder, it's exactly as it seemed, an expert bottom being merrily rammed by a top who knows his partner will not tire. Ashton sits on Max's cock and this is where the scene explodes with excitement. Thrusting upwards into Ashton, Max is a beast. Ashton has no problem taking it all, so Max goes at him with speed and his whole cock. He then does Ashton missionary, but with double the speed and zest that Ashton displayed in the same position. Ashton cums being nailed and then Max cums on Ashton's face.
Two weeks into the trip, we learn the rules: "no sex in the RV," "no using and abusing," "no cops of any kind," "no stealing [Max's] clothes," "no pooping in the RV and most of all, "no sex with each other." They prefer to remain best friends. The guys fight and need a break, so Jake goes off on a bicycle alone.
It all started a week earlier in Boston, where they worked a nightclub promoting "Project GoGo Boy." They make a "family decision" to ditch the cold and drive "straight through to California." Both boys are bad with maps, but Red Bull is their oxygen. A few days later, they are in balmy Palm Springs. They rent bikes and ride lazily through the lovely town discussing outfits for the upcoming CyberSocket Awards in Los Angeles, where they know they can't just wear anything as they are "not just porn stars."
What do you think leads to their fight? A man! The sexual tension between the guys is palpable and keeping the viewer from it leads to a never-ending desire that is at the heart of the movie. Max accuses Jake of taking every man he likes, Jake doesn't exactly disagree and then the conversation lands on Bel Ami favorite Kevin Warhol. Jake wants him. Max has had him, but only because they filmed together. "He probably doesn't even remember your name," Jake taunts. The probably-fake argument isn't really much of an argument, especially with Max's devilish little smile undermining any possibility of actual anger, but we need to keep the plot moving.
Max goes off for coffee, settling in to relax with the newspaper (no jokes, too easy!), when the manager of the coffee shop, Levi Carter, finds an excuse to talk to nervously approach him (the camera is positioned far away, natch), but it's Jake who asks for Levi's number ... and uses it!
Jake kisses Levi after mere seconds, then the two romp in the park, where Levi is revealed to have a rock-solid body as tasty as his handsome dark looks, and they make out under a giant Marilyn Monroe statue. But, as fun as the day is, Jake knows he'll have to go back home. Big-lipped Levi reminds him there are ways to communicate, but Jake does everything to discourage his attachment. He does bring Levi to the RV to meet Levi, who puts him through a series of questions, mockingly saying that if he doesn't like the answers, "you can't have Jake," which cracks them up.
Q&A time over, Jake and Levi head to a Jacuzzi. Max arrives at exactly the wrong moment. A title card tells us "due to misconduct, Max was escorted back to the RV for the night" so Jake and Levi pick up where they left off, heavily kissing. Slowly, Jake nibbles his way down to Levi's cock, but then deep-throats it with fury. Jake, truly one of my favorite performers, is so because of his ability to provide any scene with immediate electricity. His peppy sucking is sublime, but he's cocky too, and he wants to be adored. Levi is happy to oblige, licking around Jake's body as well before deep-throating Jake with an unstoppable mouth. The kid with the heartbeat tattoo over his heart is giving the star an actual co-star here, unlike Max's scene with Ashton, where Ashton was purposely kept as a supporting player. Jake has Levi bent over and the way Jake regards Levi's ass shows there is a lot of animal yet to come out and play. He stuffs his face between Levi's puffy asscheeks and rims eagerly and dramatically. It takes a great performer (and a great ass) to make a rimming sequence work this well in the dark! We're outside with only the light from the small pool, so we can't get close up to what he's doing. Jake overcomes that problem by being so excitable. Jake takes Levi inside a motel room and turns on the camera to film the rest (along with the other few cameras that we'll pretend aren't there). Levi sits on Jake's chest and forces his cock deep into Jake's mouth, not that Jake minds, and then it's back to the rimming. Now we can see more of it, and Jake all but disappears between those cheeks, that's how ardent he is in turning in an exquisite ass munch. Jake then wets two fingers and opens up Levi's ass. Levi seems nervous, but never lets it overwhelm him. That's Jake's job! The first insertion is brilliantly handled, playing with light, position, tricks of the camera and the eye, and then Jake becomes full Jake, centering his desire in his cock and making his bottom want it badly. The positions and the pacing are never static. That would let the bottom get too comfortable. Jake has found a hole that welcomes his cock and he plows the hell out of it. There is a section where they stop so Levi can suck Jake back to a full erection (and Jake can play with the camera), where Jake seems almost impatient. He's enjoying it, but he wants to be fucking again. Levi soon sits down on Jake's cock and the twinkle returns to Jake's eyes. It helps that Levi is great bouncing up and down, but Jake soon flips his backwards to he can retake control, lock his hands on Levi's neck and chest and fuck hard until Levi cums all over his sixpack. Jake bums in Levi's mouth.
The road is calling and Jake and Levi have to part. With some sweet kisses, Levi promises to keep in touch, but it's Jake who seems the sadder to leave.
The third section of the movie finds the boys in Los Angeles, in a palatial hotel room. Fuck the RV, it's time for some posh enjoyment. We follow them around the CyberSocket Awards, with cameos from industry favorites like Sister Roma and mr. Pam. They do go home with an award for the yoga scene from "Project GoGo Boy," which technically isn't theirs, but in the morning, they charmingly discuss how nervous they were to be there, to meet the bloggers in person (though they get in some cheeky digs), and then it gets tender for a moment as Max thanks Jake for being his rock through it all. They then tour Hollywood, where Jake gets very graphic on Hugh Jackman's handprints (now THAT would be a scene!).
The next night is Cocktails With the Stars at Mickey's in West Hollywood. Host Scotty B makes sure to address their sexual attention and then our stars target some boys they want. Max cozies up to J.D. Phoenix, a wise choice, and French Canadian Jake woos brunet Aiden Summers with some French. They drink everything in sight, including Pepto-Bismol, before the quarter leaves to party. It helps that "Daddy gave us this for emergencies," Jake says, referring to a credit card.
The whole movie has so far made sure we will not be seeing sex between the leads. But, what happens when four drunk guys have an orgy in a gorgeous hotel room? We find out. The sex starts with Aiden blowing Max and Jake ramming his face into J.D.'s ass. The tall blond J.D. definitely loves Jake's heated tongue action, while Max receives a quieter and less urgent blowjob from Aiden. The heaving excess of Jake's rimjob a few feet away from the sweet reception Max gives Aiden's mouth should not actually work well together, but they do! The couples aren't paying attention to each other, they are focused on what they want. Jake wants his face so far up J.D.'s ass it's liable to get stuck, and Max is in a less active mood, licking his own body as Aiden sucks his cock. Essentially, there are two separate scenes, they just happen to be taking place in the same room. That's not to say that Max can't turn up the head and push Aiden's head to give a feistier blowjob. J.D.'s giant dick is forever a treasure and Jake knows it as he sucks on it, rarely letting it out of his mouth, and only then to steal a breath. J.D. gets a chance to gobble on Jake's dick in the tub, having no problem even when Jake face fucks him. J.D. notes how big Jake's cock is, the perfect cue to turn around and let Jake fuck the hell out of him, his butt tightly contained in blue jockstrap. J.D. is a performer who can compete with the stars, and this fuck turns out to be the best of the movie. Not only does Jake nail J.D. with everything he has, but J.D. is no passive bottom. He pushes himself backward with the same energy Jake is using going forward. It's during this seismic fuck that we see Max and Aiden again. Aiden is now rimming Max, but in the same no-rush style, with the sounds of Jake and J.D. providing a soundtrack. There are times Jake looks over to Max and Aiden while blasting J.D., and at one point even moves J.D. to a new position where ignoring the other two is impossible. But, the surprise is that Jake and J.D. have been fucking for what seems like hours like alley cats, but it's Max who cums first, working out an impressive spray on Aiden's face. You can be sure Jake and J.D. see that! Jake doesn't pull out to cum until Aiden is happily licking every drop down. Jake has a cum blast that coats J.D.'s entire back, all the way up to his neck. Aiden and J.D. who? As soon as Jake cums, he jumps onto the bed and Max sweetly wraps a pal's arm around him.
That's not fair to our guest stars, so a cute way is found to make them finish too. Daylight comes, there are empty glasses all over the room, and Aiden is riding J.D.'s cock with loud braying sounds. J.D. is slamming up into him with aggressive deep grunts. Where the hell are these two getting their energy after a night of all-out lust? J.D. spits into Aiden's ass and then fucks him from behind and then they go at it with Aiden's legs in the air so both can finish. It's the only sex scene in "Road Strip" where Max and Jake are not featured, which is an awfully daunting task. J.D. is the stronger of the two, but together they prove they belong with the big boys.
J.D. and Aiden have long disappeared by time Max and Jake stumble into the living room. "My ass is killing me," Max complains, but they don't even know where they are, let alone why they hurt. On Jake's phone is a picture of a beer bottle in Max's ass! There are more pictures of the evening and a message from Aiden and J.D. saying goodbye.
Of the four "Road Strip" segments, this one is my favorite because it's the most creative. The first two scenes found easy ways to work in the sex, which we knew would be fantastic. The plot does not allow for Max and Jake to fuck each other, but we can't keep alternating a Max scene and a Jake scene. That would have been repetitive. But Jake Jaxson found a way through an orgy concept, but not actually an orgy, simply two sex scenes near each other. The tease and crackle of sexual tension is at an all time high and you can make a case for Jake's extra-bountiful fucking of J.D. due to either pretending it's Max or because he's there with Max. Or, you can say, "who cares" and just watch awesome sex.
The final episode starts where the final episode of all reality TV starts (and no matter what else it is, "Road Strips" is a wicked spoof of the genre, just as "Project GoGo Boy" was): the growing, learning and changing. You can't help but laugh as a serious Max, under the hood of the car, says, "I know how to parallel park, I know how to vertical park and I can take a mountain at 65 easily." He then adds, "like any trip, you come out a different person than when you started." To add to the purposeful lunacy, we head to the desert, to Joshua Tree, with the mountains and the stark vegetation and the tribal chanting underneath it all. "I'm really gonna miss you, you know," Jake says, "it feels like we've been together for two years." It's a touching bonding moment set in nature. "I love you," Jake says and the familiar record scratch sound sends us into a flashback.
The day before, the boys are in the RV and Max is reminiscing about his "model exchange" with Bel Ami and how he found "the love of my life" in Kevin Warhol. As clips from a scorching Bel Ami three way involving Kevin and Max are shown, Jake says that the only reason Kevin doesn't have a boyfriend is "because he hasn't met me yet." Indignant Max boats he did two scenes with him. "Oh, wow, you slept with him for money. I feel so good about that, I feel so good," Jake taunts. The argument is very funny because it's so stupid. They both want their idol Kevin, and though Max has had him, it wasn't personal.
Back in the present, Max and Jake look for a specific cactus that will have a hallucinogenic effect on them. Try not laughing as they sit on the rocks waiting for the effect. It hits Max first, or maybe it's the viewer, because Max dives into a music video, one aping Michael Jackson and even the ballet, among other targets. When the cactus hits Jake, he too finds himself twitching in the music video, but he's wearing heels on the steps to NYC's High Line. Am I making this up? I'm good, not that good. This is all director/writer Jake Jaxson and his game superstars.
Jake suggests they sleep outside, and though Max isn't sold on it, he agrees. They both toss and turn dreaming of Kevin Warhol. Those unfamiliar with Kevin Warhol…rectify that! Kevin Warhol, a blond with a huge tattoo on his neck (at a studio where tattoos anywhere have not been in vogue), is a sexual dynamo of epic talent. In my humble opinion, I think he's easily among the top five best performers in the Bal Ami catalogue. In the dream, Kevin is there to witness a fight between Jake and Max, which soon turns into a fight for him, a naked fight.
Max and Jake literally pull Kevin off each other, angrily working to steal his focus. It's Kevin who finds the solution to making this happen. He pushes the boys down on the sofa, one hand on each cock, his mouth going back and forth. If there is anyone tailor made to handle a threeway where two of the performers are not even supposed to touch, it's Kevin Warhol. Max and Jake continue their fight for dominance, now pulling Kevin's face from cock to cock. No problem for Kevin, a vintage scene stealer under ordinary circumstances, he runs with the theme and overwhelms Max and Jake with sheer talent. If you are going to schelp the kid from Eastern Europe (or send the boys there), you have to make it count! Kevin rolls the boys in half and flaps his tongue around their ass holes. One misses Jake's sheer rimming delight here, as Kevin is more flash than focus when it comes to eating ass. Ah, but how are we going to handle getting Kevin's mighty dick sucked? It starts off well, as one sucks Kevin while the other kisses them, a finger from Kevin playing around both of their holes, but soon Max and Jake are actively sharing Kevin's dick, their mouths as close as two can be and finally, after the whole road trip, now and then pulling off Kevin to steal a kiss just between them. The scene is directed and shot with such precision and such attention to minute detail that Kevin almost disappears. Kevin Warhol as a plot device? A stunt dick? Say it ain't so! It is, but for the best reasons possible. Utter perfection comes after a pause when they hit a threeway kissing moment. But, that's not it. Kevin fucks Max while Jake blows the bottom. Kevin's jaunty style and constant cooing is absolutely necessary, but the story leads one to focus more on the blowjob. Luckily, tight filming means both can be shown in extreme close up and everyone wins. Max cums on Jake's cheek and they kiss the cum back and forth, saving some for Kevin. They are certainly not finished! Kevin unleashes his cock on Jake now, pinning Jake's arms behind his back and fucking him heartily while Max takes on the sucking chores. It doesn't last long, but that doesn't matter. The purpose of the scene is to get the stars together, so it's the cascade of cum with which Jake coats Max that is more important than the hounding in the rear from Kevin (even if seeing Jake getting fucked is a rare treat). Kevin cums for both Max and Jake, something they can share together.
Come on, how fucking cool is that? Not only does Jaxson find a way to do exactly what we've been told umpteen times will never happen, after one very close red herring already incredibly clever, but now we have a second and it uses Kevin Fucking Warhol in a dream sequence!
When they wake up, they realize they have had the same dream. This is where they know they have to finish the journey, but don't want to. As they get in the RV, Jake begs Max to make one stop. He agrees, and it's back to Palm Springs where Jake grabs Levi and insists he join. Levi agrees, why wouldn't he? Could anyone have a life they wouldn't trade for a road trip with Max and Jake?
I started off wondering where a road trip idea with two outrageous porn pups would lead and I finished with a movie I can say with confidence will remain among my all-time favorites.
Fans of the boys have already fallen in love with them, so this is a dream come true, and for those who haven't yet discovered the bounties of Max and Jake, I can't think of a better way to find them. Will those who don't care about plots and dialogue have any reason to watch the movie? Oh, yeah! There's still Levi Carter and J.D. Phoenix and Kevin Fucking Warhol! The sex itself is aces, noooo problems there.
Blu-Ray + DVD features (3-disc set): Chapters; widescreen; behind-the-scenes footage; trailers ("Project GoGo Boy," "Max and Jake's Road Strippers," "Answered Prayers" and "Max Ryder's Cribs"); the full "Project GoGo Boy" film; and no regional coding (playable worldwide).
A DVD Review by Brent Blue ( http://ManNet.com )
*** Highly, Highly Recommended ***