Non-Porn Of The Moment: “The Boys’ & Girls’ Guide To Getting Down”

We don't watch porn all the time. Sometimes we watch movies that make us think, "She should be in porn." Such was the case with "The Boys & Girls Guide To Getting Down", sort of a travelogue about several blocks in Los Angeles and the substance-fueled meowry that dwell therein ... as well as a helpful primer on getting them naked and making your escape after doing so.

A 2006 indie film now available on Netflix, the "Guide" has "labor of love" written all over it. As we watch Young Hollywood unfolding itself on screen, we can taste the SAG waivers, demo reels, and honest appreciation of craft services behind the performances.

The movie is like a hybrid of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (the BBC version) and "Swingers" in its humor and very occasional poignance. Sometimes we feel a little sorry for the characters as they struggle to hook up, but then we remember that they're like, 23, and we revert to our baseline schadenfraude again.

Unlike "Swingers" in its lack of a traditional narrative, the "Guide" nevertheless tells a story about what it is like to be alive and of a certain age in Los Angeles that is accurate, even if some of the situations are ridiculous. It's like a postcard book of titty bumps and coyotes in the Cahuenga Corridor.

· Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (boysandgirlsguide.com)

Previously: Porn Of The Moment Archive