Going Down in LA-LA Land

It's...familiar plotting and by-the-numbers characterization that sinks this earnest, gay-contoured take on the evergreen making-it-big melodrama.

A young acting hopeful finds that things are tough in Tinseltown in this not exactly revelatory gay-themed drama.

"Going Down" falls well short of compelling, either as a coming-of-age film, a satire or a romance.

The film can feel both refreshingly honest and embarrassingly Lifetime movie-like.

A lo-fi feature blend of True West Hollywood Story and a gay fairy tale.

A creditable if familiar portrait of one aspiring-actor newbie's disillusioning wade into the rough waters of Hollywood.

Going Down in La-La Land was a surprisingly entertaining film, a pretty solid indie.

Going Down doesn't stray far from the Hollywood Cautionary Tale formula - but credit for making a downward spiral feel as gritty as a mid-afternoon trip to Pinkberry.

A young Hollywood hopeful resorts to porn, and his lowered expectations match yours as you trudge through this latest gay--but really grim--offering by tireless auteur Casper Andreas.