Mr. Smith Gets A Hustler

The title might suggest a tawdry variation on a Frank Capra theme, but Ian McCrudden's adaptation of Matt Swan's stage play is actually a downbeat tale of broken hearts and homes. At four o'clock on a sunny afternoon, a middle-aged suburban businessman (Larry Pine) leaves his family and heads for a bar on the far edge of New York City's West Village, where he does something that might surprise his wife: He picks up an 18-year-old male prostitute (Alex Feldman). The boy's name is Bobby, but he goes by Bobby Blue; the businessman introduces himself as "Mr. Smith." After they retire to Mr. Smith's midtown hotel room, Mr. Smith pays Bobby $600 just to chat about his life...