Ricky (Nick May) is 21 years old and is in a strange "houseboy" relationship with two older men, Dominic (Damián Fuentes) and Simon (Tom Merlino) in NYC. Although the two are a committed couple, they have added Ricky to the mix for fun. He is their bed partner or "toy" that they use to convince themselves that their relationship is as solid as it was when they first met 10 years before. As Christmas vacation approaches, the novelty is wearing off and Ricky overhears them discussing how they'll dump him when they return from their vacation. One wants a "new toy" for Christmas. Feigning ignorance, when the couple goes to one of their parents for Christmas, Ricky is left alone to housesit and care for their small menagerie of fish, rabbits, hamsters and feral cats. Ricky sees them off, starts to wallow in his misery, and plans to commit suicide in their home on Christmas Eve, so that they will discover him when they return.
To combat his loneliness, Ricky starts cruising the streets of Queens and uses the internet to line up a series of humiliating and dangerous hookups. One guy arrives and recalls being at the apartment a week earlier with one of Ricky's friends. Another shows up, does the deed, and then begins an attack of verbal abuse. A third guy, clearly a druggie, calls up a few of his friends and turns the apartment into an all-night crystal meth and sex orgy that Ricky observes from the sidelines, getting involved only to comfort one teenager he finds crying in the bathtub. At Ricky's lowest point, he finds himself on his knees in front of a fat middle-aged guy in a kitchen in some forgotten corner of the city.
Salvation comes from sweet Blake (Blake Young), a well-adjusted young gay man Ricky encounters on a park bench. Blake is smart, funny, kind, and not the kind of boy to kiss on the first date. As Ricky continues to work through his loneliness, self-hatred, and estrangement from his family, he finds himself gravitating toward Blake while realizing that his self-destructive behavior isn't going to get him anywhere but dead. College kid Blake is his own age, genuinely friendly and real, but is put off by Ricky's premature push toward intimacy. Ricky begins to realize there is something to live for after all. Blake is everything that he wants in a man, and it isn't long before the one-time boy toy is pondering a new life with someone he can truly love.
This film is a character study of a lost young man looking for love and answers in all the wrong places. It's entertaining, tender, raw, with an aimless story that leaves you wanting to learn what happens with the house boy. Despite some good eye candy, the film is darkly emotional and somewhat depressing at first. But there are some surprises in store. Acting is adequate, the direction a bit sloppy in parts, and this is just an average dramatic gay themed movie that has its moments. There are a couple of scenes that should have been left out: one involving Mr. Santa (Murray Hill) and Mrs. Clause jumping around, and another involving an orgy. The orgy was just exploitative and detracts from the serious subject matter. There is some nudity, graphic drug use, and simulated sex. The DVD includes some outtakes. Spencer Schilly wrote the screenplay and directed.
