So often are nostalgia stories reserved solely for the awkward, dweeby dude lusting after the girl of his dreams (think Can’t Hardly Wait). But, constantly being bullied and teased based on your sexual preference? That’s got to be downright unbearable. Yet, Jackpot’s story is one that is rarely told-a comedic tale of a homosexual teen learning to come to terms with his sexuality and how it defines him as a person.
There’s no denying that the “coming-of-age” story is a crowded sub-genre (at Short of the Week we’ve recently featured several). Needless to say, relief isn’t easy to come by (pun not intended, I swear). It’s 1994 and Jack’s 13 year-old hormones are a raging. Well, things are even tougher for Jack Hoffman (*snickers*), the protagonist of Adam Baran’s stellar coming-of-age short, Jackpot. Shannon Tweed made me the man I am today. Remember back in the day-pre-internet-when porn was actually…you know…hard to find? We adolescent boys sure had it rough-staying up late to catch the briefest glimpse of the female form on Skinemax.
