You ever have a friend, when you were younger, who stayed "that way" for far too long? Maybe someone you knew in high school and well into your 20's, who hadn't quite got it yet? A situation that could lead to two friends having very different interests and priorities to the point that it could get annoying. This might be especially true if one is trying their best to be the opposite. Even if one still cares, one could find themselves drifting away. Or maybe you're on the other side of the fence. Don't feel bad, it happens. Not usually as extreme of a case as in this 2000 indie flick I'm about to brighten your day with. Yeah, maybe hearing about this will make you feel better. Or if you are, in fact, the mature one, just consider yourself lucky you're not dealing with what Chuck is dealing with.

He goes by Charlie, nowadays, but as a kid, he was Chuck. Chuck once had a friend named Buck. At 11, Chuck and Buck were not only best friends, they were also very much attached at the hip. I suppose neither one had other friends, which is probably unhealthy for kids of any age. However, like most friendships at that age, it only lasted a year or two. Eventually, Chuck's family moved away and he went on to make new friends and meet girls, and all the normal things that come with Junior High/High School, eventually leading to college. And yeah. You get the idea. Chuck is normal.

Buck, on the other hand, never made any more friends. He went through the motions of school, but for some reason, this friendship with Chuck was very much the peak of Buck's entire existence. A time in his life that he not only never forgot, but hung on to tightly. So tightly, Buck never really bothered growing up. Mentally, Buck is still 11. At the age of 27, all this guy wants to do is play, daydream and suck on blow pops all day. One day, Buck's mother, a long-time smoker, literally coughs herself to death. And just like that, Buck is now alone in the world. I'm sure Buck is saddened by this, but seemingly, the first conclusion he comes to is that this might be a good opportunity to reconnect with Chuck.

After 15 plus years apart, Buck gets in touch with Chuck and convinces him to come to the funeral. Though shocked to hear this voice from the past, Chuck has no problem being polite, so, he and his girlfriend attend the funeral because, what is he going to say, "no"? Of course the couple attend, and as you could guess, it's a very awkward reunion. Buck probably didn't think his old friend would be bringing a girl, but he manages to hold it together. Buck doesn't quite know what to say to her, or what to make of her, for that matter, but he sure is happy to see his "best friend" again. There is some vague talk of Buck coming out to L.A. for a visit some time but Chuck is probably just being polite. After Buck tries to play some "grab ass", Chuck takes his girlfriend and gets the hell out of there and away from the awkwardness that you could honestly cut with a knife. But hey! Chuck may have gotten cross with Buck, but he never said "and you can forget about ever visiting, now". No, in Buck's mind, this little visit is still a thing.

Maybe one thing I should have already pointed out: Chuck used to fuck Buck in the mouth from time to time, and as you can guess, Buck really dug it and yearns for more. Yeah, ok. I guess some kids experiment at weird ages, but these mouth fuckings seem to have way too much to do with how Buck has ended up. It's not all this is, mind you. Buck really misses his friend, yet, at the same time, he also misses the taste of Chuck's cum, and aims to choke down more of it once he gets to L.A. And once he reaches his destination, Buck is in for a surprise. Charlie (FKA Chuck) is a successful record executive, and spends most of his time at the office doing boring grown up stuff. Buck doesn't know how to approach him at first, so, he stalks the office building all day, every day, waiting for Chuck to come out so he can get a glimpse. One night, Buck is feeling ballsy and approaches Chuck and the girlfriend after following them somewhere. Buck gets himself invited over to the house for ice cream, but of course, has other things in mind.

After the girlfriend goes to bed, and after a little awkward conversation, Buck quickly gets himself thrown out for suggesting a little oral fun. Chuck is not interested. Chuck is weirded out enough by the fact that this guy is such a man child. Not to mention how fixated he is on this dead friendship, and how bad he is at hiding it. You can imagine Chuck's outrage. So, what does Buck do, you ask? Well, soon thereafter, Buck spends all his inheritance on producing a play. Not just any play. A fantasy-inspired story about a couple of kids who eventually grew apart due to some spell put on one of them by a witch. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but Chuck's girlfriend is supposed to be the witch, I guess. And with just a pinch of gay shit thrown in, Buck believes all will be well as long as he can talk Chuck into coming down and checking out his play. Easier said than done, but this is all Buck has. This one, final attempt at getting Chuck to snap out of whatever he is going through and get him back to normal. In Buck's mind, this is the answer. Meanwhile, Chuck has to change his number due to Buck calling every few minutes and hanging up. You don't have to be one who gets fucked in the mouth to realize that this is no way to get fucked in the mouth.

Lead actors, Mike White and Chris Weitz play their roles exceptionally well, however I'm not convinced this story was told as clearly as it should have been. We're never let in on exactly how Buck ended up like he did. To be stuck in your late teens for too long happens, but everything stops for this dude at 11 because his friend fucked him in the mouth and then moved away? He actually went through high school and remained that way? One could say that's a little "hard to swallow"... Sorry, couldn't resist. But seriously. If Buck's mom kept him inside for all those years and home schooled him, OK, but you don't go through high school without dealing with some shit that changes you a little. Plus, there's that whole puberty thing that should have probably made more of an impact. Oh, well. Don't let common sense get in the way of a fucked up story.

This is one cringy, and might I add, random little story that most people probably wouldn't know what to make of. Cringy because, like I said above, you could cut the awkwardness with a knife, at times. To be that age and to also be THAT age in the head. Having to avoid interactions with adults best you can because you know your empty little head offers you nothing of worth to say back to them. All the while, trying desperately to get close to the only person you know because it's the only way you can feel normal and happy. All of this as well as a whole lot of sexual confusion clouding your judgment. And on top of all that, this person looks at you like you're a fucking Alien when you offer to blow them.

While Buck is the one who gets stalky, it still might be a bit unfair to call Chuck "the normal one", while dismissing his admirer as "abnormal". On the surface, sure, Chuck is normal. However, not without his own dysfunctional ways. As vaguely mentioned by the girlfriend, Chuck does have closeness issues and isn't great at communicating. Chuck keeps things bottled in and buried, never to be dealt with. To be so fixated on someone like that is extra unhealthy for someone like Buck, who is in desperate need of some counciling. This thing, whatever it is, was obviously never going to go in Buck's favor, but Chuck being who he is, it was all the more hurtful. Perhaps there's a lesson in all this. Don't live in the past? No means no? Plays are for fags? Yeah, I think that's the one! 7/10