Critical Response
Critical reaction to Luster was sharply divided. TV Guide, while calling the film "refreshing" for its presentation of "even slightly edgy images of gay life that have nothing to do with Will & Grace or Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" nonetheless criticized the film for being "overloaded with too many extraneous characters" and for the Billy/Sonny subplot, calling it "more disturbing than warranted." The New York Times dismissed the film as "relentlessly bright and superficial, even when the subject turns to self-destruction. It's as if the filmmaker, along with most of his characters, had taken too many self-esteem seminars at the local Learning Exchange." The Hollywood Reporter concurred, calling Luster "oughly made and unevenly acted" with little in the way of storyline. "The lack of a meaningful story would be easier to take if the dialogue was wittier or the characterizations were deeper, but the proceedings are instead surprisingly bland considering the outrageousness of many of the situations."
Conversely, the Los Angeles Times said that Luster "lives up to its title as a fresh, bittersweet look at the pursuit of love..." populated by "attractive, appealing people." The reviewer further states Luster has a "charming, skittish quality, and Lewis finds pathos and humor in his characters' often painful search for love. There are moments in which the actors seem a bit self-conscious, yet this low-budget picture is a calling card for pretty much everyone in front of the camera." Although less effusive than the Times, the Village Voice approved of Lewis' direction, saying he "nailed the milieu," and complimented the film as an "endearingly saccharine queer melodrama." Variety echoed these sentiments, citing the film's sharp pace, "colorful yet realistic" design and good performances in declaring that Lewis "juggles a quite ambitious mix of tonal, character and narrative left-turns here, and it's much to his credit that the results -- while somewhat uneven -- really do pull together as Luster proceeds."
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