This was a ridiculous version of male hustlers and other assorted homeless teens because it is done in such a clean-cut manner. I assume that the people that drifter teen Johnny encounter during his stay in Las Vegas would be much more hostile, crazy, and the like. If you're not looking for a vigorous story of similar circumstances like say, 'Where the Day Takes You,' then Speedway Junky is a good weening toy.
The story is that of a recent high school dropout, Johnny, who's Southern accent miraculously comes and go. Upset with his military father's strict manner of upbringing, and perhaps lack of affection (I don't see how, really, or at least they never make much of Johnny's perceived 'abuses' and 'neglect' evident), he decides to hitchhike his way to North Carolina to be none other than a member of Richard Petty's stock car racing team. If you know incredulous Hollywood movies, then you should already expect Johnny to go through a lot of crap, but some how wind up with a happy ending in the end.
Johnny gets robbed of his twenty-bucks worth of quarters from a Casino. The rest of his things are taken by a horny middle-aged pimp with a penchant for boys in leather collars. So Johnny is stuck. Luckily, he befriends a group of street kids. Namely, Eric (played nicely by Jordan Brower), the kid who helps Johnny out the most when it seem many others won't. He also introduces him to the life of hustling, stolen cars, and the like. And Johnny, though successful at times, still seems like a major amateur. A ridiculously comical one at that.
Enter Steve, played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who interestingly enough replaced Balthazar Ghetty in the role (Ghetty plays a similar character in 'Where the Day Takes You' only less dehumanized). Steve is like the professional teen hustler, who'll do anything his clients ask as long as he gets paid. Johnny and Eric get into serious trouble when Steven steals another kid's stash of drugs and money, and he isn't the kind of kid you just say sorry to and then treat to ice cream.
Eric is the more interesting character. A gay young man, he likes Johnny, but is consistently obsessed with the idea that maybe Johnny isn't going to carry on the deep friendship Eric imagines simply because Johnny is straight. Johnny is kind of an obnoxious character, despite being the main presence in the movie. He is the nice guy, the charming guy, but in the end, still a hopeless doofus.
The rest of the characters, too, are simply comical caricatures with what seems like no reality in there that would entice the viewer to form emotional connections with or somehow empathize or whatever. We learn no lessons from this movie either, which I suppose is inherent in movies like these, that you should walk away with something. Why would they spend so much time on the story and dramatic elements and character development (or lack thereof) as a result? There's a reason for all of that. Only here, it doesn't work. Johnny is a moron and for that, I really found it hard to appreciate whatever stupid dilemma he got himself into. One after the other. Steve, too, though a disgusting character, is hardly real. Nothing happens to him. He just floats in and out of the scenes to remind you of a villainous presence. And the ending was just corny as hell.
I'd stick with 'Where the Day Takes You' if this is the kind of movie you desire. Or, at least see it for Brower's performance.
