While the idea would certainly seem to hold promise for interesting social commentary, the script by Ron McGee lacks the necessary bite, as does the rote direction of Ron Oliver.
Shock to the System (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 8
Fresh: 4
Rotten:4
Average Rating: 5/10
Theatrical Release: Aug 4, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: When hard boiled private eye Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) finds his latest client dead, an apparent suicide, Albany's favorite gay detective smells a rat and decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of his... When hard boiled private eye Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) finds his latest client dead, an apparent suicide, Albany's favorite gay detective smells a rat and decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of his straight-laced but adoring husband Tim and his occasionally too-eager assistant Kenny, Strachey's investigation leads him on a dark and dangerous trail into the world of "gay conversion therapy" - a twisted mix of psychology and religion designed by Dr. Trevor Cornell to turn homosexuals "straight". With a cast of sexy young suspects at the heart of the mystery, and a standout performance from pop culture icon Morgan Fairchild as a wealthy socialite with a few secrets of her own, this second installment of the successful "Donald Strachey Mysteries", based on author Richard Stevenson's much-loved book series, is sure to leave even the most jaded audiences in "shock"... --© Regent Releasing [More]
Starring: Chad Allen, Sebastian Spence, Michael Woods, Morgan Fairchild
Starring: Chad Allen, Sebastian Spence, Michael Woods, Morgan Fairchild, Daryl Shuttleworth, Anne Marie DeLuise
Director: Ron Oliver
Director: Ron Oliver
Studio: Regent Releasing
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Reviews for Shock to the System
This is a sly, refreshingly grown-up gay entertainment, though rather less satisfying as a thriller.
Were it not for the fact that the hero and many of the major supporting characters are gay… this breezy, disposable film could as easily have been a mainstream network pilot for a McMillan and Wife-style series.
Where film noir is often punch-drunk with a jab of snappy patter and a left hook of world-weary cynicism, Shock tries to clinch with understanding.
... director Ron Oliver applies a thin veneer of straight-to-cable pseudo-gloss without finding a workable tone, and the cast lacks the charisma and chemistry to make the genre and gender-bending register as more than novelty.
A perfectly respectable second entry in the saga of gay private eye Donald Strachey.
Pity there was no room for Phyllis Diller or Carol Channing here, because then the film might have had a leg up on Scooby-Doo and the Creepy Castle.
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