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The Dream Team
Rating: 4 Stars
Studio 2000. Produced by Scott Masters. Written and directed by Jerry Douglas. Videography by Ross Cannon. Edited by Andrew Rosen. Music by Rock Hard. Starring Rick Chase, Kurt Young, Tony Donovan, Scott Lyons, Kristian Brooks, Lucas James, Aaron Lawrence, and Preston Richie.
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This instant classic, one of the best story-driven gay videos in years, showcases the strengths of one of the finest directors in the business, Jerry Douglas. Dream Team covers familiar territory with surprising freshness. It's also filled with beautifully orchestrated sex.

In Heartland Heights, Iowa, Herbert Hoover High is about to welcome the class of '57 back for its fifth reunion. The prospect of seeing their old teammates again stirs up bittersweet, libidinous thoughts in the minds of the former members of the basketball squad. During the opening credit sequence, in which the reunion invitation inspires each of the principals to jack off, we learn that these seven alumni include a TV actor, a drunk, two purportedly straight guys who have married, two who are in a gay relationship, and an adherent of an ex-gay ministry. (It's particularly satisfying to see dollops of semen spatter one of Straightforward Ministries' handbills.)

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The narrative moves in and out of flashbacks with ease. Returning to the fall of '56, the start of the players' senior year, we hear the coach (Preston Richie, in a non-sexual role) as he lays down the law. "I don't want you guys even thinking about your dicks until next spring," he barks. The teammates, of course, disregard that order, giving their dicks obsessive attention. (It turns out that the only time they're focused enough to win is when they do get off just prior to a game.) During the sex, everybody in this talented cast remains in character and goes right on acting.

The friendship between Buck (Rick Chase), the star player, and Howie (Aaron Lawrence), the nerdy minister's son who's too inhibited to shower with the other guys, might have had more resonance if the scenes set during their high school days had been better developed. We're told that Buck and Howie are "best friends," but Buck seems closer to Trigger, a troubled closet case effectively played by Scot Lyons. This is, however, a minor flaw.

Rick Chase's resemblance to the young Farley Granger gives him the right period look, and he gives a relaxed, sincere performance. His sex scenes smolder. Aaron Lawrence, recognizably human rather than conventionally gorgeous, is funny and touching as Howie. When he finds himself in the middle of a Lucas James-Kristian Brooks sandwich-- Howie's sexual initiation-- he's simultaneously turned on, blissed out, amazed by his good fortune, and in imminent danger of swooning. We all should be so lucky.