Showboy is a 2002 film

2002 in film

The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...

 and mockumentary

Mockumentary

A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...

 that was produced by star Jason Buchtel, directed by stars Christian Taylor

Christian Taylor (screenwriter)

Christian Taylor is an award-winning screenwriter known for his work on the American television drama Six Feet Under. He wrote, directed and starred in the film Showboy which won Best Directorial Debut at the "British Independent Film Awards" and "Best Picture at the Milan International Film...

 and Lindy Heymann, written by and starring the three. It has cameos by Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...

, Siegfried & Roy

Siegfried & Roy

Siegfried & Roy are two German-American former entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers....

, Alan Ball

Alan Ball (screenwriter)

Alan E. Ball is an American writer, director, actor and producer for film, theatre and television.-Early life:Ball was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Frank and Mary Ball, an aircraft inspector and a homemaker...

 and the cast of the television series Six Feet Under.

Plot

The film, a mockumentary that we are meant to believe is real, features around real-life screenwriter Taylor. Taylor is solicited by director Heymann to be the subject in a British television documentary series about British writers working in Hollywood. On the first day of filming this documentary, Taylor is fired from his real-life job as a screenwriter on the dramatic television series Six Feet Under. He is unaware that the documentary crew knows this has occurred.

He then relocates to Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

 to pursue a dream of becoming a professional showboy (a chorus line dancer). He lies to the documentary crew, purporting to be doing research for a film project. It slowly becomes evident that he is desperate to find a new career, and at the same time he slowly begins to come out

Coming out

Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 of the closet and pursue romance.

Showboy went on to win Best Directorial Debut at the British Independent Film Awards and Best Film at the Milan International Film Festival.

Credits

(Note: cast is playing fictional versions of themselves)

• Christian Taylor
  Christian Taylor (screenwriter)
  Christian Taylor is an award-winning screenwriter known for his work on the American television drama Six Feet Under. He wrote, directed and starred in the film Showboy which won Best Directorial Debut at the "British Independent Film Awards" and "Best Picture at the Milan International Film...
  
   - Himself
• Lindy Heymann - Herself
• Marilyn Milgrom - London Producer
• Joe Daley
  Joe Daley
  For the professional golfer, see Joe Daley Thomas Joseph Daley is a former National Hockey League and World Hockey Association goalkeeper for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Winnipeg Jets....
  
   - Himself
• Erich Miller - Himself
• Jason Buchtel - Himself
• Aaron Porter
  Aaron Porter
  Aaron Ross Porter is the former President of the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom; he was elected with a 65% majority and took office in June 2010 for one year.-Background and positions held :...
  
  - Dance Instructor
• Adrian Armas - Himself
• Billy Sameth - Billy