Much like Stuart Halpern’s “When Boys Fly”, “Circuit” directed by Playgirl centerfold-turned-director Dirk Shafer, tells the story of the underground circuit parties. But whereas “When Boys Fly” achieves as a documentary, “Circuit” falls a bit short, but is still quite entertaining as a fictional account. Most critics agreed the films downfall was gratuitous flesh, flat dialogue, and a thin storyline but were they really expecting Oscar material? This is a circuit party! Bring on the glamour boys and pulsating music for god’s sake! Who wants to watch a film with average “joes” spewing Shakespeare and listening to classical music? Not me. I’m here to have fun!

Jonathan Wade Drahos plays Johnny, who comes to Los Angeles as a former police officer who was being harassed due to his lifestyle. His captain tells him he should move to somewhere more accepting, so off he goes to West Hollywood to stay with his cousin Tad (Daniel Kucan). Tad is an aspiring filmmaker who's shooting a documentary about the "circuit," and has been getting financed from a sleazy party producer (William Katt). It’s not long and Johnny has found his own place, and eventually meets up with an aging male hustler Hector (Andre Khabbazi) who introduces him to drugs, music and circuit parties. Johnny is resistant at first but before you can say, “lets dance”, Johnny is doing drugs, shooting steroids and is dressing like a club kid. Enter Nina (Kiersten Warren), a stand up comic and ex-girlfriend of Johnny’s. He runs into her at a club and offers her a place to stay. It doesn’t take long and she sees what’s happening to Johnny and her warnings fall on deaf ears and it isn’t until a tragic event that Johnny finally wakes up from this nightmare world.

Some cameos round the film out with Nancy Allen as a sympathetic cashier at the parties who helps Tad, Jim J. Bullock as a washed up movie star, and a performance by Paul Lekakis, remember the dance single “Boom Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room)? Paul plays an exotic dancer/performer Bobby, who is living with AIDS and who takes penis-enlarging injections before he performs. Can you say “ouch”! This was his first film I believe and he does a fine job. But the one standout is Hector. Totally obsessed with his looks, he gets cheekbone implants and at one point makes love to himself in a mirror; he portrays a sad and troubled soul.

Shafer does manage to include some interesting camera effects, hallucinatory visions, half-naked men grinding on the dance floor, and some actual scenes from various circuit parties. DJ Tony Moran and Centaur Entertainment's Nick DiBlase provide the pulsating soundtrack, which I enjoyed as well and is available on disc. Yes, the film is filled with hot men, plenty of gratuitous nudity, drugs, and may be thin on story and dialogue, but just kick back and take if for what its worth, it’s a fun, fleshy ride. Welcome to the world of the circuit parties!