Patrik-Ian Polk’s Punks is about a tight-knit group of four gay men (or “punks”) looking for love in West Hollywood.  What makes the film unique is the fact that the central characters are all black and Hispanic.

After a funny bit where the men shout out names of celebrities they’d be willing to have sex with, Punks shows the party thrown for Hill’s 30^th birthday.  Instead of feeling celebratory, Hill (Dwight Ewell, Hooper X from Chasing Amy) is down in the dumps after catching his French boyfriend making out with another guy.  He leans on his three close friends for support, and we quickly learn that they’re all just as unlucky in love.

Chris (Jazzmun) is a popular female impersonator, but none of the other guys have ever seen the boyfriend he swears isn’t imaginary.  Dante (Renoly Santiago) has an endless string of one-night stands, but can’t ever find the right guy to settle down with.  And despite the fact that Marcus (Seth Gilliam, OZ) hasn’t ever had a homosexual experience, he insists on being HIV-tested every month (by Loretta Devine, Urban Legends)

Most of Punks centers on Marcus’ relationship with his new neighbor, the hunky (but straight) Darby, a successful music producer new to the west coast.  This entertaining film is chock full of Chris’ musical numbers, in which he lip-syncs a large portion of the Sister Sledge catalog with his group, The Ladies.