Dimitri The Movie: The Return Of An AIDS-Denying "Anti-Pickup Artist"

By Anna North | February 17, 2010 | 6:00pm

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Seduction guru and alleged sexual assaulter/weapons stockpiler Dimitri the Lover (aka James Sears) is apparently returning to the spotlight, with a movie produced by one of the men behind Borat and Bruno.

Though the trailer has just started getting coverage, Torontoist’s John Semley was actually on the case last month, interviewing producer Brad Goodman about his plans for Dimitri. Goodman says that the film “presents Dimitri in a balanced light” and that “we have interviewed both his detractors and many people that think highly of him.” Indeed, the trailer does appear to included a detractor, though it also includes Dimitri apparently dismissing his alleged assault as “hugging.” Goodman also notes that Dimitri considers himself “the ANTI-pua movement.” If someone who says “if you are average looking, but penetrating less than 10 new vaginal orifices each month, then you have not reached your full sexual potential” is eager to distance himself from pickup artists, then perhaps the movement truly has jumped the shark. But really, except for his endorsement of cunnilingus, Dimitri appears to be offering the same old number-getting and chick-bedding shit. With, of course, an extra dose of crazy.

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Semley notes that Dimitri has penned an as-yet-unreleased book called Mein Kock, and he asks Goodman about Dimitri’s “suggestion that HIV doesn’t affect heterosexual men.” Says Goodman,

His position on HIV could be wrong and have serious consequences for some people, but the same could be said about the global warming debate, or even evolution vs. creation. For years science told us smoking cigarettes was a “healthy” thing to do. Each of those sides have some “credible” people defending their positions, even though only one of the sides seems logical to many of us. And I can assure you that many, many men agree with Dimitri about HIV. They rightly or wrongly think that as long as you are the pitcher and not the catcher you are safe.

“Hey, we used to think smoking was healthy” isn’t a particularly good excuse for telling men they can’t get HIV, but Goodman points out that he does disagree with some of Dimitri’s ideas:

He also thinks that white men who are exclusively attracted to Asian women are probably closeted pedophiles (because Asian women tend to have boy-like body frames), and I think many of my friends in Los Angeles would take exception to that conclusion.

The LA reference is a bit mystifying — if New York friends are fine with it? — but what’s clear is that Goodman thinks audiences want to see more Dimitri. Semley points out that the film lacks both a release date and a distributor, so laments about the total downfall of cinema are probably premature. And though Goodman swears Dimitri is legit, given his involvement with Bruno and Borat, it’s possible that the Lover’s posturing is an elaborate hoax. So maybe the joke’s on us — but like Bruno, it isn’t very funny.

Dimitri The Lover The Movie [BuzzFeed]
Dimitri The Lover Goes To The Movies [Torontoist]
Dimitri The Lover [Official Site]