“This candy colored and body greased soap opera of male strippers, street hookers, family values, and a bit of urban crime makes one also want to hit the streets. It's all rather upbeat despite the depths it depicts and rather tear-inducing in its unabashed, cinematic sentiments. All that young beefcake should be able to balance the scale that's heavily weighted in favor of that voluptuous vision, Isabel Sarli. The viewer will get an eyeful of both!” (George Kuchar). When George selected this film to present in Boston, Brett Michel of The Boston Phoenix observed, “(Burlesk King is) a find. This soapy Filipino drama of unabashed beefcake nicely complements the cheesecake of The Devil's Cleavage.”