Are There ANY Strong Gay-Themed Films Besides "Brokeback Mountain"?
by moonspinner55 | created - 04 May 2011 | updated - 04 May 2011 | PublicGay audiences for decades have made a past-time out of reinterpreting straight romantic comedies & dramas to better suit their lives. Either they envision themselves to be the hero or heroine--no matter what the sex on-screen. It's an awful lot of work in a medium which is supposed to be an escape from reality. It's time we celebrated the films which make the load a little easier.
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1. Imagine Me & You (2005)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A newlywed bride becomes infatuated with another woman who questions her sexual orientation, promoting a stir among the bride's family and friends.
Director: Ol Parker | Stars: Piper Perabo, Lena Headey, Matthew Goode, Celia Imrie
Votes: 36,005 | Gross: $0.67M
I was a bit hesitant over this lesbian-themed romantic comedy--the trailer made it look like a gay meet-cute--but it caught me off-guard with its wit and wisdom.
2. Personal Best (1982)
R | 128 min | Drama, Sport
The intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.
Director: Robert Towne | Stars: Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glenn, Patrice Donnelly, Kenny Moore
Votes: 3,210 | Gross: $5.67M
Barbed, restless, and fatally-compromised as it is, this lesbian-themed drama of two athletes goes where most films made today fear to tread. The candor between the two women (and their teammates) is frank and disarming, and probably turned off more audiences in 1982 than it turned on. Still worth-seeing, with the intricacies of an open gay relationship prickled with humor and bite.
3. Big Eden (2000)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Big Eden is a small, fictional northwestern Montana town.
Director: Thomas Bezucha | Stars: Arye Gross, Eric Schweig, Tim DeKay, Louise Fletcher
Votes: 4,903 | Gross: $0.51M
The gay male relationships (and feelings) in "Big Eden" are honestly portrayed--for both a dramatic and a low-keyed comedic affect--and the small town surrounding is unusual. I'm not sure the match-ups at the finale are convincing, but at least the protagonist gets his man (and nobody stares or throws any rocks).
4. Showgirls (1995)
NC-17 | 128 min | Drama
A mysterious young drifter who calls herself Nomi Malone hitches a ride to Las Vegas, Nevada, and begins working as a strip club dancer, and sets about clawing her way to the top of the Vegas showgirls.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer
Votes: 74,673 | Gross: $20.30M
The lesbian asides in "Showgirls" were most probably meant to titillate straight men, but gay audiences claimed the picture early on. It's a relief there's no sturm-and-drang over who's kissing who on-screen...the creaky "All About Eve"-styled plot takes precedence over the sexual conquests. Still, it's a lollipop of a movie, loose and amoral, and the gay subtext bubbles nicely under the surface.
5. Victor/Victoria (1982)
PG | 134 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
A struggling female soprano in 1934 Paris finally finds work after posing as a female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life when a visiting Chicago gangster finds himself inexplicably attracted to the seemingly male performer.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren
Votes: 23,679 | Gross: $21.93M
Set in 1930s France, Blake Edwards' drag comedy is a big, bawdy delight aimed at sophisticated straight audiences, yet with a wink to gay viewers. Julie Andrews dons a tuxedo and everyone (improbably) believes she's a man, but the laughs are there. Plus, Robert Preston (as the proverbial gay best friend) does the queer-crowd proud.
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