I was very impressed by the quality of this film. The cinematography, lighting, and makeup are well above par for the
gay-themed romantic comedy genre. One review poster here
suggested this genre is now "glutted," but with only one big feature
every summer, I would hardly call that a glut. Despite the
outstanding production values, I'm not as enthusiastic about the
film as past summer hits of the genre such as "Trick," "Defying
Gravity," "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss," and "Broken Heart's
Club." All of those films had the good sense to avoid two of the
most weary gay story line cliches: fear of AIDS and dysfunctional
families. And as other's have noted, the script is peppered with
these other threadbare icons of the "lifestyle." The movie also
suffers from the unhappy trend to score with popular music rather
than traditional orchestral "movie music." Can you imagine a film
like "JAWS" or "Star Wars" with pop-rock music? Laughable.
Despite its many weaknesses, I found the films characters likable
and the "odd couple" paring provided enough dramatic tension to
keep it interesting. Also on the plus side, we were spared the
obligatory drag queen scenes that tend to pop up in these films.
And a happy ending for the gay characters is another trend I hope
will stick for films that follow.
gay-themed romantic comedy genre. One review poster here
suggested this genre is now "glutted," but with only one big feature
every summer, I would hardly call that a glut. Despite the
outstanding production values, I'm not as enthusiastic about the
film as past summer hits of the genre such as "Trick," "Defying
Gravity," "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss," and "Broken Heart's
Club." All of those films had the good sense to avoid two of the
most weary gay story line cliches: fear of AIDS and dysfunctional
families. And as other's have noted, the script is peppered with
these other threadbare icons of the "lifestyle." The movie also
suffers from the unhappy trend to score with popular music rather
than traditional orchestral "movie music." Can you imagine a film
like "JAWS" or "Star Wars" with pop-rock music? Laughable.
Despite its many weaknesses, I found the films characters likable
and the "odd couple" paring provided enough dramatic tension to
keep it interesting. Also on the plus side, we were spared the
obligatory drag queen scenes that tend to pop up in these films.
And a happy ending for the gay characters is another trend I hope
will stick for films that follow.