Reviews (87)

A lovely movie
I have watched The Object of My Affection numerous times (they're always running it on the ABC Family Channel), and I have yet to tire of it. It is sweet, touching, funny, and well performed.

Jennifer Aniston is perfectly cast as the lead character, Nina Borowski, and gives an excellent performance that making the viewer feel what she's feeling. Paul Rudd, as her roommate and eventual love interest, is very appealing too. (In my opinion, he doesn't really seem gay, but then again he doesn't really need to. As long as the viewer just accepts the fact that he IS, it works.) John Pankow is great as Nina's irritating boyfriend, Vince. And of course, Nigel Hawthorne does a wonderful job as Rodney. Big surprise.

The best scene in the film is a scene where Nina's overbearing sister, Constance (Allison Janney), descends on Nina and George along with her equally annoying husband (Alan Alda) and daughter (Lauren Pratt). It is so funny, and so well acted.

All in all, The Object Of My Affection rates five stars in my book. Granted, there are some clunky bits in the script (as mentioned in the editorial review), and some bits that require suspension of belief. But those things are easy to ignore, and more than likely, you'll want to watch this film over and over again.

About time The Object Of My Affection comes to DVD
The Object Of My Affection is a great Flick. I am so excited it's finally on DVD. This movie takes place in New York City with our former Twin Tower buildings as the beautiful backdrop. The movie is about a women named Nina (Jennifer Aniston) who falls in love with her roommate George (Paul Rudd), but there is one problem ... he is gay. George decides to move out and move in with Nina after his boyfriend Joley tells him he is seeing another guy. Nina who has a boyfriend finds herself falling in love with George and soon she finds out she is pregnant but decides she wants to raise the child with George instead. George finally starts to fall for Nina, but after a weekend trip with his x-boyfriend Joley, George soon finds himself falling for a guy named Paul, and soon there is a decision that forces George to decide between Nina and Paul. I know it sound like a too much drama, but this is a movie worth watching, I will not say anymore other than this is a Great movie that will make you laugh and bring tears to your eyes as well. Im glad to see The Object Of My Affection has made it to DVD. Buy it it is a great flick that breaks down the walls of sexuality as you can not choose who you can fall in love with, true love just happens. (...)

A must see
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I watched this one over and over again and I can't get enough of it. Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are just adorable, the ( gay themed) story is magnificient,there is a great balance between comedy and tragedy, everything in this movie is worth the five stars.

Presents Some Moments of Affection
This movie starts as an hip romantic comedy, turns into a serious drama, becomes melodramatic and soap opera-ish, gets into comedy territory again for a while and finally delivers a contrived and slightly unrealistic Hollywood ending.

"The Object of My Affection" has as many twists and turns as a rollercoaster ride, switching and redefining the status quo a thousand times. Some moments are genuine and heartfeld, others have a sitcom humorous feel and at times it gets overboard with high levels of sugar and sappyness. The story is about the relationship between two young adults, a gay teacher (Paul Rudd) and a modern NY girl (Jennifer Aniston). Beginning as a tight friendship, their connection then appears to turn into something more deep, and from this point on the plot delivers a lot of subplots and new characters.

The acting is overall good and the movie tries to touch some serious issues, but unfortunately the story is so contrived that the result is just uneven and not very impressive. The pacing isn`t the best as well, delivering a lot of slow and dull moments that go nowhere. Despite these flaws, "The Object of My Affection" still has some entertainment value and a couple of interesting scenes, even if it`s just another average movie.
With a few improvements this material could rise a bit and become more remarkable, but as it is it`s not too good neither too bad.

Watchable enough.

Affects at Parts
This movie starts as an hip romantic comedy, turns into a serious drama, becomes melodramatic and soap opera-ish, gets into comedy territory again for a while and finally delivers a contrived and slightly unrealistic Hollywood ending. It has as many twists and turns as a rollercoaster ride, switching and redefining the status quo a thousand times. Some moments are genuine and heartfeld, others have a sitcom humorous feel and at times it gets overboard with high levels of sugar and sappyness. The story is about the relationship between two young adults, a gay teacher (Paul Rudd) and a modern NY girl (Jennifer Aniston). Beginning as a tight friendship, their connection then appears to turn into something more deep, and from this point on the plot delivers a lot of subplots and new characters. The acting is overall good and the movie tries to touch some serious issues, but unfortunately the story is so contrived that the result is just uneven and not very impressive. The pacing isn`t the best as well, delivering a lot of slow and dull moments that go nowhere. Despite these flaws, "The Object of My Affection" still has some entertainment value and a couple of interesting scenes, even if it`s just another average movie. With a few improvements this material could rise a bit and become more remarkable, but as it is it`s not too good neither too bad.

Watchable enough. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Party Monster is a curiosity: a fictional version of events already covered in documentary form (see Party Monster: The Shockumentary) by this film's co-directors, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, best known for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Party Monster, theatrically released in 2003, also signals the return of Macaulay Culkin to films after a long absence. Culkin plays 1980s club kid-turned-killer Michael Alig, a small-town boy who arrives in New York in search of reinvention on the Ecstasy-fueled party scene. Alig ascends from rube to ringmaster, organizing Fabulous happenings and anointing, in Warhol-like fashion, various transvestites and studly naifs the era's new superstars. Seth Green plays Alig's arch but more reticent co-conspirator and roommate, James St. James. Green is more grounded in character than Culkin, though neither actor is convincing as a deluded drag queen. Despite interesting material, the directors never reveal what makes Alig a compelling figure in Manhattan's social history. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Parties, fantasy and shock value of indeterminate gender
It looks like the lovable little boy from "Home Alone" has grown up. Macaulay Culkin is now in his early 20s and stars in this outrageous and rather sick story of Michael Alig, a real-life club kid of the early 1990s, who is now serving a long prison term for murder. This 2003 film is not only his story, it is also the story of a time and a place and a world that it no more. It's about parties and fantasy outfits and the shock value of indeterminate gender.. But mostly, it's about a drug culture that catered to these party people, and how it destroyed Alig's life. Culkin does an outstanding acting job in the role, bringing a touch of humanity to the character as well as a great deal of ego and evil.

Based on a book entitled "Disco Bloodbath" by James St. James, who actually lived through these years, the author is a major character in the story. Seth Green is cast in this role and plays it to the hilt, a party person who likes to play but stops short of the excesses that push Alig over the edge. The rest of the cast is full of some of real party people, with Marilyn Manson playing a drag queen.

One of the scary things about this film is how real it feels. The small subculture of partygoers search for thrills, their makeup and clothing screaming for attention. Their brains are addled with drugs and their purpose in life is only to draw attention to themselves. It's fame without substance or meaning and its all mindless. But, with the exception of the Culkin character, their carryings on doesn't really harm anyone but themselves.

I didn't expect to like this film. I almost shut it off after the first 15 minutes. However, it was so intense that I just kept watching. And I was eventually swept into the story and the people and the world that it depicted, a colorful bubble world which inevitably burst and is no more. This film recalls that bubble, including all the horror as well as the fun. Recommended.

PARTY MURDER!!!
THERE ARE MANY THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THIS MOVIE AND SEVERAL THINGS I DON'T LIKE. FIRST OFF, THE ACTING (BY BOTH SETH GREEN AND MACK CULKIN) WAS ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS. THEY LOOKED GREAT, JUST LIKE THE CHARACTERS THEY PORTRAYED (AS SEEN IN THE FILM "PARTY MONSTER: THE SHOCKUMENTARY"), BUT THEY JUST COULDN'T PULL OFF THAT ELUSIVE "SOMETHING" THAT MADE THE CLUB KIDS INTO "STARS." THE ACTORS WERE STIFF AND AWKWARD. EVEN MARILYN MANSON'S ACTING, WHO MADE A SOMEWHAT LONG CAMEO APPEARANCE AS CHRISTINA, A DRUG-ADDLED DRAG QUEEN, WAS BETTER THAN THE MAIN CHARACTERS'.

CULKIN, AS MICHAEL ALIG, THE SELF-CONFESSED MURDERER OF HIS DRUG DEALER, ANGEL, WAS FUN TO WATCH--HIS COSTUMES, HIS GORY PARTIES, HIS STRANGE, SEEMINGLY BISEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIS "FRIENDS"..... BUT IN THE END, AFTER HE COMMITS THE MURDER, APPARENTLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MIND-ALTERING DRUGS, HE IS JUST PLAIN SCARY.

THERE ARE SOME PRETTY GORY SCENES IN THE FILM, PARTICULARLY THE MURDER ITSELF, WITH MICHAEL'S ROOMMATE BASHING ANGEL'S HEAD IN WITH A HAMMER SEVERAL TIMES. AND THEN, FOR A HANDFUL OF DRUGS, MICHAEL ALIG AGREES TO CUT THE BODY UP INTO LITTLE PIECES AND DISPOSE OF IT. IT WAS REALLY VERY GROSS AND DISTURBING TO WATCH AND TO THINK ABOUT AFTERWARDS. FORTUNATELY, THEY KEPT THE DISMEMBERMENT MINIMAL.

OVERALL, I ENJOYED WATCHING THIS MOVIE. FOR SOME REASON, IT IS FRIGHTENINGLY FUN TO WATCH BEAUTIFUL, "FABULOUS," DRUG ADDICTS/DRAG QUEENS COMMIT MURDERS AND THEN JOKE ABOUT IT. (AND THEN THEY TURN AROUND AND MAKE MONEY OFF THE MOVIE, THE DOCUMENTARY AND THE BOOKS.)

A peek at club kids and the N.Y.C. club called Limelight
I had a hard time liking this movie, mainly because Michael Alig is such a likable guy and Macaulay Culkin is just so creepy to watch though he does play a gay man remarkably well. Seth Green acts his role but never comes off as comfortable in it and who could blame him. Alig lived life over the top and the movie plays everything over the top. The peek inside the infamous Limelight club is interesting and you'll laugh so hard you'll wet yourself at Marilyn Manson who has a minor role but in the end the documentary that chronicles Alig and the murder of "Club Kid" Angel is much much better.

Be FABULOUS!
To be honest, I watched this movie for one reason: Seth Green. However, I found the movie quite enjoyable. Not a perfect film--Chloë Sevigny's and Dylan McDermott's characters felt underdeveloped to me and some of the character intrusion and narration seemed unnecessary--but a fascinating, entertaining and funny movie, nonetheless.

Seth Green did not disappoint me. His portrayal of James St. James is excellent and his passion and devotion to the role apparent. I am undecided about Culkin's performance. Michael seems shallow to me, but that is actually appropriate to the role, as Michael Alig seems void of humanity in the interviews I have watched. Culkin's Alig seems a mere poseur to Green's St. James, who lives and breathes fabulousness. But again, that aspect could also be essential to Michael's character who seemed to be a club kid just because it would lead to attention. Mostly, though, I was wishing that Kieran was on the screen instead. Chloë Sevigny is underused in her role of Michael's girlfriend and I could have done with seeing more interaction between Michael and Angel. And some boy-on-boy intimacy. The directors were willing to show such outrageous costumes, copious amounts of drug use, and yet no affection between men despite the heavy homoerotic overtones between the actors. The lack of homosexual interaction wouldn't bother me as much if Michael and his girlfriend weren't shown in intimate moments as well.

This DVD is a pretty good disc. The print of the film is good, capturing the brightness of the costumes and parties and the changing color tone of the movie. The special features are decent. The commentary is pretty heavy with historical information about the accuracy of the events, but the directors share information about the production as well, usually concerning how disgusting the location smelled. I would have preferred more of the latter, but that is just my preference. The featurette was interesting, but the behind the scenes footage was rather dull for the most part. I appreciated having the interview with Michael Alig on the disc and an interview with James St. James would have been a welcome edition.

All in all, the movie is interesting to watch and the disc is worth the purchase.

Realistic, Energetic, and Extremely Entertaining!
This movie is best suited for those who are at least interested in the club kid lifestyle and tolerant of homosexuals. I've read a couple harsh reviews, but they seem to have been written by people who have no clue what the party scene or NY club scene was about and are more concerned with judging than understanding this vastly different sub-culture. Some reviewers have even called the movie unrealistic, but this couldn't be further from the truth.

The parties are portrayed with incredible accuracy. The movie not only depicts what you could expect to have seen inside a club of this type, it makes you feel as though you are actually there taking part in the event. The lighting and colors used create a slightly dazed feeling, as though you're walking through the middle of a huge party, surrounded by a sea of eye-candy. The party goers are true to life as well. After all, they used old club kids as extras and featured some of them in their real outfits.

The drug sequences are almost too accurate sometimes, especially the come down. (At one point, they even show Alig sitting on the toilet saying, "I can't pee." For those who've been there, this totally hits home.)

Honestly, if your plans for the weekend include sitting at home with the kids and watching a movie, this probably isn't your best bet; but if you're looking for an adventure (or if you were once a part of the scene and would love a nostalgic reminder of your past experiences) you really should see this film! ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Forbidden Fire
"It was amazing that a film which explores choices, desires and the people who are victims of people who are victims of tradition, would cause such an uproar." -Deepa Mehta, the director of Fire

The beauty of this movie is more in the questions it asks than the erotic relationship between two women who resort to a lesbian relationship due to their husbands finding satisfaction everywhere else besides their marriage bed.

Are all sins equal? Is adultery not seen in the same light by religious people as desiring a person of the same sex? Why are people who desire love in the way these two women do seen as more sinful than those in society who commit adultery? Does God turn his eyes and not see one and see the other?

This movie asks questions that are difficult to answer because all of us possess desire. We all want to be loved, understood and feel the compassion of others. We don't want to live our lives feeling lonely, unloved, rejected sexually. Radha (Shabana Azmi) and Sita (Nandita Das) are forced to choose between a loveless life with their husbands or a caring and compassionate life with one another.

Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda) has chosen a life of celibacy. But he is married to Radha. This makes no sense and in her rejection, Radha reaches out to Sita who is newly married to Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi) who has never let the love of his life out of his sexual domain.

To complicate matters, Mundu (Ranit Chowdhry) is not respectful of his elders and also seeks revenge. He wants to see his brother Ashok shamed because he has been shamed. In the middle of this family, the mother Biji (Kushal Rekhi) is forced to watch all her children's lives go to ruin before her eyes and she cannot speak due to a stroke.

After watching this movie, I understand to some degree why this movie was rejected by certain groups in India. It asks too many unanswerable questions, which might lead to a general frustration. Perhaps the frustration boiled to the surface as a certain realization fell over the audience. That maybe what they want and what they are expected to want is in conflict.

In a country where arranged marriages are still a common practice and woman light themselves on fire to escape marriage, I think this movie might help to awaken a sense of responsibility in men and help women to see they do have choices. In that choice is perhaps their power. Not that they should make a similar choice, but perhaps they should be more willing to ask for what they need, or demand fair treatment from their husbands. Maybe women should say they will only marry a man they love. Then there is always the possibility of divorce later.

There is a somewhat "rude awakening" to the concept of duty throughout this movie. What does it mean to you personally? Would you be willing to rebel against tradition and your religion to gain what you truly love? Sita says that the "concept of duty is overrated." Is it? Does your religion keep you from your desire or does desire keep you from religion? By the end of the movie, I was dizzy with the questions the characters actions ask.

But is there fair treatment in an arranged marriage? Would a "forced" union not breed contempt? And why do people still allow themselves to be forced into marrying someone they don't love? This seems to me to breed a rebellion. How can one defend such an unfair practice? In this situation, our sympathy is naturally for the women involved.

I think many saw this movie and feared that it would cause women to question their own place in society. This movie explores taboo. Men cheating on their wives might be seen as more acceptable than two women finding love in one another's arms. Why?

The relationship of Sita and Radha almost seems more of a metaphor of choice than a promotion of homosexuality. Naming these two characters after two of the most revered goddesses in Hindu mythology may have been going too far and many probably saw this as being disrespectful of religious beliefs.

You do probably have to be fairly open minded to enjoy this movie. For me it was more of a warning in many ways.

1. Think about who you are going to marry in a deep way.
2. Consider that if you do decide to get married, you might feel pain when you want
to be with someone else. Are you willing to endure that pain?
3. Be prepared at that point to be willing to make a decision in favor or against duty.
4. Don't be forced into marriage by anyone. This is your life.

This movie asks eternal questions. Questions about life, love, longing, desire, religion, marriage, duty, divorce, sexuality, acceptance, right, wrong and many others. I felt it was a beautifully filmed movie with a somewhat tragic concept intertwined around burning passion.

It is difficult to live in this physical world without the spiritual beauty of love. You have to be very strong to resist the power of love or to feel alive without desire.

-TheRebeccaReview.com

Fire, fire burning bright...
When I went to see this film at the cinema I was uncertain as to what I was letting myself in for. However I am glad that my friend persuaded me to give it a chance. This is a beautiful film, about a taboo subject in India, and it is handled magnificently by the director and cast alike. It follows the story of two sister-in-laws (Azmi and Das) who dare to fall in love with each other. Not only do they fall in love but they conspire to leave their inadequate husbands. Azmi is married to a man who is unable to consummate their marriage, and Das' husband is unfaithful to her, desiring his Chinese mistress over his chosen bride. Azmi and Das are living in an unforgiving world. The path they have chosen to follow is fraught with intolerance and danger and they have no allies save each other. As their relationship deepens so does the need for escape. This is not just an artsy movie, it is funny, sad and genuinely moving. It also has some darkly funny moments, watch the scene with the family servant, and the porno movies, it has to be seen to be believed. Leonard Maltin saw this film as a male bashing Lesbian chick flick, claiming that the male characters in the film were nothing more than "simplistic chauvinist pig[s]." It is obvious that Mr. Maltin has not lived in India where more often than not men rule and women obey and should you want to be different then God help you because no one else will. This film is ultimately about love, hope, redemption and purification; fire being a purifier and therefore when Azmi survives her husband's attempt to burn her to death she proves to the viewer that she is pure, and the Gods do not disapprove of her sexuality. This is a wonderful film, well acted and superbly directed. It's worth seeing especially now as you will be able to buy or rent it on DVD.

An absorbing, believable lesbian love story
I thoroughly enjoyed "Fire" for several reasons. It's a believable love story about two women who live in a culture in which homosexuality is not accepted and choose to be with each other anyway. The characters are genuine, and the glimpse into the cultural struggles they faced was heartmoving. It was not cheesy or cliched, which is refreshing. Highly recommended!

Fire lit up my evening
I thought the filming was wonderful and the cinemotography was beautiful. There was a great balance between the storyline of the two falling in love with each other and the storyline of the caste system in India and repression of female desires by males in their society.

3 1/2 Stars
This film was really quite good, but there were a few things that made this film far from perfect. While the content and message of the film was powerful, I didn't really feel comfortable with the lesbianism that took place between Rhada and Sita. Their physical exchange didn't seem authentic. They seemed to turn to each other because they longed for touch, a touch that might have been satisfied if their husbands had truly cared for them both emotionally and physically. Furthermore, I didn't like how the film seemed to portray lesbianism as the outcome of two women caring for each other. This is not always the case. Female friendship doesn't have an inherent element of lesbianism. In addition, I didn't particularly care for the cinematography. I found it to be a bit static, and unpoetic, whatever that means.

On the other hand, this movie was very powerful due to the idea that women can imagine something different for themselves, despite traditional structures that are oppressive, and despite what some might consider the insidious influences of patriarchy. This is why the film constantly returns to Rhada's attempt to envisage the ocean. So long as she can't imagine the ocean, she can't imagine a situation different for herself. The most powerful scene in this film was when Rhada declared that she "desires to live." Similarly, Sita seems to imagine something different for herself when she dresses in Jhatin's clothes. Wearing his clothes seem to empower her in a way that wearing her sari does not.

While some might tout this end of this film as a triumph for Western values, I really think this film took the approach of Third World feminism, that there are other ways to create a woman friendly situation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Cable networks like Showtime are diving into risky material thatmainstream movie-makers shy away from--and Soldier's Girldemonstrates the payoff of such risks. Barry Winchell (Troy Garity,Barbershop), new to an infantry base in Tennessee, gets taken to anightclub for drag performers by an obnoxious fellow soldier, Fisher(Shawn Hatosy, Outside Providence). There he meets Calpernia (LeePace), a transgendered performer, and feels an immediate attraction. Butas Winchell's relationship with Calpernia develops, his relationship withthe repressed Fisher grows dangerous to his career in the military--andpossibly to his life. Based on a true story, Soldier's Girl tacklesits delicate subject matter directly but respectfully, with compassion andintelligence. Garity, Pace, and Hatosy all turn in compelling, complexperformances, steering clear of stereotypes. Director Frank Pierson(screenwriter of Dog Day Afternoon) skillfully avoids easy answersor obvious solutions and was deservedly nominated for an Emmy as a result.--Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Troy Garity is amazing!
Troy Garity is amazing in the real life role of Barry Winchell. This movie was a very moving movie and a very important movie. I first saw it on SHOWTIME the first time it aired, and it left me completely stunned, amazed, and crying. This movie was a excellent movie to make on the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. military. I now have it on DVD when I could have recorded it, but I needed to buy it to show my appreciation of the film. I am not and have never known a real life transgendered peson but this movie makes you understand that they exist and are people like you and me, and somebody like Troy Garity to do the role of the man who fell in love with a pre-op transexual was a great thing for him to do. I'm still upset that he didn't win the golden globe for this movie because he truly deserves it, and he is definately a talented and gifted actor. I know people may say he only became famous because of his family and mother (Jane Fonda), that couldn't be further from the truth, this man CAN act, and he does it brilliantly. This movie is an important one, and one that I hope you have the chance to see, well you have the chance order it now. Also, I want to mention I have shown this movie to at least eight people that I can think of... So you may and I am sure you will like and maybe even love this movie that was done so brilliantly by the whole cast and everyone involved. TROY GARITY IS A GREAT ACTOR!!!!!

Heart breaking, respectful and a MUST SEE!!!!
"Soldier's Girl" is an example of the important and well made movies that cable tv is capable of producing. This film, based on the murder of Barry Winchell, is a testament to good film making, good direction and incredible acting. This could have been a movie that focused on the sensationalism of the subject matter but the director made this into a respectful and heart breaking love story.

The story is about a young man based at Fort Cambell, Kentucky, and the harrassment he suffers from those in his barracks over a relationship he begins with a transgendered performer named Calpernia. After meeting her at a club in Nashville, Tennessee, the young private becomes smitten and falls in love, a decision that ultimately leads to his mistreatment by other soldiers and eventually his death.

Troy Garity gives a dignified performance and deserved the attention and the award nominations he received for this role. Lee Pace also does well in his role as Calpernia, the transgendered woman that Barry falls in love with. Shawn Hatosy plays Justin, the young man who sets all the tragic events in emotion. He is a disturbed young man, with a drinking and drug problem with prejudices that he cannot get past.

The dvd also features interviews with the actors as well as the real Calpernia and the mother of victim, Barry Winchell. The dvd is a good dvd overall but it is the film and its message of love and accepting people as they are that is the most important aspect you should take away from this movie. I highly recommend this film. I will be adding it to my dvd collection!

Truthful Oversight on Homosexuals in the Military
This movie is an eyeopener for all people gay or straight. The contents of the movie lets people understand the difficulties homoxesual people go through in life, not only with possibly denying who they really are, but also with the worries of being accepted by their peers. It shows that ignorance is amongst all people rather it be in the military or not. As a homosexual in the military this film helped me realize that being open can cause a lot of emotional and physical pain, however nobody should be scared to live a life that they feel is right. My mother has watched this film with me and agrees that it is difficult to understand why people can be so hateful to others just because they don't like the same things that we do. This film will open the eyes of anybody straight or gay that has any questions about the difficulties of being a homosexual in the military. The possibilities are hard, but the truth can be even harder.

Brutally Honest
Living in Nashville during the timeframe of these events, and having known Calpernia as a wonderful onstage presense, watching this fine movie is like going back in time. From the uncanny resemblence to the showbar at the "connection" in Nashville, the bar that was actually the background for most of the story, to the very real setting that is Fort Campbell, barracs and all. A SOLDIER'S GIRL is a very honest very real portrayal of actual events as they happened. Lee Pace's version of Calpernia is a little more direct that the real gal, but otherwise dead on. Troy Garity's performance is riviting as the soldier who found his perfect girl! This is as real as it gets!!
Highly recommended!!!

Great
I wouldnt call this a gay movie, but a tragedy movie. The violence is shocking but powerful. An excellent movie. Thankfully someone told the story. ... Read more

Description

Vincent (newcomer Julien Baumgartner) is an average high school boy, a good student, and a star swimmer.With his best friend Ste'phane and his beautiful girlfriend Noemie (Julia Maraval), high school life couldn't be better for Vincent... until he meets Benjamin (COME UNDONE Jeremie Elkaim). Vincent keeps crossing paths with the new student, until the two finally have a private moment. The next day, Vincent's idyllic life begins to crumble when the school is vandalized with graffiti labeling him a fag.As the people in his life respond to the news, Vincent faces the inherent challenge of adapting to life as a gay young man. YOU'LL GET OVER IT takes a direct and compassionate look at Vincent's struggle. ... Read more

Description

When his conservative mom arrives to visit, a gay man attempts to keep his boyfriend and his London lifestyle in the closet with hilarious results! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

I love john sayles
There I said it I love John Sayles...of course plutonically lol

This is a great lesbian film that understands emotions, though older and low budget the theme is timeless and so are the emotions...see this film it is a turning point in films about lesbians yes it is made by a guy but someone should make him an honorary lesbian...he "sees" us.

A classic treat
John Sayles understands women more than some women understand themselves...I do not know what it is..but he gets us...

This is an older movie dated but the emotions are fresh....see where lesbian themed films began ...Lianna is a treat...ranks up there with older classics like Killing of Sister George, Theresa and Isabelle...through Desert Hearts to modern classics like A Family Affair, Aimee and Jaguar and now The L Word

Top Notch Sayles Flick
Sayles understands women better than many women understand themselves. This is a classic lesbian flick at a time when lesbian films were rare or non- existent...sure it is dated a bit, but it is well worth the watching. This is a great film capturing emotions and a womens journey into her own sexuality. A Classic film, see it!

Putting in my 2 cents
I recently began to collect lesbian films and the truth is that it's not easy to find good ones. I ordered this film because the reviews that I read on it seemed very good, but honestly I was a little dissapointed (again). I felt that the characters in this film had very little chemistry between them. The kissing was terrible, and the sex scene was definately not very hot...a little believable chemistry would have been good. The films was made in the 80's which is another negative. The bar scene was terrible, I thought it would never end. Any way I'm no expert on films put I do know when a film moves me and this one certainly did not. Please be your own judge.

My favorite John Sayles film
This is my favorite John Sayles film (which, considering how i feel about Lone Star, says a lot). This has much to do with Linda Griffith's wonderful performance as the title character. Sayles says his intention was to explore a situation where husband and wife divorce and the husband gets custody of the kids. This, of course, means something has to be "wrong" with the wife. At the same time, he didn't want her problem to be too impairing. Alcoholism and heroin addiction were out, so he made her a lesbian. When you consider the 1983 this is way ahead of its time and holds up well, especially against current films like But I'm a cheerleader. Good stuff. ... Read more

Amazon.com

After viewing the gay ensemble film The Broken Hearts Club--the subtitle of which helpfully points out that it's "a romantic comedy"--you might feel as if you've been offered a discussion conundrum not unlike the kind that Mike Myers's Linda "Coffee Talk" Richman would put forward: "The Broken Hearts Club is neither romantic nor comedic. Discuss." What it is, rather, is a gay male version of Steel Magnolias, right down to the funeral scene and hospital visit. While decidedly less melodramatic than that Southern chick flick, it still aspires to a kind of big-group love-in feeling that's only vaguely comic. And romance? Well, there's some somewhere, when the characters aren't carping about how the only thing they're good at is being gay. They all wrestle with their Big Issues--should Patrick (Ben Weber) donate sperm so his sister can have a baby with her lesbian lover? Will cynical Dennis (Timothy Olyphant) finally admit he loves just-out-of-the-closet Kevin (Andrew Keegan)? How will love-'em-and-leave-'em Cole (Dean Cain) feel when he's rejected by the closeted movie star?--but to little effect, despite some snappy one-liners and occasional keen observances of gay culture. Writer-director Greg Berlanti's screenplay still feels about two or three drafts away from completion, and when faced with stalling action, he opts for a montage set to one of many Carpenters' songs (covers, not the actual hits themselves). Kudos go to the acidic Weber for infusing what could have been a whiny character with a dry, intelligent wit, and the surprisingly charming Cain, who makes Cole someone you can't really hate too much despite all his faults--it would be like hating a puppy. If only all the characters were half as appealing. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (98)

A cute, funny and charming comedy!!!
The Broken Hearts Club can rightfully claim its place alongside classic comedies that nail the anxieties and triumphs of a generation, à la The Big Chill, Clueless or Reality Bites. But this film's closeknit group of friends just happens to live in West Hollywood and know a lot about gyms, clothes, and musicals. Think of it as, um, St. Homo's Fire, as mostly straight actors play single gays searching for the perfect man, job, party and life, while leaning on each other for emotional support. Frasier's John Mahoney shows his sensitive sage side as the patriarch who runs the guys' baseball team and the bar where the group works and hangs out.

Everyone has some sort of issue they are trying to come to terms with: Patrick (Ben Weber) is debating whether to donate sperm so his sister can have a baby with her lesbian lover. Cynical Dennis (Timothy Olyphant) is unable to admit that he is in love with Kevin (Andrew Keegan), a teen who has just come out of the closet. Player Cole (Dean Cain) now feels the pain of rejection when he is dumped by a famous actor, who is still in the closet.

This is a fun, smart, and sassy romantic comedy with plenty of bite and humourous situations. The cast is incredible and the characters are relatable. Writer-director Greg Berlanti focuses on universal feelings everyone can learn from, regardless of which team they're on. Recommended!!!!

A favorite of mine
The Broken Hearts Club is one of my favorite movies of all time... it's got comedy, romance, drama... everything you need in a movie. The acting is wonderful all around, which surprised me.

Timothy Olyphant is absolutely great as Dennis, and I was glad to see him in a role that isn't a villain (Scream 2, El Diablo). I'm looking forward to seeing him more. Dean Cain proved that not only does he have the good looks, but he has the talent to back it up. In fact, the best scene in the entire film takes place between Cain and Kerr Smith. Matt McGrath and Zach Braff both have decent roles, and they play them well. But the real show-stealer here is Billy Porter as Taylor, the drama queen. He provides a lot of the comic relief, and has some of the funniest lines in the movie ("I don't see why they don't just let me hit off the tee... shut up bit**es!"... among many others).

The Broken Hearts Club has everything I like in a movie: comedy, great-acting, believable dialogue. Whether you're straight or gay, The Broken Hearts Club is one you'll enjoy.

Great One-Liners, Weak Plot
The Broken Hearts Club is a gay softball team, made up of a group of close-knit friends. The movie follows this group as they try to find themselves...and hopefully discover happiness in the process. There's Dennis, a photographer longing for a life-companion; Kevin, newly out and still struggling to discover who he is; Cole, a egotistical actor who goes through men like Kleenex; Taylor, who is dumped by his long-time partner; Patrick, who feels he is unattractive to other men; and Benji, a club kid mixing with the wrong crowd. Watching over the group is their father-figure and coach, Jack.

The movie is an ensemble piece, and the all-star cast works well together. The pretty much all-straight group of guys even manage to convincingly play gay, although would it have killed them to cast a few honest-to-goodness gay men?

The real star of the movie is the one-liners, however. The script is full of stingingly witty dialogue. You should watch this movie for that, if nothing else. Now, if only they could have come up with a plotline as good as the quips. The story comes across as a little soap-opera like for my taste, and everyone just seems to bitch and complain their way through the whole hour and a half. And for a movie that actually has a line about how gay movies only portray stereotypes, every gay stereotype is presented.

The subtitle claims that it is "A Romantic Comedy", but this is perhaps one of the most unromantic movies I have ever seen, and while it has some hilarious one-liners, it really isn't a comedy either. It's too depressing to be a comedy. What it really is, but won't admit, is a gay Steel Magnolias--which isn't necessarily a bad thing. They just couldn't pull it off as well. The ending left me with a slightly unsettled feeling, but overall, I did enjoy it. Recommended.

Should not bill itself as a romantic comedy.
Realistic or not I found this film extremely unentertaining. A romantic comedy that's as romantic as Hitler and as funny as herpes. A mate loaned me this and I was expecting a nice piece of fluffy entertainment that'd pass a couple of hours one evening, but what I got was a depressing and very bitter movie that left me feeling like crap. I thank god that its not realistic or I would happily jump back into the closet.
A group of friends looking for love and I hope for the sake of others that they never find it. The blurb states they have little in common for the fact they play on the same team, on the contrary they are all egotistical, shallow, emotionless young men. I felt very little empathy to any of the characters with the exception of maybe Kevin and Benji, who both had slightly interesting traits. The obligatory death is filmed in such a way I felt complete indifference to it, something I felt throughout the film. A good cast that is completely wasted, I feel embarrassed for them.
If you are a sadist who likes a film where you can despise the central characters and that at times induces anger I would recommend this film. If you actually want some entertainment, stay clear. Maybe this seems a little harsh, but I just can't believe it bills itself as a romantic comedy.

HILARIOUS AND CLEVER
Could any movie possibly address the issue of relationships (or lack there of) in the homosexual culture and better? NO! The Broken Hearts Club is hysterical and very cleverly written. It uses gay slang...showing definitions between scene changes. I just thought it was amazing! It's a must see. Prepare to laugh. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Oscars for Wilde
There can only be one explanation for why this movie wasn't revered and esteemed world over. Society really hasn't changed that much since the times portrayed in 'Wilde.' But this isn't supposed to be a social commentary, but a grand ovation for what is, in my opinion, one of the best movies ever. To begin with, the performances of Stephen Fry and Jude Law are really quite extrordinary. Stephen Fry, in particular, manages not only to look unnervingly like Oscar Wilde, but to embody the wonderful (and complicated) character to an uncanny extent. I applaud Jude Law as well for choosing movies like this instead of (or perhaps as well as ^_^) the normal Hollywood teen fare. He really does give a frighteningly good performance, manic depressive to the core. Jennifer Ehle is also very good in the understated but understanding role of Wilde's wife. All in all, I was really blown away by this movie. Not only is it an incredible tribute to Wilde's wit, but also to his life, to the "love that dare not speak its name" and how it is as true and wonderful a love as any other. Sometimes painful, always powerful, Wilde is a rare gem.

Beautiful, you will want to visit Paris...
In WILDE, Stephen Fry (Jeeves in "Jeeves and Wooster") is the consummate Wilde. Jude Law plays his lover Bosie Douglas. Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennett in "Pride and Predjudice") plays Wilde's long suffering wife. Vanessa Redgrave and Tom Wilkinson also have important roles. What a cast.

The Belle Epoch is beautifully recreated as Wilde travels between England and France--clothes, interiors, architecture, grounds. You don't even have to understand the story to enjoy "being there" in the parks, homes, carrriages.

Oscar Wilde was a writer, best remembered perhaps for "The Portrait of Dorian Grey" although modern audiences may be more familiar with his stage play "The Ideal Husband" (recently made into a film with Jeremy Northern and Cate Blanchett) or "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Wilde was a homosexual in England in an age when one could and did go to prison for acting on instinct. (Nowadays in Saudia Arabia they take off your head.) Although the public became aware of his proclivities, Wilde remained one of Europe's most admired writers. Unfortunately, his term in prison for his sexual preferences may be remembered longer than his works which contain a wonderful drawing room humor many folks fail to grasp. This is a great film, and if you're an Anglophile you must add it to your collection. -- And Paris?? That's where Oscar is buried.

A well-made depiction of Wilde's life
Wilde is a beautifully made film, and I agree with the other customer reviews that found it an impressive portrait of the writer's life. As an expert on Wilde myself (I am writing my master's thesis on him) I would like to comment on some of the objections raised to its handling of his life by scholars and critics. Several scholars whose comments on the film I have read (they know who they are) have pointed out its factual inaccuracies, and have complained about its emphasis on Wilde's love life rather than his literary career. Admittedly, if the viewer wants a more scrupulous account of Wilde's life than is given by this film, she/he would be better off reading Ellmann's biography, on which the film is rather loosely based. Artistic liberties aside, I think we would all agree that the sight of a man making love is more dramatically interesting than the sight of him writing; the film's depiction of Wilde's intimate experiences, speculative as they are, serve to give us additional insight into who he was and the emotions that drove him. The film's greatest strength is its depiction of the neurotic relationship between Wilde and Douglas, which helps the viewer to understand how Wilde got into the jam he did.
I'm sure nobody can complain about the performances in the film, which are dead on, especially that of Stephen Fry in the title role; unlike many actors portraying famous people he not only acts as Wilde must have acted but looks quite like him, which adds to the film's feeling of verisimilitude. Unfortunately, since we don't have a DVD player yet, this review is based on my copy of the video. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the DVD later to examine the extras.

Stephen Fry's memorable performance as the tragic Oscar
My introduction to Oscar Wilde consisted of three disparate sources. First, I read "The Importance of Being Earnest," the wittiest play ever written in the English language. Second, there was Monty Python's Oscar Wilde sketch, where Wilde, James McNeil Whistler and George Bernard Shaw force each other to turn insults into compliments for the Prince of Wales. Third, there was the "Masterpiece Theater" mini-series "Lillie," in which Peter Egan played Wilde and where for the first time I heard the speech from Wilde's court case where he explains "the love that dare not speak its name." It is one of the most unforgettable declarations from the docket in human history and I think I just about have it memorized because it was really burned into my mind the first time I heard it.

When I watched "Wilde," my knowledge and understanding of Oscar Wilde was extended in several key ways. In playing the title role actor Stephen Fry makes Wilde seem less the dandy and more the kindly man he must have been to be put in the situation that caused his down fall. In contrast, Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), known as "Bosie," might be beautiful of face but it is most decidedly skin deep. He is an ugly human being and when Wilde does what he does out of the goodness of his heart, the tragedy that it is for somebody who does not deserve it. I had not really thought much of Bosie before, but after watching "Wilde" I consider him a most despicable figure. Wilde was in prison within three months after the opening of "The Importance of Being Earnest," and the thought of what has been lost to literature and drama is rather sickening. It is only in the film's final scene that for the first time I found myself thinking of Oscar Wilde as a pathetic figure, and again it was because of Bosie.

I had long appreciated the irony that despite his homosexuality Wilde truly loved his wife Constance (Jennifer Ehle), but in Julian Mitchell's screenplay, based on Richard Ellmann's noted biography, I learn an even greater irony with regards to Wilde's downfall, namely that his physical relationship with Bosie had been of short duration and that they were not lovers at the time of the libel suit involving the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson). In that regard this 1997 film enhances the tragic aspects of the story. Of course, the essence of the tragedy is articulated by Wilde himself, who declares: "In this life there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants. The other is getting it."

Beautiful looking and sounding, and heartbreaking as well
This movie is everything about why I love the courageous, crisp, brainy and brilliant British media. Stephen Fry is a gem who could recite the phone book and turn it into a soliloquy on the cruelty of human history. His voice is marvelous, and he rolls his consonants around in his mouth like Jordan almonds -- all without affectation, somehow. Wilde's many quips and epigrams drop out of his mouth without the slightest artificiality, natural and thoughtless as dew rolling off a leaf. Jude Law's Bosie is terrifyingly unstable, and his beauty serves only to throw his instability into high relief. You can't take your eyes off of him while he's on screen at the same time you want to turn away and skitter under the cabinets to stop watching.

The rest of the supporting cast is magnificent (if only the American film industry permitted its great actresses to work past the age of 40, we might boast such luminaries as Vanessa Redgrave and Zoe Wanamaker someday as well as Helen Mirren and Judi Dench!), the directing is flawless, the costumes and set design stunning but never overstated. All of it is used only to support the story, and as beautiful as it all is, it never pulls you out of the story or distracts you, only providing a seamless and textured foundation for the action.

I admit, I'm somewhat amused at the reviewers who imagine that this film shouldn't have concentrated so much on Wilde's sexuality. This is the story of him as much his work -- and his work at any rate was quite informed by his sexuality, nebulous at best during a time when anything but rigid adherence to a particularly joyless version of heterosexuality was a sin and a crime. Beautiful as this film is (and delicious as it is to see so many gorgeous young British men running around au naturel), it breaks your heart with the realization that happiness and fulfillment in life, as well as success and self-respect, can be so profoundly influenced by nothing more significant than the year in which one was born. In a hundred years, what will people be saying about the great women, gays and lesbians, and other minorities who lived in our time? ... Read more

Reviews (291)

'The Rocky Horror Show' Movie
There is one reason why everyone should see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": it is the best cult film ever made. There are also three reasons why everyone should want to watch it: 1) It is one of the only 'R' rated musicals in existence. 2) It has strong science-fiction overtones. 3) It is very funny. The movie starts Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon (before they were stars) as the recently engaged Brad and Janet. However, they are upstaged in nearly every scene by Tim Curry who plays Frank N. Furter, the mad doctor. The cast delightfully performs many memorable songs including "Over at the Frankenstein Place" and, of course, the "Time Warp". To fully enjoy RHPS, one must not be closed minded or the picture could prove to be quite offensive. Don't think it's gratuitously violent- it isn't. Merely, the situations the characters find themselves in could shock or appall overly sensitive viewers. If you think you won't enjoy RHPS, going to a midnight screening might be your best bet. The live audience participation will guarantee you a good time, despite your opinion of the actual film. So overall, RHPS is quite a good adaptation of Richard O'Brien's original concept, which always honors its roots on the stage.

DVD = Perfect format to truly experience "Rocky" at home
I loved going to "Rocky Horror" when I was in college, but watching on home video just wasn't the same. I'm probably committing heresy but there's a reason why this sci-fi, horror, B-movie satire, rock musical didn't really make it big until theaters started showing it as a midnight movie and fans started attending in costume and talking back to the screen. The 25th anniversary DVD, with several audience participation options, really is the next best thing to being there.

For the uninitiated, "Rocky Horror" tells the story of two clean-cut American youths, uptight Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick of "Spin City") and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon of "Dead Man Walking") whose car breaks down on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm--the classic beginning to many horror movies--and who seek help at a nearby castle. Castles, as Rocky fans know, don't have phones! What this castle has instead is a cross-dressing mad scientist Frank-N-Furter Tim Curry, in perhaps his finest performance), two very creepy servants, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and various other hangers-on, including lovers Columbia (Little Nell) and biker Eddie (Meat Loaf). Brad and Janet walk in on a party celebrating the creation of Frank-N-Furter's muscle-bound boy-toy "Rocky." Bed-hopping chaos soon ensues, until the servants reveal their true identities and take control.

Punctuating this wacky plot are some of the wildest rock-musical songs ever written. In addition to the classic "Time Warp," there's O'Brien's salute to cult-classic B-movies, "Science Fiction Double Feature," Meat Loaf's "Hot Patootie," and Sarandon ode to sexual self-discovery, "Toucha Toucha Touch Me!"

So much for the "Rocky virgin" portion of the review... What makes the DVD so exceptional is the chance to experience "Rocky Horror" at home nearly like you would in the theater. The DVD has the option of turning on the audience screen comments as well as another option for viewing members of the Rocky Horror Fan Club performing select scenes before returning to the main movie. For those less familiar with audience participation, the DVD can prompt when to throw toast, toilet paper, rice, etc., light a match, put your newspaper on your head, etc.

The second disc contains fascinating interviews with cast members, where fans can find out about their reaction to starring in this cult classic. Meat Loaf's description of not realizing what "Rocky Horror" was going to be about and running out of the theater when Tim Curry entered wearing fishnet stockings, spiked heels, a merry widow, and a leather jacket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" is hysterical. Patricia Quinn talks about how her fondness for the opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature" made her want to take the role even though she hadn't read the rest of the script. What? Don't remember Quinn singing that number? In the stage versions she did, but the song got reassigned in the film version--and Quinn makes her feelings about that QUITE clear. Sarandon makes the interesting observation that "Rocky Horror" probably kept a lot of art house theaters in business over the years, since they could count on good revenue from the midnight movie, even if the latest regular-hours offering flopped. In Bostwick's interview, however, the actor sounds a bit like William Shatner giving his anti-Trekkie diatribe on "Saturday Night Live."

The only disappointments on the DVD are that the outtakes really aren't that interesting and actor bios aren't provided. I would have liked to see what else the "minor" cast members did after Rocky, but that information is limited to a few lines in the companion booklet. Also, some of the audience-participation comments are nearly impossible to understand because fans are talking over each other. But then that's part of the modern-day theater experience. Even Sarandon noted in her interview that talking back to the screen has gone from the more unison catechism approach to a loud free-for-all.

What seemed so risqué and shocking a few decades ago seems much more innocent today, but it was great when it all began and it's still great! If you've never ventured into the theater to experience "Rocky Horror," this is the best way to experience it at home.

Mesmerizing film.
This is a very outrageous movie. The rock is the background to tell us a horror movie but also spiced with sex , ransvestism and above all a splendid tribute to the movies specially King Kong .
One couple strands in an old house full of weirdos . This movie (here between you and me)could have inspired for Tim Burton in Beetle juice .
In this decade there were great visuals films too . Sherman built a magnificent story absolutely free , intelligent and sarcastic, irreverent and bitter . You might state that Fellini's influence (dressed of english manners and clothes) is present all along the film .
Inmediatly after its release this one acquired the status of cult movie.

The original is still the best!
Don't bother with the play, or the music from the play. The original is still the best. Nobody can fill the shoes of Sarandon, Curry, etc. They originated the roles and have been associated with them for far too long for anyone else to come in try to change them so many years later and attempt to redo them. Stay with the best.

Those Gold Shorts!
Ahhhhh...Rocky had such a lovely outline showing in his gold lame shorts. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Shattered Realities
'For A Lost Soldier' is one film which I have watched several times! It deals with a volatile topic, the story of a very young boy who finds love in the arms of a young Canadian soldier in World War II. Since the story is based on an autobiographical book, it is not the whimsy of a script writer but rather a glimpse into one man's childhood memories. The director took some liberties with the book, both in the introduction and again at the end, but otherwise stayed fairly true to the story. The movie challenges one's ideas regarding consensual sexual relationships which involve an adult and a minor. If anyone was seduced in the film, it was the soldier. The boy is in control and very aware of what it is that he wants from the soldier at all times. The event happened during the liberation of Holland and the liberation theme is tied closely to the young boy's own special liberation. The film also gives a vastly different view of life in Holland under German occupation. While 'The Hiding Place' portrays the horrors of Nazi power in a large city, this film shows what life was like in a remote village. The boy's ration card, so carefully guarded at home, is not even recognized by his 'adoptive' family. They appear to eat well and the village is only guarded by two German soldiers. The soldiers are so bored, they attend the local church service on Sundays, even though the minister is raining down hellfire and brimstone on the German forces in his sermons. One movie with two new concepts to explore, make the film a basic to any good collection.

Requires an open mind, but surprisingly a fine movie
Because of its extremely risky subject: A friendship that develops into a romance between a 20-30-something Canadian soldier and a 12 year old Dutch boy, “For A Lost Soldier” is no doubt destined to remain in the very obscure, little-seen foreign film file, which is unfortunate. The first half of this film is reminiscent of other great coming-of-age war films like John Boorman’s “Hope and Glory”, but takes a very offbeat twist when the boy, Jeroen, meets Walt, the somewhat melancholy but friendly soldier. While some may be unsettled with the idea of a boy and a man having a romantic relationship, the story really focuses more on the friendship and the rites of passage of a boy growing up. World War II must have been a terrifying experience for many of the children of Europe, especially when you are sent far away from your family and surrounded by people and places you don’t know. Never being graphic, this sometimes haunting film delicately deals with themes of love, loneliness, friendship and abandonment. An enjoyable mix of light-hearted moments and touching, poignant moments as well. Directed with grace and class, there’s a lyrical beauty and lush tone to this film which is subtle and under-stated. The audience is invited into the sleepy Dutch countryside and the simple lives of a peaceful, tolerant people. This movie is much more than an offbeat, foreign “gay love story”. “For a Lost Soldier” is a charming and captivating film that will stick with you long after you’ve seen it. It deserves to be seen.

On Exploitation
I've thought very hard about this movie after reading these reviews.
I couldn't, and no matter how hard I try, can't distinguish the soldier's behaviour towards the boy from pure self-gratification - an exercise in narcissism, projected from 1st person to 3rd.

The boy's regard for the soldier, I suspect would be entirely familiar to any boy who ever had a crush on an adult.

but Love?

I found it a thought provoking movie, because it used the cinematic conventions of a love story to tell a story about neediness. Sure, neediness is necessary to love, but sufficient? Hardly.

I don't have a problem with a movie portraying sexual exploitation, but felt uneasy that the treatment here skirted perilously close to sanctification and propagandisation. It was certainly not 'portrayal' in any way I could make sense of.

It has an uneasy resonance, for me, with a strong tendency in the community of men who exploit boys: they mistake the undoubted readiness of certain boys to form attachments, and their curiosity about sexual development, for love and/or sexual desire. I believe this impression is largely formed and reinforced by powerful expressions, like this movie. The problem is that such expressions almost certainly represent the wishful thinking of adults, rather than the authentic experience of kids.
Even when the story is autobiographical, as I believe this to be*, it makes sense to me that the dishonesty could represent a sexualised variation on the self-replicating damage we see in schools and military institutions, where each incoming group "grows up" from being exploited and abused to perpetrate the same on the next intake. There's some sort of "empathy bypass" which seems to be inherent to the mechanism.

*From reading the review of the book on which the film is based, the film has definitely been sanitised and perhaps crosses the line into fiction : in the book, the soldier forces sex with the kid, and his general behaviour towards him is even less consistent with love than is depicted in the film. I didn't know this when I wrote the preceding, and I somewhat sickened to reflect that the movie's promos and reviews ever led me to believe this was a film which might uplift me.
The whole thing starts to feel like a triumph of romanticism over honesty, perhaps in the tradition of the "Olympia" films of Leni Riefenstahl, where the beautiful bodies and movement of athletes, and the considerable arsenal of artful cinematography, were conscripted in the glorious service of something horrible about to engulf Europe.

I don't require my movies to condemn. In fact, I prefer them not to make moral judgements of any sort. It disturbs me, however, when they use misleading packaging to inveigle me into taking an interest, and then once I'm inside, use an essentially dishonest "insemination by imagery" process to surreptitiously advance a moral judgement - in favour - of the frankly indefensible.

I defend your right to see this movie and make your own judgement, but I'm glad I can exercise my right to warn you about it.

Appealing only to those who actively seek such media
The ostensibly "tender" portrayal of a 12-year-old boy's (Jeroem) sexual relationship with a Canadian soldier (Walt) in World War II. Apart from barely developing the kid as a believable character, there's hardly any redeeming quality to Walt. The man is openly a predator, using candy and promises of adventure to seduce his way into Jeroem's pants. There's only one real "sex" scene between the two, and the director handles it with as much taste and class as one can handle a grown man deflowing a preteen. In a scene where Jeroem's adoptive father confronts Walt about what he knows is going on, the man wilts under the fact that he owes his freedom partly to the Canadian army's driving Nazis out of their land, and his resolve crumbles. All in all, it's a pretty bland and full of half-hearted narrative excuses. I will give the film one kudo, tho: they didn't fall back on the cliché of abusive father-figure driving the boy into the pedophile's "loving" arms.

I'm Conflicted
Oh, my. What to say about this movie? It is, after all, about a young man having sex with a 12-year-old boy.

First, the easy part . . . . The movie is well-crafted, structured around flashback, a deft mix of subtitled Dutch and English in reflection of the idiosyncratic communication that evolves between the main characters, and beautifully filmed in the soft light of northern Europe. As a piece of cinematic craftmanship, I'd give it 4 stars.

But then there's the story itself. Can sexual relations between an adult and a child ever be excused by love or circumstances? Before this movie, the answer for me was a resounding no. After this movie, I simply don't know. The man here is not a sexual predator in that he is not attracted to the boy by virtue of his youth. Instead, he is a gay man doubly isolated by his sexual orientation and by being on foreign ground at the end of a world-shattering war. And, coming across a gay boy likewise isolated from his home at the end of the same war, a bond is forged that did not have sex as its initial aim and came to include sex only after love was so deeply established as to have rendered age irrelevant.

Or did it? After all, the soldier is first attracted to the boy by his looks, not by anything he knew about the boy or his circumstances. And can age ever be irrelevant to sex involving minors? Do 12-year-olds ever know enough of themselves, their world, and its risks to be informed participants?

If nothing else, this movie accomplishes something by making the question tenable. But does it, in the end, make this love affair all right? I simply don't know.

This movie stands up as a thought-provoking film. It should not, however, be read as an unambiguous justification for adult/child sex. Since it, however, implies more than presents the ambiguities and could leave some thinking they've just watched an argument that child sex taboos are nothing more than unwarranted modern western uptightness, I discount it to 3 stars. ... Read more

Description

An award-winning, exhilaratingly funny coming-of-age film, Cowboys & Angels tells the witty story about two Irish lads-one straight and one gay-from their youthful career ambitions to romance to entanglements with the law. Shane (Michael Legge, Angela's Ashes) is a shy civil servant striking out on his own. Vincent (Allen Leech) is a gay fashion design student looking for a roommate. When they cross paths, a friendship begins with Vincent helping pull Shane from his shell and sending him on the road to fabulousness. However, Shane becomes involved in drug running and falls for Vincent's best friend Gemma (the luminous Amy Shields). ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Roomates Help Each Other Out
"Cowboys & Angels" is an entertaining tale showing how a brief rooming together of one gay and one straight man results in benefit to both.Twenty-year old, straight Shane Butler (played by Michael Legge) moves to downtown Limerick to be closer to his safe, dull civil service job in Ireland's Department of Agriculture.Not being able to afford the rent alone, he rooms with a gay, 23-year old student of fashion design, Vincent Cusack (played by Allen Leech).Shane becomes attracted to a fast-food server, Gemma (played by Amy Shiels), and gets life and career advice from a retiring co-worker, Jerry (played by Frank Kelly).It turns out that Gemma is a close friend of Vincent and is a possible lesbian.Dowdy Shane is not going anywhere fast and is even not being allowed into the trendy night club. Vincent rides to the rescue.Along the way Shane realizes that his career passion is drawing and that art school might make sense.Art schoool is expensive; so Shane is subject to temptation.Temptation leads to big trouble.Along the way the more disciplined Vincent gets roped in and has to come up with a way both to put on a successful show of his fashions for graduation and to get out of the soup.Through luck and good character, there is a happy ending.

The extras include a good commentary track with Writer/ Director David Gleeson and actors Legge and Leech, some deleted scenes (two of which have some frisson), a director's text statement on his purpose for the movie, and some trailers.

The skin shots are modest - Gemma's back, side-views of chests with open shirts and the like.There is good use of suggestion.

The movie is successful in showing how people of good will with different backgrounds can negotiate a living arrangement and help each other live better.When Shane has his downward spiral, Vincent is able to keep matters under control.This is a reversal of the stereotype of the stalwart straight person and the flustered gay one.Limerick looks very beautiful, with castles and riverfront views.There is good use of humor throughout.

My one issue with the movie is that it continues the traditional focus on the straight character at the expense of the gay one.At the end Vincent is able to help Shane change his look, his career, and his loneliness, while staying out of jail.Separately, Shane gets good advice through his job.Despite the fabulous clothes, makeup, and apartment, Vincent is never shown with a boyfriend or even a date.Vincent is shown having a single, brief encounter with a nice-looking greying-haired gentleman and is shown hanging out at both the local club and at home only with the woman, Gemma.Vincent's parents are glimpsed once, at his graduation, and are never mentioned otherwise.Where does the money for art school and all the clothes and home decorations come from?Vincent seems to have no adult coaches.Vincent is an inherently good and sensible person, but the questions about his social life, funding, and mentors are never asked.Seen unsympathetically, this movie might appear to be a partial upgrade of the old story of the gay sidekick doing his all to help his straight buddy and ending up with not much for himself.

(Shane does help Vincent overcome a creative block and does behave well at the end; so it is not quite as one-sided as the above might imply.)

I liked the movie, especially the acting and Limerick, and would be happy to watch a sequel.

I wanted a little more - just a little
This could have been a great film. What took it from a great film to a good film, for me, was the drug running. I understand that there needed to be a contrivance to get Shane money that he didn't have for both art school and a turnabout from geek to cute, but I just thought there could have been something less expectant. I remember myself thinking, before the idea even came out, "God, I hope he doesn't get into drug running". Yet he did. By the way, with his hair, clothes, and everything else, I thought he was perfectly fine. A person doesn't need to be wildly fashionable to be attractive. Shane was attractive as he was.

This was such a great concept. Two guys from totally different worlds manage to find themselves in the same world, and the gay guy works a "miracle" on the straight guy to turn him into something more than he is. This too is something rather simple, but the actors made it something more. Both Vincent and Shane really turned in terrific performances. Okay, maybe not a "great" concept, but it was a concept that was acted out magnificently. Vincent and Shane were completely believable characters. At first I didn't quite buy Shane's interest in drugs at all - never mind the drug running - but when you consider his relative loneliness, it fits quite well. Vincent's hatred of drugs was a welcome compliment to that. A very welcome compliment.

There have been countless girls (Gemma) who have fallen in love with beautiful gay guys, and tried to turn them. The scene when Gemma tried to make love to Vincent was entirely believable. Even though Vincent was gay, "everybody tries it once", and he gave it his best shot. It didn't work.

There was a tension in the film that was so powerful that it made me angry that the drug running was a part of it. That was Vincent's obvious attraction to Shane. Whenever the two were shown together in their apartment, they were very close to each other, sometimes shoulder to shoulder, and on more than one occasion, Vincent had his knee on Shane's leg. I found it completely believable that Shane didn't sense Vincent's attraction to him, and when Shane was "seduced" by the drug runner and turned him away, that was believable as well. Vincent was gay. Shane was straight. I won't deny that part of me wished that Shane would fall for Vincent, but it's almost better that they were simply best friends, that Shane took whatever money he had left over to give Vincent a ticket to New York to pursue his dream of fashion.

Again, my only problem in the film was the drug running. It took up too much time in a movie that had a considerable amount of material to mine. I wanted to see so much more of Vincent and Shane - and I'm not talking about wanting to see them in sexual situations. They were just such believable characters that if the drug running was removed and more time given to their relationship, it would have been a great film. Perhaps instead of the drug running, they could have given more time to Shane's infatuation with Gemma. That would have been terrific.

A Refreshing, Warmly Humorous and Tender Story from Ireland
Writer and Director David Gleeson has molded a film about contemporary youth and the life problems and decisions they make and in doing so has created a story unblemished by the conventional tropes - an unusual and commendable feat.

Small town ladShane (Michael Legge) narrates this adventure as he enters the 'big city' civil service employment in Limerick to support his newly widowed mother and family.An artist at heart and of talent, Shane stumbles along trying to find a flat he can afford, eventually settling into a shared mid-city flat with a young gay art student Vincent (Allen Leech).The two seem polar opposites at first: Shane is conservative in dress and job and social demeanor while Vincent is garish, ebullient, and progressive in this artsy way of life.

Slowly, through a wondrous honesty about who they are, the two become close and Vincent does a makeover of Shane to give him a chance to be more engaged in the world.By a curious accident, Shane discovers a stash of drugs in the lobby of their flat, only to discover that it belongs to two men who live there -Keith (David Manning) and Budgie (Colm Coogan).Serendipitously, Shane is talked into 'transporting' drugs from Dublin to Limerick for 1000 Euros, money Shane desperately needs if he is to maintain his newly designed lifestyle.

Shane's adventure in Dublin is complicated by dire happenings but he manages to return to Limerick and his reward.Shane tries some of the drugs with bad consequences and is eventually arrested along with Vincent for possession of a tiny amount of drugs in their flat.One of Vincent's ex tricks happens to work in the Police Department and the two are freed.

Subplots include a tender friendship between Shane and a retiring civil servant Jerry (Frank Kelly) whose end to his boring career and life alters Shane's outlook considerably.In the end Shane and Vincent (along with Gemma - Amy Shiels - a fellow art student of Vincent's who shares many qualities with both lads) are warmly bonded and the results of their friendship are the unexpected but lovely end to this film.

All of the actors are first rate and the direction is fast paced and unbelievably unbiased and tender.This is a fine film for audiences young of age and of heart and is one of the better-balanced films about the spectrum of sexuality that has been made.Wonderful film!Grady Harp, February 2005

An Excellent Coming of Age Story Set In Dublin
Although there is a gay lead in first-time director David Gleeson's "Cowboys and Angels", this is by no means a gay film, rather a touching and heartwarming story of two young men coming-of-age in the heart of Dublin. Rivaling anything that's on the market today in the way of teen films, this rises above any of them with great performances and a fresh look at some old themes. It might be too sweet at times and neatly wrapped but the Irish charm of the characters keeps it afloat throughout.

Michael Legge plays Shane Butler, a geeky 20 year old lad from the suburbs who has just moved to Dublin. While searching for a flat to rent he stumbles upon a fellow classmate from high school, Vincent (Allen Leech), and the two reconnect when they both happen to be looking at the same apartment to rent. They decide to share it and Shane's adventure in the big city begins.

Shane is straight, has a quiet demeanor, and looks like his mom dressed him, while Vincent is more outgoing, dresses and looks funky, oh, and is gay. The two don't quite hit it off at first, but their friendship develops over time and Vincent takes him under his wing, as a friend and partly as a fashion project. Shane falls for a girl named Gemma (Amy Shiels) who works in a nearby burger joint, and it just so happens an old classmate of Vincent's. Shane has a hard time making the connection with her and is envious of her and Vincent's friendship. To make matters worse, Shane finds some drugs in the buildings lobby, he gets caught by the dealer (David Murray), and is then offered a large sum of money to make a run. He takes the offer hoping the money can either buy him a new wardrobe or help put him into art school and get him out of his dead-end job at the civil service department. A subplot involves a coworker named Jerry that is truly touching. In any event, Shane falls into the wrong crowd and friendships are tested, hearts broken, and loved ones lost. But in the end, true friendship endures and you can't help be touched by either one, the cowboy or angel.

Wonderfully unconventional
Having literally JUST finsihed the movie, I am still smiling! The whole film just exudes a sense of fun. From its quirky sense of humor to its loving realism, the movie has some moments where you'll be hogging the tissues, and others where you'll be squirming with excitment for the characters. As for any fears that this might be some poorly-produced indie crap (Shiner, Defying Gravity), rest assured, this is what indie- was meant to be... absolutely great! ...