You know those fuzzy slippers-ratty PJs-limp hair-bar of chocolate-tub of ice cream days when all you want to do is to vegetate on the couch? You are perhaps depressed, lazy, anti-social, nursing a miserable cold, or confined indoors by inclement weather. You may be even celebrating a long awaited off after a particularly hectic stretch at work.
What do you do on such occasions? Me—I watch low investment-high entertainment feel good romantic comedies. I do declare that there is nothing like a warm, witty rom-com full of beautiful people, clever banter, and just enough sex to pick one’s spirits and restore one’s hope for humanity.
However there is one problem. They threw away the template of intelligent, edgy, and quirky rom-coms after they made When Harry Met Sally. And Woody Allen is definitely does not believe in knowledge sharing. So we are left with a dearth of good movies in this genre, with every new one failing miserably to get its act together.
In the straight world that is.
Disgusted with the state of affairs in the heterosexual world, I have been exploring the Gay/Lesbian scene in the past week and boy have I struck gold! I’ve watched a series of screwball, quirky, and gender-bender movies that has kept me chuckling and feeling warm and fuzzy.
So, without much further ado, here’s a list of five recommendations from me. Rent them this weekend and enjoy yourself.
Dorian Blues (2004)
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Dorian Lagatos is a quirky, neurotic, and Woody Allen-eque teenager in a small town. According to him, “I find it's good to talk about everything. My therapist says I overdo that, that I overanalyze - course she's bulimic, so let's not get too preachy. “
He is having a tough time fitting in as he pales in comparison to his football playing, good looking, and popular-with-the-girls younger brother Nicky Lagatos and despised by his domineering, Nixon-loving dad. On top of it, he has discovered that he is gay. Luckily, he has gotten an admission in NYU for a liberal arts program, and a world of coffee shops, intellectual company, and handsome men await him.
But before that, he needs to get his head straight and come out properly. His brother is supportive, but warns him not to tell anybody. While saving him from a bully attack in school, he insists that Dorian should lie about his orientation.
Nicky Lagatos: “Remember what Hitler said: you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, eventually they'll believe it.”
Dorian Lagatos: “So your advice is to be more like Hitler?”
Dorian goes to a therapist to work out his issues with his dad. Not that it helps. Dad doesn’t take his coming out charitably, so Dorian huffs off to New York. What follows is a coming-of-age tale, with hits and misses and strengthening of family ties.
Tennyson Bardwell is both the writer and director of this film which has won eight awards. Michael McMillian as Dorian Lagatos has given a pitch perfect performance. Lea Coco (who I discovered is a Chicago-based theater actor) is adorable as the gorgeous, decent, and protective younger brother.
Bedrooms and Hallways (1998)
IMDb rating: 6.1/10
Here’s a movie which is engagingly intelligent and witty, in the dry Brit sort of way. Also, it picks up what seems to be a favorite theme in this genre—confusion about sexual identity and even a question whether these are water-tight compartments. The point the director of this movie (Rose Troche) tries to make is that all of us will swing any which way, under the right circumstances.
Leo (played captivatingly by Kevin McKidd), a good looking and vivacious gay man from West London, is having trouble hanging on to relationships. At the suggestion of a straight friend, he joins a self-help group for straight men. And promptly falls for a good looking and straight Brendan (played by the gorgeous James Purefoy) in the group, who’s come to get help after breaking up with a girl friend of seven years. Things get complicated after Leo announces his attraction to the group.
Eventually the two end up having an affair. But when Leo meets Brendan’s ex, he discovers she was his ex girlfriend before he had come out. Sparks fly and the movie rolls on as a comedy of errors and confusion, ably aided by the most atrocious of group activities. I didn’t quite like the way it ended, but that does not diminish the pleasure of this movie.
The movie benefits from great performances by the supporting cast: the very camp Tom Hollander who plays Leo’s flat mate (“Rub some compost in your face, straight boys love it”) and the whacky group facilitator Keith played by Simon Callow stand out.
The movie is consistently funny. Leo reads Margaret Thatcher’s biography in lieu of a cold shower and chants passages of it to help him keep it down in a Turkish bath session with the group. The group orders in Chinese food after going to camp in the forest where they were supposed to forage their own food and fail miserably.
If for nothing else, watch the movie for the revisionist Jane Austen dream scene. As one reviewer puts it: “handsome James Purefoy (as Mr. Darcy) striding about in breeches saying “I've been out all day whipping stable boys - would you like a whipping, boy?” to footman Kevin McKidd who nearly orgasms on the spot.”
Different for Girls (1996)
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Effeminate Karl Foyle and alpha-male Paul Prentice shared an ambiguous friendship in prep school in the 70s. They meet by accident in present day London. Karl is now the prissy Kim after a gender reassignment surgery and works as a verse writer in a greeting cards company. She lives in a clean, orderly flat in a thoroughly respectable and middle class neighborhood. Paul on the other hand, seems to have been drifting, emotionally stuck in the 70s and teenage, and is now a delivery guy who zooms around London on his bike, clad in leather. She is financially secure; he is broke.
There is an inexorable attraction between the two. But Paul is thoroughly confused—he is alternatively attracted and repulsed by Kim. Every meeting ends disastrously, the low point being the dinner at Kim’s place. An argument flares between the two, and a drunk Paul ends up indecently exposing himself. The two of them are arrested. Kim is harassed by the policeman in the van; when Paul tries to defend her, he gets beaten up.
Now Paul faces charges of assaulting a policeman. His only hope is a testimony from Kim, who is so terrified by the experience that she goes into hiding. The two now have to work out their prejudices and fears to give their relationship a chance.
Rupert Graves as Paul gives a tour de force performance, dominating every scene he is on, with his boyish charm and volatile temper. Steven Mckintosh playing Karl/Kim definitely has a more difficult job which he carries out with great gravitas.
The movie is incurably romantic with its belief in love transcending differences. The dialogs are sharp and interesting. Do watch it, but only after the kids have gone to bed.
In & Out (1997)
IMDb rating: 6.1/10
You might be familiar with this Kevin Kline/Joan Cusack/ Tom Selleck comedy, which apparently was inspired by Tom Hanks’ Oscar acceptance speech for Philadelphia, in which he mentioned his gay high school teacher.
Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is a high school literature/drama teacher in Green Leaf, Indiana, the “great big small town”. He is engaged to the long suffering Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack) and is going to be married in three days’ time. In the meanwhile, the whole town is following the Oscar run of local boy Cameron Drake (Matt Dillion). Glen Close, the announcer says: “Tonight he joins fellow best actor nominee Paul Newman for ‘Coot’, Clint Eastwood for ‘Codger’, Michael Douglas for ‘Primary Urges’ and Steven Seagal for ‘Snowball in Hell’.”
Cameron gets the Oscar and in his acceptance speech outs Howard. There is of course an upheaval. As gay network reporter Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) reports: “A teacher in trouble. A town under siege. A journey to the heartland. Stay tuned.”
Howard tries to reassure the town and himself of his orientation. He even listens to a “How to be a Man” tape.
Voice on tape: “Now, repeat after me: ‘Yo!’”
Howard Brackett: “Yo!”
Voice on tape: “Hot damn!”
Howard Brackett: “Hot damn!”
Voice on tape: “What a fabulous window treatment!”
Howard Brackett: “What a fabu...”
Voice on tape: “That was a trick!”
But he figures out that he is gay at his wedding and things go haywire after that. The movie ends on a too Hollywoodish note, but it is very funny.
Watch it for that unending kiss between Tom Selleck and Kevin Kline and Kevin’s reaction. Hilarious!
Puccini for Beginners (2006)
IMDb rating 5.9/10
Here’s another gender-bender rom-com set in that cradle of rom-coms, New York. Allegra is smart, conflicted, addicted to opera, and lesbian. She had once published a book. She doesn’t believe in love or commitment: “Commit! Just listen to that word, it's what they do in insane asylums!”
Her girlfriend Samantha breaks up with her because Samantha wants a life of growing old together with someone, not just high romance. While nursing a broken heart, Allegra meets Philips at a party, who is one of the 10 people who have read her book. She asks him, “Sure you didn’t just read it ‘cause of the photo they put on the back cover? Cause now you can see I don’t look like that. That was a moment of youthful pulchritude—don’t ask me what pulchritude means!”
Of course Philip knows, as he is a philosophy professor at Columbia. Attraction sparks between the two and before long they are having an affair. Which confuses Allegra of course. Philip gets very serious and breaks up with his girlfriend. In the meanwhile, she meets Grace and gets into a relationship with her too. She eventually finds out that Grace is Philip’s ex.
So Allegra’s life gets terribly complicated as she toggles between her two relationships and gets tied up in knots. She hears advice from everybody—from the waitress at the coffee shop to the announcer at the subway. Her friend doesn’t approve.
Nell: “You got together with Philip as a way to get back at Samantha and then when your emotions got too strong you found Grace under whom you could project your conflict and who so conveniently was braking up with her boyfriend making her another unavailable love object which of course confirms your deep cynicism about relationships in general and keeps you from confronting your real problem which has had to be yourself.”
Allegra: “Jesus Christ Nell, all I did was ask you what you wanted to have for lunch...”
Nell: “Wendy's.”
It all resolves quite predictably in the end, but it is a very cute movie to watch.
What do you do on such occasions? Me—I watch low investment-high entertainment feel good romantic comedies. I do declare that there is nothing like a warm, witty rom-com full of beautiful people, clever banter, and just enough sex to pick one’s spirits and restore one’s hope for humanity.
However there is one problem. They threw away the template of intelligent, edgy, and quirky rom-coms after they made When Harry Met Sally. And Woody Allen is definitely does not believe in knowledge sharing. So we are left with a dearth of good movies in this genre, with every new one failing miserably to get its act together.
In the straight world that is.
Disgusted with the state of affairs in the heterosexual world, I have been exploring the Gay/Lesbian scene in the past week and boy have I struck gold! I’ve watched a series of screwball, quirky, and gender-bender movies that has kept me chuckling and feeling warm and fuzzy.
So, without much further ado, here’s a list of five recommendations from me. Rent them this weekend and enjoy yourself.
Dorian Blues (2004)
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Dorian Lagatos is a quirky, neurotic, and Woody Allen-eque teenager in a small town. According to him, “I find it's good to talk about everything. My therapist says I overdo that, that I overanalyze - course she's bulimic, so let's not get too preachy. “
He is having a tough time fitting in as he pales in comparison to his football playing, good looking, and popular-with-the-girls younger brother Nicky Lagatos and despised by his domineering, Nixon-loving dad. On top of it, he has discovered that he is gay. Luckily, he has gotten an admission in NYU for a liberal arts program, and a world of coffee shops, intellectual company, and handsome men await him.
But before that, he needs to get his head straight and come out properly. His brother is supportive, but warns him not to tell anybody. While saving him from a bully attack in school, he insists that Dorian should lie about his orientation.
Nicky Lagatos: “Remember what Hitler said: you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, eventually they'll believe it.”
Dorian Lagatos: “So your advice is to be more like Hitler?”
Dorian goes to a therapist to work out his issues with his dad. Not that it helps. Dad doesn’t take his coming out charitably, so Dorian huffs off to New York. What follows is a coming-of-age tale, with hits and misses and strengthening of family ties.
Tennyson Bardwell is both the writer and director of this film which has won eight awards. Michael McMillian as Dorian Lagatos has given a pitch perfect performance. Lea Coco (who I discovered is a Chicago-based theater actor) is adorable as the gorgeous, decent, and protective younger brother.
Bedrooms and Hallways (1998)
IMDb rating: 6.1/10
Here’s a movie which is engagingly intelligent and witty, in the dry Brit sort of way. Also, it picks up what seems to be a favorite theme in this genre—confusion about sexual identity and even a question whether these are water-tight compartments. The point the director of this movie (Rose Troche) tries to make is that all of us will swing any which way, under the right circumstances.
Leo (played captivatingly by Kevin McKidd), a good looking and vivacious gay man from West London, is having trouble hanging on to relationships. At the suggestion of a straight friend, he joins a self-help group for straight men. And promptly falls for a good looking and straight Brendan (played by the gorgeous James Purefoy) in the group, who’s come to get help after breaking up with a girl friend of seven years. Things get complicated after Leo announces his attraction to the group.
Eventually the two end up having an affair. But when Leo meets Brendan’s ex, he discovers she was his ex girlfriend before he had come out. Sparks fly and the movie rolls on as a comedy of errors and confusion, ably aided by the most atrocious of group activities. I didn’t quite like the way it ended, but that does not diminish the pleasure of this movie.
The movie benefits from great performances by the supporting cast: the very camp Tom Hollander who plays Leo’s flat mate (“Rub some compost in your face, straight boys love it”) and the whacky group facilitator Keith played by Simon Callow stand out.
The movie is consistently funny. Leo reads Margaret Thatcher’s biography in lieu of a cold shower and chants passages of it to help him keep it down in a Turkish bath session with the group. The group orders in Chinese food after going to camp in the forest where they were supposed to forage their own food and fail miserably.
If for nothing else, watch the movie for the revisionist Jane Austen dream scene. As one reviewer puts it: “handsome James Purefoy (as Mr. Darcy) striding about in breeches saying “I've been out all day whipping stable boys - would you like a whipping, boy?” to footman Kevin McKidd who nearly orgasms on the spot.”
Different for Girls (1996)
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Effeminate Karl Foyle and alpha-male Paul Prentice shared an ambiguous friendship in prep school in the 70s. They meet by accident in present day London. Karl is now the prissy Kim after a gender reassignment surgery and works as a verse writer in a greeting cards company. She lives in a clean, orderly flat in a thoroughly respectable and middle class neighborhood. Paul on the other hand, seems to have been drifting, emotionally stuck in the 70s and teenage, and is now a delivery guy who zooms around London on his bike, clad in leather. She is financially secure; he is broke.
There is an inexorable attraction between the two. But Paul is thoroughly confused—he is alternatively attracted and repulsed by Kim. Every meeting ends disastrously, the low point being the dinner at Kim’s place. An argument flares between the two, and a drunk Paul ends up indecently exposing himself. The two of them are arrested. Kim is harassed by the policeman in the van; when Paul tries to defend her, he gets beaten up.
Now Paul faces charges of assaulting a policeman. His only hope is a testimony from Kim, who is so terrified by the experience that she goes into hiding. The two now have to work out their prejudices and fears to give their relationship a chance.
Rupert Graves as Paul gives a tour de force performance, dominating every scene he is on, with his boyish charm and volatile temper. Steven Mckintosh playing Karl/Kim definitely has a more difficult job which he carries out with great gravitas.
The movie is incurably romantic with its belief in love transcending differences. The dialogs are sharp and interesting. Do watch it, but only after the kids have gone to bed.
In & Out (1997)
IMDb rating: 6.1/10
You might be familiar with this Kevin Kline/Joan Cusack/ Tom Selleck comedy, which apparently was inspired by Tom Hanks’ Oscar acceptance speech for Philadelphia, in which he mentioned his gay high school teacher.
Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is a high school literature/drama teacher in Green Leaf, Indiana, the “great big small town”. He is engaged to the long suffering Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack) and is going to be married in three days’ time. In the meanwhile, the whole town is following the Oscar run of local boy Cameron Drake (Matt Dillion). Glen Close, the announcer says: “Tonight he joins fellow best actor nominee Paul Newman for ‘Coot’, Clint Eastwood for ‘Codger’, Michael Douglas for ‘Primary Urges’ and Steven Seagal for ‘Snowball in Hell’.”
Cameron gets the Oscar and in his acceptance speech outs Howard. There is of course an upheaval. As gay network reporter Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) reports: “A teacher in trouble. A town under siege. A journey to the heartland. Stay tuned.”
Howard tries to reassure the town and himself of his orientation. He even listens to a “How to be a Man” tape.
Voice on tape: “Now, repeat after me: ‘Yo!’”
Howard Brackett: “Yo!”
Voice on tape: “Hot damn!”
Howard Brackett: “Hot damn!”
Voice on tape: “What a fabulous window treatment!”
Howard Brackett: “What a fabu...”
Voice on tape: “That was a trick!”
But he figures out that he is gay at his wedding and things go haywire after that. The movie ends on a too Hollywoodish note, but it is very funny.
Watch it for that unending kiss between Tom Selleck and Kevin Kline and Kevin’s reaction. Hilarious!
Puccini for Beginners (2006)
IMDb rating 5.9/10
Here’s another gender-bender rom-com set in that cradle of rom-coms, New York. Allegra is smart, conflicted, addicted to opera, and lesbian. She had once published a book. She doesn’t believe in love or commitment: “Commit! Just listen to that word, it's what they do in insane asylums!”
Her girlfriend Samantha breaks up with her because Samantha wants a life of growing old together with someone, not just high romance. While nursing a broken heart, Allegra meets Philips at a party, who is one of the 10 people who have read her book. She asks him, “Sure you didn’t just read it ‘cause of the photo they put on the back cover? Cause now you can see I don’t look like that. That was a moment of youthful pulchritude—don’t ask me what pulchritude means!”
Of course Philip knows, as he is a philosophy professor at Columbia. Attraction sparks between the two and before long they are having an affair. Which confuses Allegra of course. Philip gets very serious and breaks up with his girlfriend. In the meanwhile, she meets Grace and gets into a relationship with her too. She eventually finds out that Grace is Philip’s ex.
So Allegra’s life gets terribly complicated as she toggles between her two relationships and gets tied up in knots. She hears advice from everybody—from the waitress at the coffee shop to the announcer at the subway. Her friend doesn’t approve.
Nell: “You got together with Philip as a way to get back at Samantha and then when your emotions got too strong you found Grace under whom you could project your conflict and who so conveniently was braking up with her boyfriend making her another unavailable love object which of course confirms your deep cynicism about relationships in general and keeps you from confronting your real problem which has had to be yourself.”
Allegra: “Jesus Christ Nell, all I did was ask you what you wanted to have for lunch...”
Nell: “Wendy's.”
It all resolves quite predictably in the end, but it is a very cute movie to watch.
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Meetesh
www.mclodha.wordpress.com