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The Art of Being Straight
Twenty-three-year-old John has just moved to L.A. from New York, ostensibly "taking a break" from his longtime girlfriend. He moves in with college bro Andy, whose pals incessantly do that kind of "That is so gay" banter that's essentially harmless - unless you're the only gay guy in the room.
Release : | 2009 |
Rating : | 4.9 |
Studio : | Great Graffiti Films, Malvern Productions, |
Crew : | Director of Photography, Director, |
Cast : | Jesse Rosen Johnny Ray Rodríguez Jesse Janzen Bryan McGowan Jen Zaborowski |
Genre : | Drama Comedy Romance |
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Reviews
Good concept, poorly executed.
Good , But It Is Overrated By Some
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
This movie surprised me on many different levels. I was scratching my head, however, coming here and finding a relatively low rating. The comments, though, are fairly spot-on.I am very wary when somebody gets listed as writer, star and director. In the case of this movie, I realized very early on that Mr. Rosen is not only very good with dialogue, but also with conveying characters that are multi-faceted.The performances in this film, especially of Rosen and his female lead, Rachel Castillo, are very strong. It is helped by a script that is very believable, for the most part.There were many instances where gestures and the economy of less dialogue caused moments that were very moving and impressive.What prevented me from giving this film a higher rating was the disappointing nature of the interaction between Rosen and his best friends. As another commenter stated, outside of his best friend, they hardly seemed straight. Which is quite odd, because some of the supporting casting is very well done.But the whole last scene seemed to me as if the production ran out of money. Exactly where you think there will be some dramatic tension when his friends may react to the fact that he had outed himself to another friend, the movie just stops and doesn't even deal with it.I assume Rosen was trying to make the case that after coming out, one's friends will treat you exactly as they did before (well, if they are enlightened friends, yes). But, in this movie, one never knows, because it doesn't get addressed, which makes no sense because prior scenes allude to the fact that it might be a problem.Summary: The positives: Some of the most realistic representations ever written about the coming out process, some very nuanced and strong performances.The negatives: It is an unfinished work. It just ends. Some of the friends are badly miscast.Overall....this movie shows Rosen has an awful lot of talent. Definitely worth checking out. But don't expect much in the way of the film's resolution. It is, as was written earlier, a slice of life. Just not a complete slice.
Though not a major movie, it is fun and has many nicely observed moments. I found the characters believable, especially the protagonist, played by Jarod Grey. He does a very good job. There are many scenes in which I thought he seemed completely real, such as when he gets chewed out at work for not sending a FedEx package properly, smoking pot in his driveway with his kooky neighbor and telling her he has slept with a guy, coming home to confusingly find his macho apartment mates with GAY spelled on their chests in grease paint, his reaction in the party scene when a girl he has recently slept with asks him whether he is gay, and especially I found the seduction scene very convincing and well done.
To make a first movie, to write it, direct it AND star in the leading role might either be genius or heading for the big big fall. Jesse Rosen has decided to take his chances and really, he did not fall.There's a lot to comment on this movie: superfluous scenes, overplayed emotions, clichés, amateur actors and pretentious camera-work at times. But that does not get in the way of the story. The script is well wrought, although the juxtaposition of the straight boy going gay and the lesbian going straight is a little too symmetric, but things are left to guess and find out for yourself. Does Jon really go gay? Will Maddie ever make something of her life? Is Paul a predator or just looking for love? The acting by the two leads, and some supporting actors (the history teacher, the best friend), is good and a times funny and on the dot. ("Oh, you were the cutest bottom boy!")Why the ending is not more pronounced might be a question of taste, but the scene where Jon is getting back with his friends (who are supposed to be straight but seem played by very gay actors...) is plain weak.So Rosen did not fall, that's good, but it is no work of genius either.
This is a very "slice of life" film. I normally prefer movies with a stronger plot. However, the quality of the performances completely won me over, and I wound up enjoying it a lot.Basically, the movie is about a young guy who moves to LA and has a gay experience with his boss. He's not sure what it means, and it's never really clear whether he is gay or not. The rest of the movie involves the repercussions for him and his relationship with his straight friends.In a parallel plot line, his lesbian friend is having trouble in her relationship, and is considering sleeping with a guy.The plot is pretty thin, and the movie was clearly shot on a very slight budget. But the performances are completely engrossing. Also, the sexually ambiguous nature of the two leading characters is something that I haven't seen depicted in film before. It feels very fresh and contemporary.