My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

From the start of the movie I was told by the others watching the movie that it looked like something one of us could shoot at home with some spare time. This was true. The characters were very much overdone. This was also true. I didn't find the male lead very convincing at anything other than being a bumbling idiot. The basic plot idea was quite amusing but needed to be executed a lot better. Valerie Perrine, a long-time veteran of screen seemed very uncomfortable in her role as well. I have to say the one saving grace of the movie appeared to be the screen debut of Deborah Gibson. Though her music has faded into oblivion, I hope she will one day get a script that matches her dramatic talent.

I rented this on video out of curiosity - had no idea it actually played in theaters (not here in NYC, though).

The story concerns a gay soap actor (played by Chris Bruno) who is about to marry an innocent, unsuspecting young woman to help his hunk image, much to the chagrin of his longtime boyfriend, who is forced to play "best man" at the wedding.

Enter the bride's best friend/maid of honor, her klutzy date (the insufferable Sean Ruennette) who is soon mistaken to be the lover of the actor's boyfriend (don't ask), the bride's mother (Valerie Perrine, looking all at sea and who can blame her), and a pesky reporter (Deborah Gibson, the one bright light in this mess) with some compromising photos of the actor and his guy...and you've got a headache. How much contrivance can a movie handle?

And we're seriously stretching credibility here - a lot. This kind of "gay deceiver" plot might still work, but the script is so witless that the story seems silly & dated. The bride-to-be seems incredibly naive for the 90's. The film actually spends the most time on the budding romance between the klutzy guy and the reporter, so the central "farce" plot sort of gets the back seat.

The final denouement hinges on those photos and a mailbox found (are you ready?) on a path next to the woods. Enough said.

Sorry to say, I was bored about 2 minutes into this flick. The actors ham it up so much, they almost distract you from the flat dialogue. The Director tried really hard, maybe too hard, but nothing clicks in this movie. Our audience giggled once, but at the end, we all looked at each other, and left the theater wanting to see a REAL movie.

The catchy theme song, sung by Deborah Gibson, & the comedic situations of this film reminded me of something Doris Day would've starred in, if she were making movies today. It's not for everyone, but it's enjoyable. If Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, & Britney Spears can star in movies, then certainly there are more movie parts out there for Deborah Gibson. This was a good vehicle for her film debut.

This is a very silly film, but if not taken too seriously it has a few fun moments. It is also totally unrealistic. If you have nothing else to do on a Saturday night, it's not a total bore, but you will forget this one rather quickly.