Kreuz und queer

I loved that the mood was light and airy. I loved that the lead character wanted guarantees about his future, and that his roommate sets him "straight" of all people. I loved that they tackled the dynamics of how the members in the men's group dealt with each other, considering this was directed by a lesbian,the whole theme of masculinity was put out there, ridiculed, dissected and questioned. What makes a man? What makes one straight, gay, or bisexual? You aren't really sure if our lead character has decided on who he really wants; he's living in the moment and thrown caution to the wind. These, and other reasons, make me love this film.

Rose Troche introduced herself to us in 1994 with the small budget, pleasant lesbian love story called Go Fish which was set in the United States.

Her very assured Bedrooms And Hallways moves its locale to urban England and follows the will I, won't I musings of Leo (Kevin McKidd).

He's fallen for five o'clock shadowed Irishman Brendan (James Purefoy) but Leo fears he might have got himself into trouble. He's terrified of falling in love with a straight man.

But is Brendan straight or gay or both? He's just come out of a long standing relationship with a woman.

The two men meet at a men's s group run by a serious eyed and voiced Keith (Four Weddings and a Funeral's Simon Callow).

It would seem that Rose Troche and her team find a lot that goes on at these groups to be pretty funny. There's much clasping of the "honesty rock" and a particularly apt solution to catering.

Meanwhile the sexually unambiguous characters get their fair shake. The flag is flown strongly for all sexual inclinations.

Very camp Darren (Tom Hollander) knows what he wants. He's having a great time with Jeremy a real estate agent played with terrific intensity by Australian actor Hugo Weaving. They sneak into people's houses which are on the market to have sex.

Leo is wavering, he's showing some interest in women as well as in Brendan and Darren is incensed, expecting calls from the sex police. Meanwhile Angie and Sybil have no qualms about being happily heterosexual. But all remains fluid.

Bedrooms and Hallways is a cheerful comedy romance with a homosexual bent. It gathers pace in its final third when, as in nearly all comedy romances, everyone finds a mate and/or a lover. There are plenty of laughs in what is a smart, impressive new movie from Rose Troche.

Things have changed over the years in films. The boys and girls used to be nearly ten years younger in these sorts of comedies and we were used to them finding a life long, heterosexual partner in the final reel, to then live happily ever after.

These days a three night trial liaison is probably more than can be expected, a situation which more suitably fits the thirty somethings these films are about.

I loved this movie! It was adorably touching and funny. Finally, here's a story about a group of people who meet some challenges, flounder a bit, and then decide to just be themselves and end up happy for; when was the last time you saw that in a film? Dealing with the fluidity of life, love, and sexuality, the characters are faced with real problems (albeit in often ridiculous situations like the men's group camping trip, and the explicit realatory liaisons) and manage to learn and grow without the movie getting preachy, darkly desperate, or too unrealistic. You'll love and care about the characters who, far from being hollow stereotypes, portray real people with just a touch of the truth behind their would-be labels.

A good romcom for a Saturday afternoon, and the only movie I've ever seen where sexual fluidity ends happily, and no one is forced to be anything they don't want to be. Far better than Kissing Jessica Stein, a good choice if your tired of watching gay movies that have some painful lesson and bitter lesson. Or, maybe you just like a good British romp? James Purefoy looks dashing as always, and Tom Hollander is deliciously funny. So go forth, watch, enjoy; you won't regret it!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-acted film. It is funny and sometimes hilarious. The finale is a bit disappointing, since it tries to wrap everything up into too neat a package. The film is better remembered for its priceless vignettes: the Jane Austen staging, the camping trip as examples. B & H does not attempt to mirror the predominant attitudes toward homosexuality and bisexuality. Most of the characters are quite accepting of sexual diversity. In that sense it is a joyous vacation from homophobic society. And it is a celebration of a flexibility, a loosening of rigid sexual categories--perhaps a happy harbinger of things to come.

I found this film to be immensely enjoyable and entertaining until the last 20 minutes or so. At that point, it ran out of gas. The ending reminded me of awards show speeches in which the recipient is urged to "wrap it up" as the music swells behind him/her. The sudden pairing off of all the characters feels forced and lacks credibility. I felt quite let down.