Gayby

This film is about a straight woman trying to have a baby, the only problem is that she is single. Her gay best friend saves the day by agreeing to help her procreate.

I find "Gayby" a hilarious film. It's light hearted and funny throughout the story. The scene where they first attempt to procreate is very well made, as the awkwardness and embarrassment in the air is shown with a hilarious touch. The story is quite positive as well, even though the lead characters are not super successful people, they are portrayed to be good people that are down to earth and easy to relate to. The film was shot with a comfortable budget, which is a welcomed change for gay films. The sets and settings are nice, and the film appears professionally made. I enjoyed watching "Gayby" a lot, and I found it entertaining.

I'm as open minded as the next guy, but I was just not the target audience for "Gayby." The film takes place in a world that might as well have been a foreign country as far as I'm concerned. This world in which straight men apparently don't even exist, and where friends see more of each other's bodies than their own doctors do, resembles nothing I've ever experienced myself. It's diverting at best, and I appreciate a film about the different forms a family can take. But I can't say I was overwhelmed with joy to see the two main characters in this film, a gay man and a single woman, succeed in their goal to have a baby together when neither can seem to get their own lives together, let alone display the ability to take care of a third.

I felt like a guest at a party listening to a toast given in a language that I don't speak.

Grade: B-

In the clichéd world of comedies nothing seems unconventional these days. That the audiences can't compliant about the number of rom-coms coming out on the big screen is a fact. Still, it's excruciating to observe how most of them cut corners and follow a well known, often indescribably boring and tiring, path. Fortunately, for the sake of the genre, once in a while there is a comedy that really aspires to contradict trends. And Gayby is one of those films. It is as vivacious as it is entertaining. The film shows a strictly unromantic yet undeniably laughable story about two best friends – a gay guy named Matt and a straight woman named Jenn – planning on having a 'gayby' together (although, as Matt clearly explains, this is a proper word only when two gay people two strictly gay people want to be parents). Without any second thoughts they decide that the best, the most adequate way to get Jenn pregnant is through the traditional act of sex. Their daily routine consists of working – Matt sells comic books at a nearby store and Jenn teaches hot yoga – going on dates in the evenings, and making love (in this situation it sound kind of weird) during the nights. Unfortunately, after a couple of trials they realize that trying to conceive is harder than one might think. In the meantime, their sex- lives start to flourish, causing problems both for the couple's casual relationship and for their baby-making ordeal.

Gayby shows that low-budget, amateurish indie comedies can be really amusing sometimes. The dialogues are witty, kinky and perfectly humorous. While the story isn't really that innovative and rather predictable, the atmosphere is sentimental and heartfelt, just as the characters are genuinely likable. What's more, Gayby depicts – in an utterly exaggerated yet comical manner – a world, where gay guys swarm the streets and it's actually them who convince us of their enormous desire to raise those not-so-typical families.

While the theme of "gay guy and straight woman decide to make a baby" has been done MANY times (The "Wedding Banquet" is probably the Gold Standard) even back in 2012, this rendition absolutely comes off as believable, with well-formed characters, great acting and a solid script. The cliché of being set in NYC is a bit of a turn-off (does anyone outside of NYC care about how neurotic and dysfunctional people are there anymore?) but the acting absolutely makes up for it. Someone here is complaining about gratuitous nudity, and I think they may be referring to a different film, since this one doesn't have any at all...which is why I'm giving it such a high rating; the script carried it without having to resort to that gimmick.

I feel a certain obligation to check out gay cinema from time to time. Both for my own pop culture knowledge, and just because I like to see if things have improved any since my last visit. Most independently produced gay-themed movies are amateurish and cheap looking. Sometimes that kinda works, and the material rises above its humble origins. Most of the time, the films are a struggle to get through.

I wanted to see this one mostly because Matthew Wilkas, the male lead, is very cute, and the girl looked atypically ordinary (in a good way). This was a case of being sold by the poster, and for a change, it was truth in advertising. I did note that the director/writer couldn't resist casting himself in a supporting role--something common to low budget film, gay or not--but it works pretty well. I recognized the kid from Chicago Fire in there (and he kisses a guy!), as well as Charlie from The West Wing (who doesn't).

This isn't a perfect film, but the quality of it is SO far above most similar fare. The acting is much better, the sound, photography and editing is too. If this helps, it looks nothing like an early John Waters film, if that makes sense. Also, though the setup of the film may be cliché, the way it's handled is novel. There's none of that "is he or isn't he" about the lead's sexuality. I also thought the chemistry between the actors was believable, another thing that often isn't there in gay cinema.

Anyway, I rated this one an 8. I realize that sounds high, but I'm considering it a "within the genre" grade, and in that case it might even be worth a 9. Real-world grade is probably just above a 5, but think about other films in this genre, which often hover between a 0 and a 3, and I think this film deserves a high grade. Plus, I want to help its average. There are some ridiculously low grades for this one.