A Very Sordid Wedding

This movie does a great job of pointing out how hypocritical and small- minded some "righteous" folks can be without being overbearing. It's sweet and funny and isn't afraid to poke fun at itself. I felt like it illustrated how everyone has a story and that learning a person's story is more important than jumping to conclusions. I really had a great time watching this movie.

A Very Sordid Wedding (2017) was written and directed by Del Shores. In 2000, Shores directed Sordid Lives, and, after that, there was a Sordid Lives series on LOGO. (Everyone in the theater apparently knew all about LOGO, but I had to look it up.)

Before we saw the movie, we read the publicity that told us that there was a backstory to this new movie. However, for us the movie was hilarious, so you can enjoy it without knowing the backstory.

The film is set in Winters, Texas. It's a great example of a conservative, Bible-oriented small town. However, there are some dissenting people among the crowd.

One of them is Latrelle Williamson, played perfectly by Bonnie Bedelia. The other cast members are also very good actors, including Leslie Jordan as Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram, and Emerson Collins as Billy Joe Dobson.

Whoopi Goldberg has an important cameo role as Rev. Abernatha Coleman.

This is the type of movie that's hard to describe. Something funny happens, and then something funnier happens, and then all hell breaks loose. It will work on the small screen, but it would be better in a theater. This isn't because of the larger image. It's because once an audience starts to laugh during a movie like this, the laughter builds on itself, and everything appears even funnier. (In fact, if you see the movie on the small screen, invite some friends over to watch it with you.)

Del Shores and Emerson Collins attended the screening and participated in a Q&A session afterwards. I didn't have a question, but I had a comment: "My compliments on portraying a serial killer in such a way that you felt sympathy, rather than anger, towards him." That couldn't have been easy.

We saw this film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of Image Out, the great Rochester LGBT Film Festival. This is a wonderful movie, and worth seeking out.

Now and then we all could use a feel-good movie. Reality is deeply overrated, especially when shoved down our throats on daily basis. "A Very Sordid Movie" is not so sordid, quite the opposite. It's hilariously funny, smartly paced, poking fun at the homey, down South baloney. It's all fun and games until the script got to the potholes no car should drive on. It got kind of preachy, that works only on previously converted (hence no point to it at all), schmaltzy and frankly cloying. It is a damn shame that a person who wrote all of those funny lines got stuck on the most predictable and trite plot line. Not everything has to have a happy ending to feel good. Sometimes just stirring up trouble does the trick.

I was going thru movies looking for a comedy and thought I'd give this one a look. I liked the title and thought I'd check it out. I only recognized a couple of actors in it, but it did not disappoint. It was laugh out loud funny. So many movies I've tried to watch that just make me squirm and turn them off because they aren't funny and no one can actually act in them. This has some unforgettable characters and the actors are great. A little over the top at times, but still fun to watch. Id recommend if you want a Movie that will make you laugh and characters you would like to see again, the. Check this one out.

After the original movie in 2000 and a short-lived TV series in 2008, we get another installment and catch up on the loony characters in Winters, TX.

Many of the original stars are back and some are not. Coming off best is Leslie Jordan as the Tammy Wynette-obsessed drag queen who returns home for a wedding.

The plot centers on gay marriage and the hypocrisy of bible thumpers and ends in a double wedding. Very good are Bonnie Bedelia, Ann Walker, Carole Cook, Dale Dickey, and Newell Alexander.

The big surprise is Scott Presley as Roger the local hairdresser, who brings a touch of sad wistfulness as he finally fights back against the hateful christians who try to ban gays from their stores. It's a fine moment when he kicks a bunch of hateful women out of his salon. Another sad note is that Sharon Hunley (who plays the funny/dippy Juanita) didn't live to see the film released.

Emerson Collins plays the get-away serial killer. Rosemary Newell returns as the evil psychiatrist. Kirk Geiger also returns as the gay son about to be married. There's also a special guest star in the finale.

Leslie Jordan is always a joy to watch, but Scott Presley steals the show.