Gay

This film was given bad reviews by both the gay and straight press. I don't understand why as there are some terrible Dutch films that are rated more highly. (Karakter; Wilde Mossels; De Grot) These were truly awful films without ANY real narrative structure to make you want to continue from frame to frame. Unfortunately one of them got an Oscar and so the Dutch have continued to produce pretentious unwatchable films that even their own population run away from.

In this context 'Gay' had all the basic simplicity of a high class soap opera (think Dynasty) and over the top characters that with more intelligent handling could have come out of Fassbinder. In fact the first two thirds of the film were harsh in a way that could only alienate both heterosexuals and homosexuals. I mean what straight man is capable of sitting in a cinema and watching so much male kissing or so much gay sex? Not many! And for a mainstream homosexual audience self-criticism does not often come easy. The men lead shallow, selfish lives and seem to live on a diet of sushi and champagne. This was not 'Another Country' and neither was it a wish fulfillment fantasy about finding the ideal boy next door.

Unfortunately after this promising start the film fell apart in the last section as soon as one of the characters put on a dress and we entered 'La Cage Aux Folles' territory. It seemed to me that the director had suddenly thought ' Oh my God what of the straight audience and their reactions?' A man of course, in a dress, being hysterical is not a threat.

This was not a bad film and certainly given its limitations was far more watchable than most Dutch efforts. It had a few laughs which is rare in a Dutch film and it made you want to see how it would work out. The fact that the working out was a disappointment was just a pity. I think it's time the Dutch made another homosexual film but not call it 'Gay' which is plain boring and which leaves nothing for those who have a queer perspective.

i watch whatever gay themed thing comes out and i tend to enjoy even the slated ones. This movie is awful, it goes no where and there was absolutely no point in making it or in anyone of us watching it.

Don't bother even watching it to check how awful it was, just save the hours of your life for something else. Try, Beautiful Thing if your English or 'O Fantasma' (The Phantom) if your into something that you want to be left thinking about and you don't mind subs.

People have suggested that its funny but it really doesn't come across as that in the English bits or the subtitled bits.

I imagine that it was written by a gay dutchman who had experience of these most important things going on in his life. He sadly didn't think about the fact that no one would care cause there not important.

The plot of this movie is cliché. The characters are at best one dimensional. The way the gay-scene is pictured borders on the ridiculous, and would be insulting if it weren't so stupid. The dialogue is beyond bad. The photography has the quality of your average home movie. The acting is wooden. The direction is direction-less. Why do the characters switch from Dutch to bad English all the time in the dialogue? Why was this film made? Why? But: I enjoyed watching it. To see just how bad a really bad movie can be. Compared to this, "Intensive Care" (another Dutch gem) is a masterpiece. "Gay" is unbelievably bad, bad, bad. Rent it, just for a few laughs. and who knows, maybe Mr. Six will come up with a new movie! Could be fun!

I saw the film in the Dutch cinema's and I liked it very much. It's controversial but that's exactly what I like about film, it does something with an audience. This film provokes a lot of different reactions. The movies feels like a extravagant soap episode and I can absolutely recommend this film to men and woman. It's funny, controversial and unique. I want to applaud Tom Six for this daring movie. I hope to rent this movie abroad and I also look forward to his next film about a lesbian love. I am sure it is gonna be even better than Gay in Amsterdam! Enjoy the movie and don't take it too serious like so many people do!

This must be one of the worst Gay themed films I have ever seen, and is a gruelling film for those who have a positive attitude towards homosexuality. I would even go as far as saying that it is quite possibly one of the worst films as cinema ever made, and the stereotypes gallop their way across the screen and I saw it when it was first released there and wondered why there was no booing at the end. The Dutch are very tolerant about homosexuality, but few of their films manage to convey that this is a good way of living. The acting was dire and I draw attention to it as it deserves oblivion, and to my knowledge was not released in the UK. The poster is a certificate showing that sex is in a film, and it is awful in itself signifying the most cliche sexual act ( I leave it to the reader's imagination ) There should be a less than 1 so it gets some sort of reluctant rating. Also please would the Dutch actually make a good film on the subject ? Or is it too late ?