Were the World Mine

This utterly adorable fantasy musical is one of those tiny movies made simply in a small town and without pretensions other than to enchant... and if you see it in a crowded cinema keen to enjoy then you are really in for a magical experience. I know I am blathering on about this funny whimsical film in the tone of the title and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM terminology, but as I am having fun here with my descriptions, you will as well if you take the time to see and enjoy it as I described above. With it's heart tight in its lovable hero's hairy teen armpit, this DEAD POET SOCIETY locker room version of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM has more than a whiff of the teen spirit from Baz Luhrmann's Leo/R&J and HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL for teenage boys. If it can be remade with a bigger sound and image quality and retain the hilarious tone and charm then WERE THE WORLD MINE might just cross into mainstream teen and young adult affection with its funny fairy charm intact and actually get world wide applause. Tanner Cohen can certainly sing, Nathaniel David Becker is an ideal love interest for him, and Zelda Williams makes the most hilarious and adorable English teacher with a very keen awareness of what when tweaked will want untold. I loved it and will happily get Pucked again even just for fun.

Were the World Mine may not be perfect, but it is inspiring, with a brilliant and durable concept (a queer interpretation and extension of A Midsummer Night's Dream). Like a previous reviewer, I just saw this at the San Francisco Int'l LGBT Film Festival, where it was indeed a solid crowd pleaser and one of my three favorite features in the festival. The film grew from the director's short film "Fairies" (which was also memorable) and I dare say that the music and lyrics, and certainly the lead performers, deserve to have him tighten it up a bit, somehow get lots more money, and carry this forward to a remake a la Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge") or Julie Taymor ("Across the Universe"). In a way, the material is both weighty and fanciful enough to really need that level of realization to be properly appreciated. As is, though, "Were the World Mine" moved me to tears, made me laugh many times, and made me want to listen to its few songs again, more closely!

Damn, I wanted to love this movie and I did. Well, parts of it. It's based on a short film called "Fairies" by Tom Gustafson, and starring some of the same actors. I think some positive feedback for that 24 minute movie, encouraged Gustafson & Co. to go back and expand it to a full-length production. Too bad. It WANTS so badly to be a musical, but there aren't nearly enough songs to make it one. The Midsummer Night's Dream mash-up is quite wonderful, but the plot veers off into the ridiculous when it should have stayed in the charming and touching world in which it begins. I love Tanner Cohen's voice; he's the absolute star of this movie, but he's sinfully underutilized. The choreography is so bad I really shouldn't call it that. It's unlikely to happen, but I hope director/writer Tom Gustafson rewrites this one more time for live theatre. This belongs on the musical stage.

I was lucky enough to see this film at the official youth screening at the Vancouver Queer Film Fest. Liked it so much I walked in and stood for the second, sold out, screening that followed. Beautiful scenes, good acting, great concept / plot, absolutely rapturous music... this movie made my heart melt, made me fall in love with the two main characters. This is what movies are supposed to do, and Were the World Mine did this beautifully.

This film realizes many a gay boy's high school fantasy, and does it with style and grace. It's poignant, moving. The actors who play Timothy's two best friends nail it. The drama teacher is a woman to be reckoned with. And the two male leads are both gay in real life. I will be buying this one as soon as it comes out. In the meantime I will be listening to music from the film on their MySpace page.

Were the World Mine is set in an all male private school where the entire senior class is required to participate in the senior play, a production of "A Midsummer Nights Dream"---even the members of the rugby team.

But the events in the town start to take on a surreal gay twist, as the interactions of all the folks in the town start to mirror those in Shakespeare's original script.

As you may know---the comedy of the Shakespeare play centers around a device where a fairy named Puck can sprinkle a magic elixir into someone's eyes, causing that person to fall madly in love with the first person they lay eyes on.

Timothy, who is picked on by all the members of rugby team, and is playing Puck in the play, manages to get his hands on the elixir for real. But as in Shakepeare's version, not everything goes as planned.

Along the way, there are lots of shirtless hot rugby players, and amazing singing.

I saw this at the Santa Barbara GLBTQ film-festival and was captivated. After seeing the film, now when I play the clips of the trailer I get goose-bumps. During the film I was so transported into the world of the characters that I didn't even notice all the amazing cinematography that I see now in the trailer. The film seems to move effortlessly between realistic scenes and those that are surreal and fantastic---in all senses of that word.

The cast is terrific---and the music is transcendent. I highly recommend this film.