The Men Next Door

I hate the fact that people think just because it is a light hearted romance that isn't super serious that it is supposed to be a comedy. I don't think it was meant as a comedy but even if it was it is far better than anything Will Ferrell has ever been in.

I didn't take it super serious as to how possible the plot line is, and I've heard stranger real life stories. I didn't take it as a comedy either. I took it as a romance among non-dramatic people. If you let the movie be vs trying to force it into some stereotypical genre you'll probably enjoy it. I will say I didn't think the ending was the best or true to the characters, but overall a fun movie.

I was trying to show my roommate how Netflix streaming works and unfortunately picked this movie. The synopsis seemed like it might be entertaining. After about 10 minutes into the thing I realized it was going to be unwatchable...actually 1 minute into the movie when the protagonist cuts his birthday cake and it made some loud fart like sound---that was intended to be funny...I had a very bad premonition.

Leaden stereotyped semi-bitchy West Hollywood gay dialog as other reviewers have commented yes yes yes it is queenie that sure doesn't help; but what killed it for me was being boring and trite and decidedly unfunny. What is so funny about having his brother send a stripper? That is more of a trauma to watch for most gays. Add on the bad acting and you have a real lemon.

I have been out for 20 years and queen humor is like a drag show entertaining for about 3 minutes and then a complete bore.

I agreed with the reviewer that most of the characters were downright disagreeable or grating. One of the promiscuous friends found a trick with a large phallus we were forced to look at etc etc.... That explained why he couldn't come to the birthday party. Someone less than intelligent wrote and directed this thing--

I unplugged it after about 15 minutes...it brings up the hardest part about using Netflix streaming: There is so much garbage on it...in fact the hardest and most time consuming part of using it is trying to find something watchable. If I am short on time I will pick some 50s B movie at least it will be coherent unlike this thing.

I so wish they would arrive at the stage where movies are not "gay" but just happen to have a sympathetic character or two who happen to be gay. A gay James Bond---hopefully in my lifetime.

AVOID AVOID AVOID

Try: Nobody Else But You ==== witty funny with incidental gay characters.

I watched this film based on several positive comments elsewhere. Gads!! This film is insipid, inane, juvenile, full of caricatures, etc. The premise is creepy and preposterous. The plot is totally implausible and everything is moved along by happenstance and hackneyed devices - you know the sort of thing when one character walks in the front door just as another character walks out the back door. Even as a supposed light comedy it lacks depth. It is mostly one liners from superficially drawn characters many of whom are quite disagreeable all the way to annoying. The acting is mostly poor but forgivable to some extent given the mostly contrived and empty (meant to be funny I guess) dialogue that has been written for these witless characters.

Stay away!!

Best film, ever! to borrow a phrase. Certainly a film for the steadfast romantic who believes true love conquers all, the premise is outrageous then unfolds with a series of farcical scenes climaxing with "the moment of knowing." For those who can look beyond the necessary nudity and witty dialog, the story makes a poignant social statement on romance, age-factor and age-range. It doesn't matter. Find someone that contents you, and hang on. Mr. Williams has been influenced by the key influential founders of the Gay Romance Awakening--Mssrs. Archer, Montgomery and others--who spearheaded the journey of gay cinema from dismal stories of HIV/AIDS, bleak hustler, addled substance-abuse, self- loathing and abusive coming out to celebration of being gay and being loved. Kudos on borrowing a tried-and-tested Hollywood formula and adapting it to the gay experience.

Unlike a night of bar-hopping, this movie will leave you feeling-good about yourself and without a hangover headache adding a ton of wrinkles and gray hairs to cover those sagging pectorals.

This is the type of comedy that might appeal to Will and Grace fans. It also is very much like a gazillion of youtube videos out there, where groups of bad amateur actors put together little comical gay themed vignettes. As in those, in this film they have literally copied the mildly bitchy West Hollywood repartee straight from their dinner parties, bar chat, office banter and pasted it into this story about a professional Quadragenarious gay man and his professional gay friends, an annoying fag hag, and two lovers: "the men next door."

The main actor seems to think that his every acting effort should be followed by curving his lips in an pouting way (no sweetie, it's just not cute, you're not a 13 year old teenage girl). He has zero charisma and no sex appeal. Every joke cracked, I couldn't as much as raise a smile, it merely instilled irritation. And believe me, I do know how to appreciate a well delivered camp performance; this simply is not. The other actors carry no humour with them, except for the "straight" brother character.

I could only bear watching this for about 20 minutes before I gave up. The best thing about the film is the HD quality. But perhaps that would have been of better use if the interiors were less Ikea showroom, and a bit more more lush. I prefer to go to a gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard myself, and eavesdrop into people's conversations; that will provide me with a whole lot more entertainment than this not so terribly funny flick.