Partners

John Hurt and Ryan O'Neill as a very odd couple. Kerwin (Hurt) and Benson (O 'Neill) both cops are determined to solve a case together. So far nothing unusual... The problem is the victim is a homosexual living in a gay community and Benson and Kerwin have to investigate undercover. So all they have to do is pretend to be a happy gay couple. For Kerwin not too bad. He is gay. But for Benson... He is as straight as straight gets...

Actual the story of the movie is not the deepest. What made the movie funny for me was the problems Benson had pretending to be a gay man and the development of their "relationship" And really it has some nice gags.

Here's a gay-themed action-comedy that even the gay community has thankfully forgotten, an appalling, tangled mess involving two male Los Angeles police detectives (one straight, one gay) posing as lovers in order to track down a killer of homosexuals. You have to commend Ryan O'Neal, he gives this one-joke affair his best shot; but poor John Hurt (the most sullen gay character ever!) sluggishly performs as if against his will. The plot is promising--it might've been a sharp satire of "Cruising" had the handling been a bit more nimble. But "Partners" has the patched-together feel of too many different hands, and the laziness of the writing and directing sinks the idea almost completely. Sniggering jokes, embarrassing and half-hearted sentiment, and a plea for the understanding of the gay minority turns this tale into one swishy stew. *1/2 from ****

Stereotypes, how does anyone get them. I've met men and women throughout my life and around the world whom were either shy closet types you'd never know existed, or standing up waving a flag obvious, and everything in between. Some have noted the movie is anti-gay, guess it depends on your attitude and who's watching it, just like anything else. I didn't think it was. To me the movie was a comedy about two reluctant cops balking at crossing orientation lines. And they find out they can work together just fine, co- exist, and the orientation lines blur a bit. I'd tell you my favorite scenes but that would ruin the movie. And except for a guy who's flamboyancy preceded him (funny as hell too), and the guy that used to come to the grocery store in paint, heels, and purse, most of the obvious stereotype stuff is kept indoors in my opinion.

This is a funny and entertaining movie that I went looking for again to add to my collection. If your not afraid of the flamboyant stereotypes and have an open mind you're going to love this movie.

This 46-year-old, (now 47-year-old) lifelong gay native of Fort Worth saw this movie when I was 21 years old. I liked it and I didn't like it even then. Gay what? What is 'gay'? Anyway, I enjoyed many things about this movie just as much as I could complain about just as many more that I didn't like. I think that John Hurt and Ryan O'Neil deserved to be shown better than they were shown in "Partners."

WARNING: What follows is a big rambling digression from my "Partners" comments. (Updated by original poster on Dec. 30, 2008)

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I had seen the movie "Ode To Billie Joe" with my gay parent and my straight sister when it first came out in 1976. We all had known gay people for many years. In those days, the idea of being 'gay' was still kept private and only spoken of in close circles. Times were evolving then, just as they are still evolving now.

In my experience back in those days, one's own "gayness" was not talked about openly unless they had a desire to tell their story on Television. In the early to mid 1970s a lot of different kinds of people wanted to be on TV or something like that. I do admire those early open pioneers.

Back in the day I remember that 'gayness' (whatever that means) was respected by those who matter. Nobody ever had to make an issue of it, just as I have never done.

Neither my gay parent nor I or anybody else cared to talk about our personal business, and it was good in a way and it still is.

I had always loved the Bobbie Gentry song that inspired the movie since it was released in 1968. I had to see this movie, of course.

I rather understood the idea of Billy Joe's situation and that of the other characters because the story was told from a 1950's rural Mississippi perspective. Later in my life, it was suggested that the end was the particularly offensive part because of a line that was spoken by one of the main characters, and I still agree with that observation. (Though, if the viewer takes into account the locale and time period of the story, the line is actually respectful of the person considering the place and time)

Over My 46 years I've seen a lot of movies with gay characters and the only one I ever respected for that effort is "Victor/Victoria" (1982).

I didn't care too much for "The Birdcage" (1996) in spite of the talented people that participated in the making of the movie. I despised Nathan Lane's character (though Lane later redeemed himself as a gay/?/ man in the cable series "Sex And The City"). To me, the only good thing about "The Birdcage" was Gene Hackman's stellar performance as the conservative U.S. Senator.

In 1973 a wise women said: "Everybody thinks and feels differently as the years go by, don't they"

John Martin, 46, Fort Worth, Texas

I saw this movie years ago and thought it was a refreshing movie. First of all it got a gay man in it, who doesn't get aids for one time. Although the film uses quite some stereotypic situations used a lot for gays in movies, the film stays respectful towards gay people . Gay myself I could really enjoy this movie about two cops, one straight and one gay. The gay one ( Hurt)has an administration function at the police post and is not at all thrilled to be picked to work together on a gay murder case .Especially not with the other cop ( O'Neal),who on his turn is certainly not thrilled at all to be forced to work with a GAY man. They need to infiltrate into the gay-society and live as a gay couple.Towards the end of the film, both cops are getting to know each other better and gain respect from the other. Eventually they solve the murder case too....Although the film looks obviously dated ,it still is very enjoyable and funny .Even your children could watch it and learn something about prejustice too....