The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy

Quick evaluation: this movie does reflect my experiences of the past 25 years. As a nearing-50 gay man, I can relate to nearly all the principal characters, both personally and as they relate to my friends and acquaintances. Yes, at various times in my life I've been the cute, promiscuous one; the lonely one; the gym bunny (no drugs, though); the (self-perceived) ugly one. . .all those have helped me to become a better, more self-actualized person. Seems there are too many self-loathing queens commenting negatively on this film here. . .maybe they can't see themselves in the characters, but if they were to be honest, they'd realize that they do indeed exist in one or more of these characters.

I enjoyed the film, laughed a little, cried a little. As I said, "been there, done that."

I know people have their problems with this movie, but I happened to catch it at the perfect time in my life. I think every young gay male should watch this movie and see that there is life after coming out. It's nice to see a gay movie that isn't a GAY movie. The main characters all happen to be gay, but that is not the focal point of the movie. There is no sub-plots about AIDS or dealing with same-sex marriages or disapproving parents. The movie starts when all that stuff has already happened. It really makes you think. Two thumbs up! The cast is superb. Although not superstars, the movie has some well seasoned actors; including Fraiser star John Mahoney. Zach Braff does an excellent job as does Andrew Keegan, Dean Caine and of course Timothy Olyphant. Kerr Smith also has a small cameo but well worth it. This movie begins to break down the stereotypes of gay men and comes up with some great gay lingo that my friends and I have adopted.

As a mature (61) gay man, I enjoyed the hell out of this film. At least there was a diversity of stereotypes. I guess it would be boring to show that most gays lead "regular" lives in all kinds of workplaces. The angst was, thankfully, less "Dawson's Creek" and more universal. The experienced straight actors helped it flow along nicely, a cut above the usual sloppy, Indie-style gay movie. The Lesbian subplot should have been expanded--or left out! I recommend this movie to all young lesbians and gays facing a still altogether ignorant homophobic society---but one that has improved since I was their age. Kudos to the people behind the camera too!

The day I was finally able to admit to myself that I was a gay man I rented this movie. That first viewing changed my life. It helped me envision a life a hoped was ahead of me. During my first year of being out I watched this movie so many times and still watch it about once a year.

The first time I saw it I thought it was one of the best movies I had ever seen. Time has dimmed my view of it but it still a must see for any newly out (newbie) gay man.

The script is well written. Some of the direction is a little off but it was a low budget film. It is also fun to see all these mainstream actors like Dean Cain, Timothy Olymphant and Andrew Keegan playing gay.

Greg Berlanti's film is worthy of a lot of praise in a society where gay men tend to only fulfill certain stereotypes. A character, Howie mentions how he would like to see gay men being represented as something other than the woman's best friend, the hustler, the aids victim or the sex addict and this film does tend to try hard to avoid these stereotypes. The script is brilliantly written and sparkles when it is at its peak. At its worst, it may be a little bit cliche ridden but hey..it also has originality ( I have taken "Meanwhile" and now its commonplace down ere!) and is not afraid to portray gay men as just a group of lads who are falling in and out of relationships, liek any other group of young men. However certain characters do tend to bring the pace down a little and it does sometimes seem to have the sentiment that gay men have got it so bad compared to everyone else in the world. Timothy Olyphant stands out here in an able cast, made up primarily of TV actors. My only grumble was the inclusion of the lesbian couple who seemed to only be there to represent the ladies and also to give Howie a meatier role. 4/5