Say Uncle

A gay man with a love for children gets accused of pedophilia. There's a couple of problems here. One is that if Peter Paige (writer/director/star) is trying to make a point, he's doing a poor job of it. The message is rather unclear. At one point he seems to be saying that parents shouldn't be so uptight about letting men play with their kids, and later seems to be emphasizing that it's gay men in particular who are demonized, and then he compounds the issue by making the protagonist unbearably stupid and naive (adding hints of mental disturbance didn't help one bit). He tries to mitigate it by saying "I know I made some mistakes" at the end, but that only ends up confusing the message more. I did appreciate that there was some complexity to it, but it was just too muddled. Also, the second act involves a lot of repeating the same points over and over again and feels sluggish. I think the largest problem is the Kathy Najimy character. Paige paints her (this is an extremely clever pun if you've seen the movie) with a very broad brush: she has knee-jerk reactions, blows things way out of proportion, tells lies to whip up hysteria, has mechanical sex with her husband, isn't a very good parent. This is a character who belongs in a much more satirical comedy, something like CITIZEN RUTH. She doesn't match the quieter (and not terribly funny) humor of the rest of the film. However, it's not all bad. Despite a low-budget production (right here in Portland) it feels pretty professional, and the performances are good, even when the characters aren't very well written. The film is somewhat pleasant to watch, despite the subject matter. And I really did enjoy the complexity and that it wasn't as broad as it could have been, if only the Najimy character had been toned down. Overall, though, it's a near miss.

Peter Paige's enthusiasm for his film is contagious only there are parts of the film that are uneven. There is good pacing , but at times the pace moves so fast that some of the storyline seems forced. The general premise is already addressed in the tag line and so there is a constant sense of uneasiness. The main character is believable but the denouement feels saccharin sweet and that minimizes the seriousness of the threat to the main character.

If you are a fan of Emmett on QAF, then you'll find that Paige is quite a talented actor. In the end, not bad for a first movie. The premise is original and touching and even with all its faults is capable of conveying the state of American culture of fear.

Technically, this film is well done, avoiding the usual genre clichés of most first-time gay directors. However, overall it is an uncomfortable mess. What is it trying to say? We are supposed to feel sympathy for a lead character who performs one act of stupidity after another? Anger for a mother who has every right to assume this borderline-mentally-ill man could harm her child?

What grown man in his right mind would hang out in playgrounds with children, and not expect the inevitable results? The lead is just plain creepy.

Supporting roles are uneven. The co-worker/admirer goes from bitchy to "honey" in ONE week? Najimy portrays a concerned mother as a stereotypical gay-hating shrew. The "boss" is a cartoon character. Then we have the very grounded best female friend. (Well, not so grounded...she gives this borderline retarded man a NUDE picture of her own toddler - dressed up in cowboy gear??!!)

Paige is a talented actor, but I question his writing skills, and the actual intention of this film.

First off, I have to say I adore Peter Paige. I loved him as Emmett in QAF. If I lived in Portland, I'd be trying to date him. That is, if he were single. I saw this film out of curiosity. I was wanting to see him stretch. Even cast off the QAF persona. And that was done. I did not see him as Emmett here. But the film was hard to sit through. I knew the content was going to be difficult, and that is not what I mean. Throughout the film, I kept thinking "No one is that naive! Not in this day and age." Nor can anyone afford to be, no matter how idealistic you are. So, ultimately, FOR ME, the film was a far-fetched unfolding about a dead-serious and scary issue. Worthy of exploration, undoubtedly, but this film missed the mark. Please please keep working, Peter! You are a man of much talent.

Some funny lines and smart commentary in this low-budget comedy about a young gay man--an overgrown kid in an adult's body--who is left rudderless after his best friends move to Japan with his beloved godson; totally enamored of and devoted to children in general, our hero starts hanging around the playground, where a single man with no kids causes red flags to wave in front of the resident moms. Writer-director-co-producer-star Peter Paige has some interesting things to say about unmarried men in our society who adore--and can relate to--the innocence of childhood yet no have little ones of their own. Unfortunately, the film's second-half is pretty much consumed by the rampant paranoia of the playground flock; this material is all too real for a little comedy to handle, and one tends to recoil from it even though the satiric points Paige makes are thorough and justified. ** from ****