Breakfast with Scot

this being a movie made in my hometown( the dundas square certainly looks at its best now) i was very skeptical of a movie that will once again promote gay rights simply because its... "cool"(!?) to do so. frankly i was afraid for some hidden agendas of extreme nature + mature matter. besides any Canadian movie, especially action or comedies tend to be lame quickly forgettable. our home grown directors tend to pay more attention to artistic merits then to the actual subject/matter/plot...

well i was wrong; turns out that this comedy has quiet a lot of witty punch lines for ALL audiences. the situation is about family and not so much about the gay couple. the "contradicted" kid is at the center of the with the 2 main male leads as support.

the production is quiet great, the pace is quiet fast as well( almost no slow moments or fill-ins at all ). the acting is superb especially from the kids and Thomas Cavanagh. Ben Shenkman is more just of a stereotype character.

while i would still not recommend this movie to pre-teen kids, adolescents and teens would have nothing to "worry" about.as for any sexuality issues, there is only a quick, minimal(lips only) male kiss . other then that no intimacy at all that might offend some viewers.

Great film. Good dialog - much better in English than french. I was really impressed with the opening shots of the movie in which the title Breakfast with Scot appears on the side boards of the hockey rink. Very inventive. Also the ending credits with the pictures on the fridge and matching names was very memorable too. I guess I would call it a chick flick for all types of chicks, male and female, gay and straight. Based on this movie, these Canadians are portrayed as bitchy, compassionate, unpredictable, charming and sensitive and hilariously funny people. Good ensemble cast. Tom Cavanaugh's performance was spot on. Noah Bennett was very expressive and showed real depth of acting range. Wonderful script also. Very refreshing take on parenting and what it means to be in a modern family. Relationships take work and this movie depicts the real life stress involved in keeping every member of a family content. Each character has to compromise. Great movie for the Holiday season. I wish more movies like this were made today.

I haven't read the book so I only have to go on what I saw. The premise is great - fresh and funny. A masculine gay couple end up as guardians of their effeminate 11 year old nephew and try to make a man out of him. The story is less about changing the nephew and more about changing the gay couple, in particular the partner who is an ex-Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player. The movie was enjoyable, light hearted, and good natured but it lacked something -- it resembled an after-school special at times, especially towards the end. There are too many characters with bit parts that don't make enough of an impact in the film. There is a neighbourhood tough kid who inexplicably becomes a friend of the flamboyant nephew and co-workers who come in and out of the film but never really say anything meaningful. An awkward meeting with a school teacher results in her suggesting the boy watch TV to find other role models -- a very clumsy scene without cause or precedence. The writer and director needed to streamline the movie and identify scenes that needed to be pumped up to give the story some poignancy. I was never quite drawn in, brought to tears, laughed out loud or was worried that things might not work out. Its a sweet story but could have been better.

I wanted to like this movie. Tom Cavanaugh is a good actor and deserves better writing. From the get go I didn't believe these two guys were a couple. There was no chemistry between them. The pathetic exchanges of affection seemed designed for an after school special. If it's a move not for kids then why make a movie suitable for kids? Seems like shooting itself in the foot. The writer seemed to be trying too hard to be cute and the obvious reaching for jokes kept it from being engaging. I didn't believe one bit of it. It was so obviously fake that I had to clean house while it played out and I hate cleaning house. The character Billy is supposed to be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yet customers in his store speak perfect English. The whole thing just never rang true.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Best LGBT genre movie in the past few years..., Sep 21 2008 By Joe E. Mcparland "cojoeman" (Windsor, Canada) - See all my reviews

As a long time collector of contemporary LGBT genre movies, I rate Breakfast With Scott at the top of my list. I have practically worn out my DVD copy! This movie was screened as a special selection in the 2007 Windsor International Film Festival. The sold out house gave the movie a deserving five minute standing ovation at its conclusion. Aside from the wonderful message of tolerance, acceptance and adaptability, this gem of a movie will have you - as it had me - in tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. Laurie Lynd's direction of Tom Cavanaugh, Ben Shenkman and,of course,show-stealer - Noah Bernett, is nothing less than magical. I could not agree more with the Globe and Mail's DVD cover endorsement of the movie,"Absolutely Fabulous!"