The Big Gay Musical

Call me cliché, call me gay, call me what you like, but I quite enjoyed this movie. Contrary to other reviews I read before deciding to give this film a chance, I was pleasantly surprised by 'The Big Gay Musical.' Having seen many movies with a gay theme - many of which I will never miss seeing again - I was happy to spend several hours of my precious free time on this one.

I though the casting choices were very good, and the quality of the acting was commendable. The reality is that for someone looking in from outside the gay culture there is a tendency to focus on key plot points of the story line - call them cliché - and review them negatively. Unfortunately this only underlines a lack of understanding, and misses the important messages of the sub-plots to the people for whom this movie has ultimately been made.

The Broadway style vocals and musical styling were a true reflection of what I would expect from a modern off-Broadway musical. Although there were variations in the appeal of the featured music, there were several songs and performers which were inspiring. The love song delivered by Michael Schiffman's character Charles was uplifting, as was Liz McCartney's performance of "As I Am."

All in all it's an entertaining story about that old gay cliché about musicals. The use of numerous gay clichés throughout the storyline was amusing, and sometimes thought provoking.

I don't believe this is the type of film intended to communicate deep philosophical messages about the gay world. It's a film that's supposed to challenge your beliefs about gay stereotypes and profiling whilst also making you feel good about yourself. And it did.

Although ultimately well intentioned, the film depicts a rather depressing image of what it means to be gay. If the film is to be believed, being gay means a life filled with religious-based bigotry, disease, a de-humanizing dating scene, low self-esteem, rejection from family and obsession with the body.

As a gay man living in a big city and working in the theatre, I can tell you that there's more to gay life than that. There are gay people in happy long-term monogamous relationships. Most gay people I know are involved with community activism and have rich, rewarding lives.

I belong to a gay Christian church, and I know that God loves everyone and that anti-gay bigotry is not consistent with Christ's ministry.

As a film, "The Big Gay Musical" is passable entertainment. The acting, writing, directing and music are average.

This is a story behind the making of a gay musical called "Adam and Steve: Just the Way God Made Them". It follows the backstage lives of Adam/Paul (Daniel Robinson) and Steve/Eddie (Joey Dudding). Paul wants love and commitment but seems to only find guys who want meaningless sex. Eddie is gay and still a virgin and hasn't told his parents he's gay--but they want to see him in his first big role. Throughout the film we see songs and numbers from the musical itself.

OK--this technically doesn't deserve 10 stars. The acting isn't that good, some of the actors REALLY overdo the gay stereotypes and a lot of the back stories are woefully underdeveloped (especially the one with Eddie and his parents). However all the songs are good, everybody can sing and even the dancing is GREAT (the tap dancing angels were just incredible). Also the leads are attractive (especially Robinson who's all pumped up), the chorus boys are all good-looking and muscular and there's some REALLY hot guy on guy sex here (nothing hardcore though). Also gay porn star Brent Corrigan pops up (and is very good) as a hustler and Michael Schiffman is incredibly charming as Charles. Also there are happy endings all around. AND the movie is unapologetically gay and goes after the Catholic Church, the Bible and homophobes but in a kind manner. A very gay, very sexy and just great gay musical. I give this a 10!

It was very average I felt. Nothing was that good. I got bored watching this at one point. The singing was well done. I like the idea of were the story was trying to go but didn't think it did it very well. The acting was good for what the people were given. I don't recommend you watch this unless you are super bored and nothing else is on.

The short "small straight play" intro with Michael Musto was so fresh and funny that I was really excited to see the Big Gay Musical that followed. Unfortunately, the Big Gay Musical was even worse than the small straight play: a lot stupider, a lot more irritating, and a whole lot longer. Within about five minutes I felt just like Musto, except what I wanted to scream was, "Bring back Michael Musto and the small straight play!"

While the small straight play was cleverly dumb, the Big Gay Musical was just dumb, grossly overblown, and so strident, shrill and heavy-handed in its anti-God anti-Bible theme that it almost made me want to turn on Pat Robertson just to clear my palate. Hatred is hatred, and I'm sorry, but gays hating Christians is no better than Christians hating gays. I am happily gay and I love musicals and I love gay movies in principle, but this one promised a lot and delivered just a sour taste in my mouth. If it was supposed to be lighthearted satire, it failed miserably.

The off-stage story was better than the on-stage musical, which is why I gave the movie three stars instead of one. If the Big Musical had not been so heavily, excessively obnoxious, I might have liked the Gay Movie that went along with it.