Tennessee Queer

Everything about this is so bad and amateurish: the acting, the plot & production values. Nothing seems genuine, heartfelt, emotional or remotely real.

Prepare to be bored and wonder about what kind of "koolaid" all the positive reviewers drank.

Definately a "MUST SKIP!"

We sort of just stumbled into this film at a local "art house" type theatre, and what a treat it was! It's the kind of refreshing indie film that can renew going to the movies when you've overdosed on big Hollywood formula "blockbusters." The cast was outstanding, in particular, the two leads Christian Walker and Billie Worley were just phenomenal. The story tackles a lot of heavy topics that are so current and relevant to "red state" gay people...but it does so with a light-heartedness that just works really well. Without giving away anything, there were several times where I was sure I knew where it was going, and was taken off-guard, and then was happy to see that everything ended as it should have. I really can't recommend this one enough.

This flick centers around a small town gay boy who becomes a successful NYC lawyer and during a visit back home, he hatches a plan he hopes will make it easier for any young gay people in his home town to come out and not be ashamed. He has no desire to relocate with his partner back to small town USA, to make a permanent difference. After all, that would be suffocating for any self-respecting, successful gay people. But his heart is in the right place. His family is overly supportive, but the leaders of the town aren't having any of it. We see the stereotypical Christian and cultural, negative attitudes towards homosexuality on full display, much of which is depicted in a humorous tone. In the end the gay folk seem to gain the upper hand. The best part about the movie is the sweet, personal, loving relationship displayed between the two leads. It seemed real and genuine. Their relationship wasn't about mad dog sex and frantic, passionate kissing anywhere and everywhere. Rather, it was about two normal gay guys, secure, relaxed and very supportive of one another in their relationship. It was a typical healthy relationship. I would have given it higher ratings if the movie had focused more on their relationship.

I really wanted to like 'Tennessee Queer'.(TQ). It's heart was definitely in the right place. The problems with this film are numerous, however. First of all, the writing is abysmal. It's clear that an amateur was in charge. I'm not sure who Mark Jones is, but he's in desperate need of refresher courses at a legitimate writing school. TQ centers around a New Yorker who goes back to his hometown for a visit at a rural place in Tennessee. What he finds there, needless to say, is extreme homophobia. Hello? This is Tennessee! He decides to organize a gay pride March down the Main Street and appeals to the city leaders who of course initially vote no. Then one of them who's seeking higher office decides they should support the rally, so they can identify those citizens, especially high school students, who are gay. The children will immediately be placed into conversion schools to rid them of their 'gayness'. Ridiculous premise for sure, but regrettably, this happens way more than we think it does, even though the writer sugar coats it here. The bad guys are made to look like bumbling fools. Who will prevail? Check it out if you want to waste two hours of your life.

Though it means well, 'Tennessee Queen' does absolutely nothing to elevate the discussion of what the LGBTQ+ community faces in any meaningful way. Bad job all around.

Recently I've gone back into research into the life and death of a young gay man who was killed in 1983 in New York City. What made Winthrop Bean's case so unique to me was the very good small town upbringing he had in South Strafford, Vermont. He was a loved figure in the town and now is something of a legend in his region of the White River Valley, especially for young LGBT people.

Sad to say that Tennessee Queer is a more typical tale of gay youth especially those who live in red state America. Christian Walker grew up as a bullied teen there and left the first chance he could. Now he lives in New York with a partner who might be a married partner now there. He gets a call from his mother who cons him into coming back so she could talk him into moving back at least to the region if not their small town of Smythe, Tennessee.

Without going into the particulars Smythe gets itself a Gay Pride Parade, first in the area. A particular bully from Walker's high school years Billie Worley who is now a city councilman with big plans to ride homophobia into higher office. His ally is Jim Eikner the local fundamentalist preacher who has conceived of this brilliant plan target the gay youth of Smythe whom if they march he can steer them into conversion therapy.

What starts out as a jest for Walker has mushroomed and turned him into a champion for the rights of LGBT people in the area. Does the parade go on? It does with some unintended consequences for the marchers and the opponents.

What Tennessee Queer does and its greatest value is illustrate that things are different in that we no longer consent to be closeted and afraid. Even in a southern small town where the word from fundamentalist pulpits was law this just isn't happening any more. Gays stand up for themselves and the fundamentalist response is now to claim they're the victims. I fear we'll see more and more of that.

Worley tells Walker that smearing the queers never gets old. But in fact it is quite old and getting quite out of style.

Tennessee Queer is a wonderful film about red state life for gays in America. But it's also quite the blueprint for how to fight back. Gay and mainstream audiences should see this film.