Tru Loved

I saw this movie with a film class and every one of us thought it was god-awful. The writing is totally flat and the acting is even worse. The characters and situations only become more unbelievable as the movie drones on. So both of this girl's parents are gay? And her fake boyfriend is gay? And her real boyfriend's uncle/dad is gay? Are we really supposed to just swallow that? Come on. This movie could almost be funny in a campy way if it didn't take itself so seriously. I'm not criticizing its message--I happen to completely agree with it--I just don't appreciate being bashed over the head with it. This movie has all the subtlety and nuance of a tidal wave. A lisping, rainbow-colored, Madonna-singing tidal wave.

Here's another film that had its heart in the right place, but unfortunately, terrible writing, direction and acting sink this piece of Cali cinematic garbage before it even begins. Stewart Walker is the culprit behind this mess. Walker needs to go back to writing school and learn how to construct a decent screenplay, then take courses in directing. 'Tru Love' centers around a family relocating from SF to a far more conservative town in what might be the San Fernando Valley of LA. The local high school is predictably homophobic and as a result, some of the more conscientious and open minded students organize a gay-straight alliance. This could have and should have been so much better if only had it been under more talented supervision. Predictability and cliches abound, as does plenty of homophobia on the part of the sadistic gym teacher/coach. This movie should be remade because valuable lessons can be learned here, but regrettably were lost somewhere in the sub mediocre dialogue. I rate Tru Loved 2 stars and 10 yawns!

I too saw this about a year ago in Los Angeles.

My son had seen it at his school and was very excited about it – he and his friends thought it was great. Apparently they were showing it in schools as a learning tool.

When I saw it was showing in theaters, I went out of curiosity. I enjoyed it very much!

I agree with all Theresa Shell's comments here . . . it should be shown in all middle and high schools as well as PTA meetings throughout the country. … A gentle yet entertaining way of expanding our thought processes toward tolerance and understanding.

I understand that this movie was made shortly after a young high school student in Southern California had, because he was gay, been killed by a fellow student.

High school years are such a hard time for so many kids trying to struggle with all kinds of social stresses; being gay just one example, it can be just feeling unattractive or being very shy, or over weight, or under weight, or family struggles or feeling shut out of a group they admire, or breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or being made fun of for any reason, or embarrassment over some thing that other people are not even aware of. It goes on and on. We all need to learn to accept others for who they are and realize, we all are struggling with who we are.

I saw this a year or so ago and it was great. I've mentioned it to many friends and we've been watching for it in theaters or on DVD ever since. I understand it is coming out on DVD in January 2010. I wish it had been released before Christmas, I'd have given copies to my friends as gifts.

Seeing it in the theater was great because the audience reaction was fun and infectious. There was so much out loud laughing and other reactions that it made it comfortable to do so myself. Everyone around me seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. It was funny and sad and instructive and - I think, an important movie for people to see; especially in these times. I recommend it highly.

See it. You'll be glad you did.

I recently saw this at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival to an almost packed house. Tru Loved is the story of a teenage girl named Tru (short for Gertrude) who goes to a new school. Of course, she doesn't fit in at first, mainly because she is labeled as a "freak" by the popular crowd (ie. about 3 or 4 people) when she looks quite average actually. The twist here is that her she has two sets of parents -- two moms and two dads, of which they're all gay. This element proves to be refreshing and comedic at times.

However, when dealing with teenage themes, there are always going to be stereotypes and clichéd situations, especially when it comes to gay-themed films (ie. conservative parents, the anti-gay jocks). What set Juno apart from most other teenage films was the interesting and colourful characters. Tru, as the protagonist, first comes across as possibly interesting, but falls behind other major characters who have bigger problems than her.

In the beginning, she fantasizes about outlandish scenarios, which, instead of adding her to character, only seem like something the writer added in the hopes of making her interesting when it in fact strangely clashes with her somewhat bland personality. She meets and befriends Lo, who turns out to be gay, and is reluctantly becomes his "girlfriend". This and other events happen TO her, and after a while, it is clear she doesn't have any particular goal but merely follows other subplots and guides people, which was frustrating at times. In fact, the entire film felt more like Lo's story rather than hers.

This isn't to say that the film wasn't entertaining. A few great punchlines kept the audience roaring with laughter (as much as I want to, I can't repeat it. Go see it for yourself). The acting decent, the direction alright, the budget noticeably small but overlooked, Tru Loved is a good second film from Stewart Wade, but don't take it too seriously as real life.