BearCity

A movie is good when a script is plausible, the directing taking risks while making smart, wise choices, the actors loose themselves and find an inner voice, and the music, wardrobe, location and atmosphere comprehensively transport me from my personal reality to the reality of the "living" movie. It is under this simplified rendition of how I watch movies, that judge whether a movie is good.

I do not project my past onto the art of the movie makers.

I go to movies to escape from my here and now and to go on the creative journeys others provide. The only question is: Is the movie a complete trip, as described above, to sustain my journey, my escape.

So, did BearCity take me on a journey? Yes! All the necessary pieces were in place. There was humor and anger, laughter and louder laughter, and with each scene, the plot and tension pulled me in deeper and deeper. There were no serious or minor missteps that made me remember I was escaping.

At movie's end, I - like 80 percent of the audience who journeyed with me - stood and applauded. So, while my life and the lives of the character's may not be trace the same biographical story, the movie itself provided me with a journey into another life, another world where I could wholly believe in life. 9 out of 10.

This film tells the story of a young slim man who is embarrassed by his attraction to older plump men. He finds love via a series of unlikely mishaps.

"BearCity" is hailed as the bear version of "Sex and the City". Though it is clearly the filmmaker's attempt to do so, the result is a less glamorous and more ridiculous version of "Sex and the City". The acting is bad consistently across the board, and the story is full of clichés and even ridiculous moments. Are we really expected to believe that someone spilling coffee on his T shirt would remove that T shirt at once? And the numerous romantic moments always get truncated by expected appearances of other people? And the scene of trying clothes on - oh that's exactly when they want to be "Sex and the City" like, but the result is painful to watch! I won't be rushing to watch the sequel.

Cute with the typical amateurish qualities that make gay films of this nature either charming or painful, depending upon your sensibilities. The acting is earnest but decidedly nonprofessional. The only standout is Gregory Gunter, whose character (Michael) is utterly compelling and which Gunter plays with pathos and humor but not self-pity. Gerald McCulloch as Roger is large unwatchable, though it's hard to tell whether it's because his character is such a d***head or because the actor's own ego kept popping through. (If you watch his endless interview after in the DVD highlights, you'll see what I mean.) It's tough to make a film centered around bar culture without making it seem petty, vulgar, soul-crushing, and at least occasionally self-destructive; and it's an open question whether the directors nudged a bit to highlight those aspects or whether they were simply recording cinéma vérité. With all the sweetness that comes through in the struggles of the film's couples (complete with serious and often over-the-top drama), the film's central mystery remains what Tyler (Joe Conti) could possibly see in Roger, a smarmy, shallow, ego-bloated scene queen who not once but half a dozen times snubs Tyler to his face because Tyler isn't bear enough or muscley enough (or something enough) for the superficial, middle-class-white-boys-with-gym-memberships crowd by which Roger judges himself and his actions. Or, to put it another way, you may never understand why Tyler falls for and pursues Roger (to the extent of giving himself a makeover –a move that likely guarantees the doom of any relationship) and you'll certainly find yourself asking whether he has a shred of self-esteem in his body. The fact that Roger isn't what anyone could reasonably call a bear only adds to the confusion. Personally, I'd have gone for a little less Jennifer Anniston-esque comedy and paid a little more attention to the serious and genuinely dramatic (as opposed to simply flamboyant) issues that the film skates over like thin ice before turning safely back to shore: self-esteem issues among big men and the difficulty of cultivating and maintaining a positive body image in a gay "culture" ruled by gym Nazis and diet maniacs; the painful issue that's raised in the Michael-Carlos couple when Michael considers getting lap-band surgery (is he going to wind up so thin that Carlos won't be attracted to him anymore?); the double "coming out" required of non-bears who are attracted to men who are hairy and/or fat and/or older than they are and who face ridicule for their desires; and the uneasy co-existence of working-class bears and their middle- to upper-class counterparts who wear similar drag and occupy the same physical spaces in which "bear culture" is practiced but who, arguably, are essentially antagonists. _Bear City_ seems to intend to be a coup against the slavish cultural propaganda promulgated by so many "gay" indie films, but it's more of a bitch slap than the good hard sock in the jaw that's needed. Still, the film deserves credit for its beau geste and for starting a conversation within a medium that tends to pretend it doesn't understand the question.

It's nice to see a movie about Bears. There are not that many out there. The scene stealers were Brian Keane and Stephen Guarino. If the movie was just about them, it would've gotten a ten. They were extremely funny and very cute together. They had the best scenes. I love the shower/threesome scene; that had my husbear and I reeling with laughter. I didn't quite understand the whole attraction with Roger's character. Tyler would've been better off not having anything to do with Roger. Also, it was a little too sickly sweet with Carlos and Michael, but I still liked it. All in all, an extremely enjoyable film. I am looking forward to the sequel.

I can't believe some of the reviews I read above... This is a C-O-M-E-D-Y so of course you will have stereotypes, because they ARE funny. I think the script is funny, the actors are fantastic, in a simple and cute plot. Just enjoy a simple comedy, don't go looking for the ultimate masterpiece of human drama. For those of you who complain about this "stereotype" film, I am sorry to break it to you but this is very much how it is: muscle bears, far bears, cubs, crazy sex, drugs, fun, fantastic queen bears, older with younger, handsome with ugly, sexy and sexier.

Stop the denial.