Entre Amigos

Mart Crowley's 1968 play "The Boys in the Band" focuses on a group of gay friends getting together in a New York apartment. It addressed the internalized homophobia of the preceding decades. Therefore, one might think of Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion" as a follow-up. This one depicts eight gay men getting together at a country estate. The year is not identified, but AIDS gets mentioned, so it's probably mid-'80s at the earliest.

Joe Mantello's* big-screen adaptation of the play is a fine piece of work. I should admit that I've never seen a stage production, but it's clear that a lot of passion went into this movie. The characters muse on the issues affecting their lives, as well as the popular culture from which they've taken inspiration (with one man positing that the US produced as many gays in 250 years as England did in 2,000).

All in all, the movie has its flaws, but the assets outweigh those. I recommend it.

So is Glenda Jackson really the British version of machismo?

*Joe Mantello more recently directed a Netflix adaptation of "The Boys in the Band" starring Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. He also appeared on the Netflix miniseries "Hollywood" as a 1940s executive.

I have to wholehearted disagree that this film is disappointing. I found the characters interesting and deep. Yes - the gay men approach stereotypical roles in some instances, but they are developed over the course of the summer in a manner that mimics the boys in "Stand by Me". We see the changes in the relationships between nearly every pairing of the eight men. Some are in relationships; some were. Some hate each other; but they nearly all care about one another. This is the kind of movie that makes you reflect on your own human interactions. You don't have to be HIV+, a choreographer, a yuppie, a broadway queen, or even gay to see yourself in these characters. This is a fine exhibition of love, lust, friendship, and life.

I would die to see the play. I didn't want to see it at first because I'm not a fan of Jason Alexander but I must admit he did surprise me, who knew he could act (although he was trying a little hard to BE Nathan Lane). I cried through most or it and I'm not much of a crier so BE WARNED! IT IS A CHICK FLICK! but a damned good one.

LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

This perceptive drama - written by Terrence McNally, adapted from his award-winning Broadway play - starts out as a warm-hearted examination of the lives and loves of eight middle-class gay men during three eventful weekends at the isolated country home of ageing dancer Stephen Bogardus and his blind, youthful boyfriend Justin Kirk (ANGELS IN America). As it progresses, however, McNally's snappy screenplay begins to expose the faults in his principal characters, as well as their virtues, leading inevitably to fireworks and revelations. Set in a beautiful lakeside house somewhere in upstate New York (filmed in Quebec, though you wouldn't know it), director Joe Mantello - also responsible for the original Broadway production - and cinematographer Alik Sakharov take full advantage of the area's natural beauty, moulding a defiantly cinematic template from the material's inherent staginess.

All but one of the fine ensemble cast was culled from the stage version, including Stephen Spinella and John Benjamin Hickey as a staid yuppie couple, and Randy Becker (LIE DOWN WITH DOGS) as the handsome young stud whose overt sex appeal creates emotional tension in a household dominated by middle-aged men. However, the film is virtually stolen by "Seinfeld"s Jason Alexander (in a role essayed by Nathan Lane on-stage) as the archetypal Broadway-loving queen who lives in fear of his HIV status and masks his anxiety with outrageous humor, and John Glover in dual roles as English twins, one of them noble and humane (and dying of an AIDS-related illness), the other a mean-tempered bitch of the highest order. McNally's script finds something deeper than mere stereotype in these disparate characters, and he examines the many ways in which they love each other, despite their differences. The full-frontal nudity which characterized the original stageplay (causing a minor stir at the time) has been toned down for the film, but not completely erased, and Becker in particular seems entirely at ease during his frequent nude scenes.

I am saddened by the number of negative comments about this movie. Love! Valor! Compassion! is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not every movie has to be full of action and deep thinking to be good entertainment.

What makes this movie so enjoyable is the chance to see a gay men, who lead very different lives, interact with one another to build and maintain their friendships through good times and bad. I hope that I, too, will someday have a group of friends like that.

Jason Alexander is fantastic as the stereotypical Broadway play lover and his developing relationship with John Glover's English twin brother is precious. The characters of Perry and Arthur show a "normal", boring gay couple just going through life with each other enjoying growing old together -- a lifestyle many of us aspire to. And, Randy Becker isn't too difficult to look at, either!

Granted, there are places where the writing is uneven at best (the death of Bobby's sister, the hiding in the closet scene, for example), but viewers who enjoy a good story about friends who love and support each other without the expectation deep plot twists will enjoy this screenplay for what it is -- relaxing entertainment. Enjoy!