Jeffrey - De Caso Com a Vida

This takes place when AIDS was still killing guys left and right. Gay Jeffrey (Steven Weber) loves sex but is terrified that he'll get AIDS. So he decides to give up sex completely. Then he meets handsome, hunky Steve (Michael T. Weiss) and falls in love. Michael feels the same way...but he's HIV+. Can Jeffrey fight his fear?

First off, the play was better. Some of the humor that worked so well on stage fell flat on a movie screen. Second, Weber is miscast. He's handsome, muscular but he can't act. However, I give him credit for playing an openly gay man so easily. Third, the direction is really off. I don't recognize the director's name, but comedy is not his forte. His direction really destroyed some of the jokes. Other than that, this is an OK movie. Michael T. Weiss is beautiful (and hunky) and one hell of an actor. Patrick Stewart played a gay older man to perfection--I couldn't believe it when I found out he was straight. Also the scenes with Olympia Dukakis, Sigourney Weaver and Nathan Lane are great! Also a great romantic ending with a few nice, long kisses. So, worth seeing but no great movie. If only they had a better leading man and a better director it might have worked.

I watched "Jeffrey" with my Husband earlier tonight. I had meant to watch it for years, but it was a "gay" film, a genre which I love, but often eschew because these films always make me think--even "La Cage aux Folles" had a deep and abiding lesson or two hidden inside.) The themes often involve intolerance, and the traumatic impact of AIDS on the entire gay community; even if the film is a comedy, I find these themes fill me with empathic pain and frustration. I decided to brave those themes despite my female tear ducts this evening, and I was glad I did.

This film was silly. This film was witty. The dialogue is sparkling. All those things made it wonderful to watch. The characters we meet are intriguing, and though the 2-dimensional stereotypes are made for laughs, we get the feeling that we are laughing at the strange mix of truth and falsehood many of the stereotypes possess; we are laughing not at people who are "flaming" but at characters who are exuberant, joyous people, trying to squeeze every bit of joy and delight that they can out of every moment.

I won't spoil the journey through this story with any specifics, let's just say that Jeffrey doesn't quite get it. It is both painful and joyful at turns watching the character navigate through a turning point in his life. I laughed, I got choked up, and then I laughed again, and again ad infinitum. This is not a "gay" movie. It's a character driven story that we can all identify with, if our minds and hearts are open.

This is one of my favorite movies. This movie takes a very serious subject and presents it in a very light-hearted manner. There were times when I wasn't sure if I should have been laughing or crying. My favorite scenes had much to do with the quasi-comical nature in which AIDs is presented, and how each character acts, reacts, and is affected by the sickness. Rest assured, this movie will keep you interested not only with its story line but with the surprise cameo appearances by some of today's best actors.

Patrick Stewart gives an outstanding performance as "Sterling," however, it is Michael T. Weiss who steals the show! Not only does he look incredible in white spandex, but his performance is incredibly believable. Whether you are a Weiss fan or not, this movie is a must see! Lanie, NY

I've noticed that many of the people who really didn't like this film were taking it way too seriously....Either that or they were expecting too much. Its a comedy, (with some serious underlying issues)...It doesn't pretend to be anything else. I found it fun, light-hearted and adorable. Michael Weiss is yummy as usual, Patrick Stewart adds flair and finesse, Nathan Lane gives yet another spunky fun performance, etc.. If you have high expectations for the film, you're going to be disappointed. If you want to have a good time and a good laugh, give it a go.

Having just watched this movie for the first time, some six years after it's making, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Patrick Stewart almost steals the show with his impeccable delivery of the acerbic wit written into his character.

But what I really want to talk about is the strong resemblance of the story, in its flavor and its excesses, to a story originally written by Damon Runyon known to most people today as the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls." Both stories come across via the broad strokes of a comic book come to life. And indeed, one wonders that Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows couldn't take "Jeffrey" and work it over into a '90s "Gays and Dolls" without too much trouble. The movie already has its start in that direction with the rodeo dance number serving as the "dream ballet" sequence requisite of every self-respecting stage musical.

The point I'm making is that every fictionalized reality (an oxymoron if there ever was one) requires to some extent or another, a "willing suspension of disbelief." Watch "Jeffrey" with the same perspective you sat in the audience and enjoyed "Guys and Dolls" with: Don't look too hard for subtlety here. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the story. After all, even a comic book can have insight and a message.