Friends and Family

Like so many gay movies, there is so much potential here, but it never matured during the artistic process. So many things were not quite there. The script with a little more polish, the directing with a little more experience, the acting moving a little faster, and the movie with a little more work would have been totally delightful.

Two things bothered me most.

1. The lack of a kiss or any real intimacy between the gay couple. I kept hoping until the end that they would kiss - even a small peck.

2. The pace. This movie was slow. Not sure whose fault this was. Did the director over control the actors not allowing them to move it along? Did the editor stretch everything to try meet an appropriate length? Not sure, but even the big action sequence toward the end was a waltz, when it should have been frenetic tarantella.

There were a lot of funny ideas here, but the delivery was sooo slow. Pace, pace, pace, screwball comedies are about pace. Keep it moving. It may have been that the production staff (writer, director, etc) where just too impressed with themselves.

The acting on the other was pretty good. I think with proper pacing they would have been exceptional.

Yes, like so many low budget indie gay movies - I wish for a rewrite and a remake by a competent director. I wouldn't change the cast at all, just the creative/production staff. This could be a delightful charming hilarious movie, but it isn't quite there.

By the way, if you listen to the commentary you may begin to understand what went wrong and who is at fault. Oh well, <sigh>.

While it does provoke the occasional laugh -- and the actors give it their best, particularly Anna Maria Alberghetti -- "Friends and Family" is a mess. The film- makers couldn't decide what kind of film they wanted: a screwball comedy,

a gay farce, a social commentary, or a love story. The result is a

very unsatisfying mix of them all with the pleasures of none. The tone jumps all over the place, most of the numerous plotlines make no sense, and too many of the supposed jokes fall flat. Yes, the gay couple is nice eye candy, but that was far too little payoff for suffering through this turkey.

Let me start by saying that Friends and Family is not a "great" film, or anything like it. But it is a very entertaining film, with lots of good jokes (usually in the 6-8 range on a scale of 1-10 for jokes) and it has another terrific performance by the amazing Tovah Feldshuh (she also gave one of the great -- and unacknowledged -- performances of the year in 2001 in "Dating Jessica Stein"). She seems to be a blessing for gay themed movies, but I'd really love to see her in lots of other stuff.

Someone else's review mentioned something about the jokes being insidery gay. Don't be misled by that comment. I think everyone will get the Judy Garland and Elizabeth Taylor references, etc. I mean, at this point, is there anyone under the age of 60 who doesn't understand camp humor? I don't think so.

Only arguable problem -- the gay couple is a little too "sterile." Sure they look good together and they have the same bedroom, but I don't think we get to see a kiss or even handholding. So from a Gay P.C. point of view it's a little too "Will & Grace."

Anyway, it's fun, it's broad, there are some good-looking guys but it's very PG (BRING THE KIDS!!!) the time flies by and you leave the theatre happy. All that for $6-11 (depending on what part of the country you live in.) What a bargain!

I saw this uproariously funny little film this summer and bought it as soon as it came out on video. What a breath of fresh air it is to see a movie that goes back to the basics of classic comedy rather than pandering to the current vogue of substituting posing and attitude for genuine humor. The plot revolves around a gay couple who are hitmen for the Mafia, but don't expect a one-joke film that caters to stereotypes. Instead, expect several wacky but seamlessly interwoven plotlines that are handled in the style of the old screwball comedies, with wit and panache. And one of the film's strongest elements is the way it sends up and subverts stereotypes rather than exploit them.

I've read some criticisms of this film because the two guys don't kiss. Well, I'm a gay man and in a long-term relationship and I thought this was one of the most convincing, affectionate and natural portrayals of a gay couple in memory. Obviously, the couple has a sex life, but we don't have to see it. And the final love scene (without a kiss) was one of the most erotic, beautiful things I've seen in any recent movie, gay or straight.

The main idea of this movie - gay couple in mafia - was interesting and this alone could make a good movie with the parents facing their son as a killer for mafia. But some things made the movie so stupid, that it felt almost like the writer got drunk, wrote some "funny" lines and a movie was made. I'm talking about the military parents. If the producers cut this part off the movie they could save some money on the bad actors portraying the militants and invest it to improving the script.

And the usual complain: no kiss and except for the last scene, there was no touch between the gay couple. But to be impartial, the other people in the movies didn't kiss as well.