Adam & Steve

I'm getting really tired of people who don't like a particular film genre giving bad reviews of movies belonging to that genre. I don't like gory horror films, so I wouldn't review (or see) something like Hostel or Saw. But somehow people (and reviewers) delight in putting down romcoms, not because there's anything wrong with the films, but because it would have to be something absolutely extraordinary to even merit a "satisfactory" from them.

That's why it pisses me off that Adam and Steve hasn't gotten the critical acclaim that it deserves. I honestly feel that most of the bad reviews were of people predisposed to dislike it just as they'd be predisposed to dislike any new romantic comedy, gay or straight. (That's not to say that it hasn't gotten its fair share of good reviews, and deservedly so!)

Yes, the romantic comedy genre has been done and done again, and not always well, but I can count the number of GAY romantic comedies on the fingers of one hand. All Over the Guy, and Adam and Steve, and...? How many others follow the formula of two people who meet cute, fall in love, face some kind of crisis, and then overcome it in a tear and laughter filled climactic scene? Yes, I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for a good romcom. I can see While You Were Sleeping any day of the week. But as a gay man I've been cheated of this genre, always having to superimpose my own boy/boy couple over the boy/girl couple in the film.

Adam and Steve is the film I (and others I'm sure) have been waiting for. One of the funniest (admittedly crude at times, Thank you Farrely bros) and at the same time most gloriously romantic romcoms ever, and this time it's a boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy gets boy back story! The chemistry between Craig Chester and Malcolm Gets is palpable, and thank you openly gay hero Chester for casting another gay man to play opposite. As Chester says in the film commentary, he and Gets don't have to worry about "playing gay" but can simply play the characters, and when they are in bed together or sharing a romantic moment (lots of kissing in this film), you don't have to wonder if they felt odd or uncomfortable. It's obvious that they didn't and don't.

Parker Posey and Chris Kattan are along for the ride, Ms. Posey giving yet another lovable quirky performance that's made her the indie queen, and Mr. Kattan showing himself a real actor and real person, something that his usual over the top roles don't allow him to do.

If you don't like romantic comedies, don't see this movie. But if you're like me, someone who loves the genre but has felt cheated out of his own romcom, by all means BUY the DVD because this is a movie you'll be watching again and again.

Okay, so this movie had some funny moments, but most of it just left me cold--like it was trying too hard and somehow ended up being too artificial and too phony. I thought the love story was cute, for what it was worth, but some of the subplots left me scratching my head. For example, I find it hard to believe that there are a great many red-Becky Jersey boys (and hillbillies, apparently) in the Village who are going to throw beer bottles at gay men who express affection towards one another. I've been to the Village before and think the bottle throwers would definitely be bashed back. Not to mention the harassment from the window...omg....is this a lame attempt at humor or seriousness towards the fact that hate still exists? Either way, it felt very out of place.

And Adam's family (ba ha ha--just got that one...!) seemed nothing but a one line lame joke. Did we have to cross over into 3rd rate physical comedy to make some point about a curse? The movie did have its highlights--Parker Posey and Chris Kattan had their moments, the dance off was funny and it did make some interesting points about the human condition and relationships: I liked it when Adam asked Steve what he wanted, and he blurts out: "I don't know!!" Not an easy thing to admit.

All in all, "Adam and Steve" has given me a little bit of hope that someone out there might make a gay-themed movie that won't insult my intelligence.

Nothing more here than a standard, cliché, romantic comedy that you would find in a dozen Adam Sandler films or poorly written African American comedies except for that it focuses on a homoesexual relationship. None of the characters are believable, the tone is mostly a farce but there is not a lot of intelligence behind it.

I believe this film is getting a decent buzz, primarily because the two leads are actually gay and rarely do we see supposed "real-life" portrayal of gays in romantic comedies.

The filmmakers intent was to show what it is really like to be in a homosexual relationship and that they have the same feelings, concerns, desires, etc as heterosexual couples. The main problem is that the tone is so absurd and light and none of it seems like real life at all, you don't believe or engage in the characters at all so the message is lost. I am not gay and did not leave the film feeling any more informed about the difficulties of gay relationships or anything even close.

There are some funny scenes and lines but also many awkward moments and irrelevant scenes just thrown in, and dialouge that just doesn't work. Many parts tried to be over the top and absurd just for the sake of doing so, nothing real or organic about them. The acting and pacing also needed work. I just didn't engage or become interested in the characters at any level.

It didn't need to be as heavy or shocking as Queer as Folk or other gay films but moving the tone more toward Kissing Jessica Stein would have served it much better. Beleiving in the characters as actual people instead of over the to characatures would have let me empathize and allowed me to learn a lot more than I did

The 9-11 references were empty and useless. I lived in NY at the time and if your're going to try to capture it at least give it some time, attention, and drama.

Any I don't mean to focus on the gay aspect, it fails as a film period, straight, gay or other, but the producers/filmmakers are promoting it this way so that will inevitably be the focus.

I'd be interested in hearing any opinions from anyone gay who saw the film to see if they felt it represented their struggles properly or if they were maybe just happy to see a light comedy focused on gay life.

Will be interesting to see what happens if/when it is released

Craig Chester and Malcolm Gets (particularly this latter hunk, who's just so winsomely huggable---he seems so right at home, so comfortable with himself) have some real warm moments, and that doesn't often happen in gay-themed films these days. Unfortunately the pluses of this are more than a few times imbalanced by some of the following minuses:

-An overage of what other review sites have called "gross-out" humor. I easily could have stood the early on diarrhea sight-gag, had its use not been later overloaded by the sometimes diarrhetic mouth of a stand-up club's master of ceremonies (Michael Panes, was it?) and of Parker Posey's character, herself, upon occasion. Why are such remarks, like the female-bestiality cracks in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" considered such fair game in humor these days? Puke!!

-Perhaps a little over-reliance on Jewish "sensibility-moments."

-Guess, overall, I just feel that Chester has been around long enough to: know better, turn out something better, just plain old be better. It can't have been inexpensive to roll out this product, so it just seems he could'a gotten a lot more for his buck (and we for ours).

WHOA.....WHOA......WHOA.........STOPPpppp! You know what? I went back and "re-looked" this movie last night, and in the midst of my millionth laugh, it suddenly hit me that I hadn't really laughed any less the first night. Say, maybe I've been trying to make something too serious out of this little production, and that's not what it's about at all. It really doesn't have to be another "Brokeback Mountain" (as great as that was). Isn't it nice, instead, to have something that keeps our spirits up? Well, you bet.

And we can have all the "sensibility-moments" they can throw at us......cause isn't there a good, old Hebrew word that just perfectly describes Adam? Isn't it something like.......Klutz (and a lovable one at that)? And being "sad-sacky," that can be funny too, can't it? Right on!

Finally, on an even more positive note (for someone like me who's always placing gay kissing scenes*** under the old microscope), I'd have to judge that this production has not been afraid to give us a goodly number of 'osculating-lips-in-action' shots. Don't you agree? They weren't all perfectly aimed, but there were some really good ones.

PS--So, congratulations, Adam & Steve, on your wedding and for being able to live in a world far removed from that of Jack & Ennis.

***And for scenes in which "lip-locks" were done as well or better, try these: "Just A Question Of Love" / "Latter Days" / "All Over The Guy" / "Brokeback Mountain" / "Maurice" / sorry, gotta stop somewhere)

The premise is this: Two gay men, Adam and Steve, meet in the 80's and have a disastrous encounter. Fast forward to the present. Adam and Steve's paths cross again and they begin to date, neither remembering their history together. Until one does. How will the past affect the future? Somewhat interesting premise, however, writer and director Craig Chester doesn't have much faith in it and decides to fill the film with a barrage of gross out humor, slapstick, and silly over the top moments. While some of these are very very funny, others don't work at all. The end result is a movie that seems to sell out for cheap laughs rather than go for something real.

Craig Chester (who also wrote and directed) and Malcolm Gets are likable as Adam and Steve but don't generate much chemistry. Parker Posey is always good for a few laughs. Chris Kattan is basically wasted in a supporting role as the best friend.

If you are looking for a few laughs and don't have expectations too high, I would recommend this film. If you are seeking an authentic contemporary film about gay relationships, pass over this one and rent "All Over the Guy."