A Mais Fabulosa Vida Social de Ethan Green

In THE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN, there is one great laugh: As two of the characters argue with each other in a bookstore, all the shelves are packed tight, except the one marked "Lesbian Humor," which only has one volume. Okay, it's not a great laugh, but it is a nice little chuckle. And the viewers should be grateful for that, because otherwise as a romantic comedy ETHAN GREEN is pretty skimpy with both the romance and the comedy.

Based on a cult gay comic strip of the same name, ETHAN GREEN seems to be trying to say something socially relevant about contemporary gay relationships. And while the film isn't wanting in imagination or even inspiration, it regrettably reflects its comic strip source by being strangely flat and two dimensional. The jokes are there, but like Eric Orner's artwork in the original comics, they are drawn with little style or depth or skill.

Ethan is an unlucky-in-love, self-proclaimed "serial monogamist." At 26, an age when most men -- whether gay or straight -- are searching for anything other than a lifetime romantic/sexual commitment, Ethan is going through a mid-life crisis worrying about his biological clock and a fear of dying an old maid. Despite his almost desperate desire to find his soulmate, the has an equally desperate need to find something wrong with every potential Mr. Right. Both things seem to preoccupy his every waking thought, but then again, Ethan doesn't seem to have anything else going on his life, such as a job. And even his strangely anonymous suburban home is devoid of evidence of his existence, without so much as a MOULIN ROUGE! movie poster or a Streisand album in sight to indicate a gay man is on the premises.

As played by Daniel Letterle with an almost-campy almost-swishiness, Ethan is clearly a gay stereotype, yet he remains curiously devoid of a personality. Surrounded by non-stereotypical characters, who nonetheless have obvious personality quirks that define them, Ethan is arguably the least interesting character in the story. His lovers, past and present, include a hot Latino boytoy (to whom Ethan's mother plays fag hag); a nerdy bookstore owner; a fresh-out-of-the-closet professional jock; and a 19-year-old sexually adventurous twink, all of whom are hung up on Ethan to some degree -- though God knows why. There is also a gay Republican, which the story treats as a perpetual joke, (and the less said about The Hat Sisters, a pair of burly aging transvestites, the better). We are supposed to wonder which of these guys Ethan will ultimately pick, though we also might rightly wonder which one will ultimately get stuck with Ethan. Ethan's focus seems to be on avoiding the wrong choice and not making the right one, a subtle, but telling difference.

The strangest thing about the film is that Ethan is this unfunny dead weight at the center of everything. Virtually everybody else is almost joyously upbeat; like Meredith Baxter as Ethan's mom, whose acceptance of her son's homosexuality has inspired her to be a wedding planner for civil unions. Even Rebecca Lowman as Sunny Deal, a chronically depressed lesbian real estate agent, manages to make her character's suicidal depression amusing. And an especially bright light in the film is Dean Shelton as Punch Epstein, the twink who is still high on being out and sees gay sex as a game with few rules and endless possibilities. If someone in the film has to be deemed "fabulous," Shelton's performance earns him the right. (It's just a pity the film isn't THE MOSTLY FABULOUS SEXUAL LIFE OF PUNCH EPSTEIN.)

It is not just that Ethan is such a sadsack -- the whole point being that his pessimism is an island in a sea of optimism. But Letterle, who made such a winning impression in CAMP, brings no charisma to Ethan and thus, no focus. And I don't think it is entirely Letterle's fault, since he seems to be playing the part as written. For instance, when Ethan decides at the last minute to break up a wedding, he stops midpoint to browse a catalogue and place a phone order. Funny? Yeah, sorta. But at what cost to the story? Despite a few discreetly suggestive sex scenes, there is no passion, let alone urgency, to the story or between any of the characters. For a movie filmed in less than two weeks, ETHAN GREEN is surprisingly well made technically, but first-time director George Bamber can't conjure up any eagerness to please. Likewise, in the end Ethan doesn't seem to find Mr. Right so much as Mr. Alright. If neither Ethan nor the film are fabulous, it is because neither have made the effort.

After reading so many horrible reviews of this film I had to muster up strength to even go see it. To be honest, the only reason I went was to see Letterle, whom I've had a thing for since the movie musical Camp. However, I got a lot out of it! It's the first time I've seen a gay movie that wasn't about coming out, wasn't about breaking straight girls hearts, and was based more in , well, reality??.........I do say that lightly.

But honestly, the 30 people who were in the theatre with me, inluding my boyfriend, were laughing the whole time. I really enjoyed the movie. It was very entertaining.

Donnylutz :)

A funny line from a funny song, but somehow it captures the mood of this light little comedy, made with enough wit and ingenuity to keep our attention, rehashing some tired gay stereotypes with a fresh approach, and in the end just offering a pastiche that should find an appreciative audience. George Bamber takes on his first directing role and uses a comic strip (Eric Orner) translated for the screen by David Vernon and populates his movie with an attractive cast of men (and women) and ably manages to make the individual frames of a comic strip almost become a smooth storyline.

Ethan Green (the talented Daniel Letterle) has problems with relationships: he has been in many from Juarez (Ramon De Ocampo) who still lives with Ethan's gay boy loving mother Harper (Meredith Baxter), to previously closeted baseball player Leo (Diego Serrano), to Kyle (David Monahan) to the very young Punch (Dean Shelton). The crux of the story revolves around the difficulty of selling Leo's house and the ways in which the various ex-lovers interact provides the somewhat frustrating line of dialogue.

Comic relief is supplied by two elderly gentlemen known as the Hat Sisters (Joel Brooks and Richard Riehle) as well as the shenanigans of the real estate people. Of course we know from the beginning who will end up with whom, but the getting there is fairly fun. The cast obviously has such a good time with the film that they forget to enunciate and so much of the dialogue is swallowed. But they are all fun to watch so it matters little that the superficial aspects of the story remain sub rosa. Grady Harp, October 06

I loved this movie, the actors, the writing the score, everything about it. It's a shame it's not on release in the UK, I only discovered it by accident on Here TV and went on a search to to see if it was available. I decided to take a risk and buy it without first watching it. I'm glad I did, it'd quite refreshing to find a gay movie that's not all about coming out and being alienated. Is funny without having to present gays in a stereotypical way and presents life and love as any other 'straight' movie would. I loved Meredith Baxter she was fantastically cast as Ethan's mother, the Hat Sisters were great fun. David Monahan as Leo was too cute. And Daniel Latterle was brilliant as Ethan. As a 32 year old gay man this movie felt relevant to me.

Heard a lot of negative comments, but the trailer convinced me to at least check it out. I was pleasantly surprised. A nice, cute film with some very nice moments. Well written/acted/directed/produced - the only trouble for me is that the film isn't consistent. Starts out as "regular" comedy with asides, then tries to add grand farce and bouffe elements, and it never really comes together. Plus, if you want to have farcical elements, you need a speed and intensity in cutting that this film doesn't quite get to. And there are a few non sequiturs, which may be because my hearing isn't the best and there are no subtitles. On one hand I liked the playing with the stereotypes (e.g., elevator scene towards the end), yet found slightly irritating the glasses on / glasses off cliché. Loved the treatment of the Hat Sisters. I also like the constant reference(s) to characters who never appear.

On another level, I liked the film because it said something to me on a personal level at this time in my own life ("The Ethan Reflex"). Not that there's a "message", per se, but there happened to be a message for ME in Baxter's "words of wisdom" to Letterle.

A possibly shallow comment from me is that while the actor playing Punch is a wonderful actor and nails the character totally, he doesn't quite physically match my expectation. Sorry, but then, I'm as shallow as they come sometimes.

If you're looking for Letterle nude shots or suggestive shots or looking for soft porn, forget it. (Though there are some underwear shots for the desperate.) But if you're looking for a decent movie that stands on its own, check it out.