Long-Term Relationship

Interesting to read all the varying comments posted here regarding this movie. I think viewer reaction really depends on how much of a sucker you are for a romantic comedy that does away with reason and believability in an effort to come up with a happy ending.

One person mentioned that the director/writer/producer only read "Directing For Dummies" before he helmed this. I wish he had read "Screenwriting For Dummies" too. I think the major problem lies not in the direction but in his script. The development of the central relationship doesn't make sense. Supporting characters disappear for a good portion of the movie, only to reappear at the end.

There are a couple of laugh-out-loud funny lines - mostly delivered by actor Artie O'Daly as Eli. Some would say the character he plays is stereotypical, but he's a good actor with great comic timing & almost steals the movie. That said, other dialogue (and performances) are cringe-worthy.

Questions regarding political and sexual incompatibility in the central gay relationship are raised - which is good - but the solution, according to this film, is to just go ahead and get married! The Republican character doesn't offer any objection. Nothing is worked out. Just slap a happy ending on it. It's a shame. What we're left with is another gay indie film in which a writer/director/producer would have benefited from collaborating with someone to come up with a better finished product.

Long Term Relationship (LTR) is so poorly written and flatly presented it makes the typically weak programming on the TV channel Logo look like Masterpiece Theatre.

LTR is supposed to be a comedy drama. The comedy consists of terrible one liners or sight gag montages. There's some frank joking about sexual incompatibility and discussion of supposedly insurmountable political differences but everything LTR attempts to address or make a joke about has been done before and much better.

The story is standard romantic comedy fluff with spikes of drama thrown in. The writing sounds like a college freshman's first script. Most of the characters are terrible clichés, the side characters in particular. There's a supposedly wise and sexy Asian female best friend of the main character, her husband who hangs out with gay guys but is utterly clueless about anything gay (Har!), a couple of mildly flaming constantly quipping gay guys, the professor, and Mary Ann. The last two aren't really in LTR but the side characters are as one dimensional as old TV sitcom characters. Except the acting in LTR isn't as good as the acting in a TV sitcom.

The two leads acting is competent (when they fall flat it's mainly due to the terrible writing) and their characters have some interesting aspects...Interesting enough that it makes you wonder what a better writer and director would have done with them.

The most notable thing about LTR (other than some pleasant but completely out of place piano music) is that the gay characters all have hair that looks as if they just rolled out of bed or possible cut it themselves. If believable hair was the goal it's LTR's one success. But the reason the hair is even noticed at all is that everything else about the film is so dull and obvious it makes the hair really stand out.

An assault and insult to gay men everywhere; apparently of whom the majority are vapid yet stern democrat sexoholic clichés who make poor attempts at wit and humor. This film tries so hard to be relevant and funny, but is a LONG tedious road-trip away from both. None of the jokes were remotely funny (and here's a hint: don't edit in long pauses after each joke for emphasis as if you're at a dinner-party...PICK UP THE PACE and maybe we won't NOTICE how bad the joke was!). The premise that any gay man who doesn't work for "ACT OUT" remotely cares about the political leanings of his sex-partner is beyond laughable. The only theme that COULD have been interesting was how two men overcome "bad sex". THIS was what I personally wanted to see resolved...and it never was! Were they just satisfied to a semi-platonic relationship? Did they find the magic formula (i.e. "being old-fashioned"?) or were they destined to continue trying? This was just a really bad exercise in campy comebacks...the type one would expect from shallow friends-of-friends at a drunken cocktail where you tell everyone you'll keep in touch but give fake numbers to.

Long-Term Relationship is one of those films that will go down as a must see for gay film lovers. First off it is very funny. The script is witty at every turn but doesn't lose sight of it's story because of it.

The cast is great. The stand out is Mattew Montgomery. He holds the whole film together. With his good looks and quiet charm, Matthew treads along the zany world of his friends and works on getting his long-term relationship perfect. The other characters are pretty well rounded too. And what is a gay film without cute guys? The cast is full of them but as far as cuteness goes, I am partial to Jeremy Lucas who plays Vincent.

The romance in the film is so natural. The characters of Glenn and Adam develop a real relationship complete with the way they talk to each other to having relationship rules as well.

All and all this is a nice writing and directing debut by Rob Williams. It is an intelligent and funny film about relationships and gay culture. I look forward to seeing other films Rob does.

This film deals with a gay relationship that for some reason has problems attaining sexual fulfillment. As gay relationship which wants to endure, it does smash apart the still homophobic view among certain heterosexuals that long term commitments between men cannot last. This is a good point to make when we look at films such as 'Call Me By Your Name' and 'Brokeback Mountain' which I dislike intensely. On top of that, the two lovers come from opposite poles of the political spectrum, and I will give no spoilers about how this added problem works out. For some of the friends that surround them this a sort of sleeping with the enemy, and yes, there is humour in this as well. One of the lovers has a flatmate. The flatmate loves his sharing partner very strongly. The actor who plays him I found excellent. And to a certain extent I got a bit tired of why the sex between the two lovers failed despite their devotion to each other. But there are good things in this film and in my opinion it is well worth watching. It was clearly made on a shoestring, but then a lot of good films are. See it if you can. Made in 2006 it is still relevant.