Scenes from a Gay Marriage

The title is a play on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage. You could say it covers a bit of the same territory--as any movie about marriage/relationships would. But the tone and construction of the movie owes more to Woody Allen's work.

The comparison is impossible not to make. Music is used like Allen uses it, and the early jazz guitar instrumentals sound almost identical (maybe they are) to music in many of Allen's films. The music serves not just as a bridge between scenes or for montages, but it sometimes plays under dialog too. Allen does the same thing.

The vagueness of relationships, how they've come to be formed, and what they are is also Allen-esque, as is the primary plot device: overhearing "scenes" from neighbors' gay marriage and becoming obsessed by one half of the couple who might potentially become eligible. And there's an effort to keep the plot from overwhelming the film, to keep it somewhat light and abstract, enough to make it feel modern and sophisticated. All this seems a little too much--it comes dangerously close to being more about style than substance.

The dialog rings true enough even if the encounters between characters seem implausible or forced. I kept thinking that there were paths the writer could have taken that would have made this really interesting, but instead it stays pretty safe. Unfortunately playing it safe doesn't make for a great film, or one that is compelling. But this did hold my interest, I'll say that much. And there's a lot about it that is original.

I don't know why I'm reluctant to call this good. It's very watchable. But just as the movies of Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allan aren't for everybody, neither is this. And don't get the idea that it's that kind of quality--it isn't. But it aspires to be, and that's worth something.

Quirky old music, random pointless conversations and "artsy" editing - this still doesn't add up to "Hannah and her Sisters". Throw in an entire cast that's irritating and unlikable (except for Jared Allman), and you've got a pretty unpleasant way to spend (waste) an hour and a half. The lead is especially irritating.

I wish I could invent a time machine just so I could go and get my evening back.

A well made film - nicely filmed and passable acting but about as exciting as watching paint dry.

If the intention was to show how banal gay life is then they succeeded hands down.

I can't believe that they bothered to make a sequel to this yawn-fest.

This film is worth seeing simply because Jared Allman is in it and this guy has star quality like no other. From the moment he appears you cannot take your eyes off him. He is absolutely riveting. And that's what makes a star. I see that he has already been discovered by mainstream Hollywood so it makes perfect sense that he will crossover to major Hollywood films big time. His bio says he came out to his parents at the age of 22. This was a real shock to me because for sure I thought he was straight and it really cracks me up to see straight actors in gay parts. But the fact that as straight as he appears to decide to come out is really something in my book and I applaud his guts in being who he is with no apology. This film is okay but it's Jared Allman that makes it worthwhile.

I'm completely on the fence with this one.

I watched the trailer, and somehow I fell under the impression that it would be a fast paced comedy about a gay couple with juicy secrets unraveled by the - coincidentally gay - downstairs neighbor. Boy, was I wrong. I got this sucked into this artsy dramedy that tries to over analyze "gay relationships" instead.

Although it may seem appealing at first, Trying to distance itself from the most common LGBT movies which are usually raunchy comedies - there's not a single sex scene in the entire movie, kudos for that - or unending romantic dramas (which I love, don't get me wrong), it gets boring quite fast. The story develops into a unappealing conclusion, that has nothing to do with the direction it followed in the beginning, too bland and rushed.

The acting is not that bad, and the dialogues are quirky enough though they're not believable... to say the least. But the main problem with this piece, is the utter lack of chemistry between any of the characters. You have a couple, that clearly behaves like two random guys put together in the same room for the first time the week before, a romantic pairing that just has no spark at all, a pair of instant best friends with literally nothing in common, and a pair of old lovers that just don't seem to relate at all.

Maybe it's the dialogues fault, it just feels too... phony, too rehearsed It's like the writer just expect us to fill the blanks in a chemistry that just isn't there.

It's not a great movie. Don't expect a super clever dialogue - I mean, it sure has some pop cultural references in there - but you can watch it without regret. It's okay to watch it in a Sunday afternoon with some popcorn and no expectations whatsoever.