Straight Up

If you're searching for an explanation of successful millennial romantic relationships, it might be characterized by bisexuality without sex. If you're searching for an unconventional romantic comedy? that's what writer/director/star James Sweeney offers in the brilliant Straight Up.

It's a rom-com whose roots are firmly placed in the Howard Hawke's world of His Girl Friday, where sex is a form of screwball comedy banter, brilliantly pop-cultured and offered by brainiac characters who want sex but accept words as more forgiving: "You called me." "No, I didn't." "Yes, you did." "My butt dialed you." "Well, I think your butt knows what your heart wants." You might also thin of the less biting, but still bright, Will & Grace.

Todd (Sweeney) and Rory (Katie Findlay) meet cute in a library and exchange super-charged dialogue titillating in its wit and emotionally fulfilling like good sex. He is OCD-his whole life is that analytical way-- arranging the books here making her think he's a librarian. He house sits rather than create a home. It's perhaps his OCD that keeps him from a satisfying sexuality, so preoccupied he is with deconstructing life that he misses its joys. He, however, knows he does not want to be alone his whole life.

The difference between Hawkes' dialogue or, say Wes Anderson's in The Grand Budapest Hotel, is that Straight Up relies on machinegunned words, whereas the earlier screwball comedies come out almost gently from sweet origins in the head with smoother delivery (Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, for example).

Besides the smart dialogue, Straight Up offers, for the main characters' insistence otherwise, benign almost sexless love, which seems counterintuitive but ends up between the two principals an almost ideal state. Yet both characters long for love, a universal desire the lasts throughout the modern biracial and bisexual modes.

The comedy lampoons the correctness of our century while it offers a sober commentary on fulfilling relationships that rely on mind over matter.

Listen up you uncertain millennials, it's the mind that matters

The main character is struggling with whether they're gay or not because they don't like gay sex. In fact they don't like sex at all. This is literally the definition of what being asexual is. This movie was written by people who have no idea there are sexualities beyond bi, gay or straight. It was frustrating to see potential representation of asexuality get shoved into the shadows.

Yes, this film is VERY Millennial, but my big takeaway is that I've never seen a comedy (rom-com?) quite like it before. The actor/filmmaker has a totally unique voice and vision. Hopefully there will be another project after this one, because I'm definitely interested to see another feature from him.

I loved the writing in this movie. It's introspective and sharp, with back and forth repartee to totally engage you for its short 96 minute runtime. I have obsessive-compulsive thinking tendencies myself and I found the irreverent, self-referential dialogue and overall self-doubt both amusingly charming and relatable. The two main protagonists are given relatively equal screen time and sympathy and the audience finds themselves rooting for them as individuals and as a pair, even when their future is quite uncertain. The movie also poses tough and thoughtful questions about relationships that will keep you thinking about love and attraction and companionship long after the credits have rolled

Straight Up (2019) was written and directed by James Sweeney.

Director Sweeney plays Todd, who has OCD and many, many phobias. Todd's friends know he's gay, Todd's therapist knows he's gay, and--I think--Todd knows he's gay. The problem is that Todd really doesn't want to be gay.

He wants to be straight, especially after he meets Rory, portrayed by Katie Findlay. They are mutually attracted, and the start to live together. But . . .

Although this was a meant as a comedy, I found it poignant. Meeting the right person, when you're the wrong person, isn't really funny. Funny things happen along the way, but the basic premise is sad.

Sweeney does a good job, especially when you remember that he's directing himself. Katie Findlay is outstanding in her role.

Special acting credit goes to Tracie Thoms as Dr. Larson, Todd's ever-patient therapist.

This film had its New York State premiere at ImageOut, Rochester's great LGBT festival. (Remember that both NYC and Buffalo are larger than Rochester. Having a NYS premiere in Rochester takes special effort by the ImageOut selection committee.)

This is a film that will work on the small screen. Yes--it's set in California with views of the ocean, but it's about people, not scenery.

This movie hasn't had a large distribution. It's only been rated by 30 people. The good news is that those people gave it an extremely high rating of 8.1. I think it's even better than that.