User reviews

As one who did many risky things during the last 25 years of my life, the movie is emotionally very close to my life. As the one who is still HIV- and lived though a time when my friends and acquaintances were dropping like flies, the movie really resonates emotionally with me.With all of the movie's faults, I connected with the the characters and the story on an emotional level.

I stopped counting the dead of AIDS of the people I knew when I exhausted counting with all my fingers and toes many multiple times. Though the chronology of the movie seemed hard to follow, I find that there was a reason for all of the transitions, just not the most usual and rational ones rather what seemed to be emotional ones. The background noise was very distracting. At the beach I could understand it, but it also occurred in the scenes which should have had a quiet background.

I was going to say this was the worst gay-themed film I've ever seen, but I can honestly say this is the worst film if any genre I've ever seen.

You know you're in trouble when a movie starts with a "personal note" from the Director, asking for the audience's "understanding" for the "many challenges" facing a first-time Director. The audio track is so bad in many scenes it's almost impossible to follow the dialogue, and this from a DVD version. Bad lighting, bad sets, bad photography, poor script, generally bad acting all add up to make this "film" unwatchable. I did make it through to the bad ending after several attempts, and immediately gave away the DVD I foolishly purchased. I'm sure there are many challenges facing a first-time Director. But, don't try to palm off this lame attempt as a finished product. I see from IMDb details that this was not only the first Directing attempt of Richard Natale, but also the only. That's the one positive thing I can say about this alleged "movie".

Philip (Gregory Phelan) and Guy (Kevin Spirtas) are lovers in an open relationship. Philip is monogamous but Guy can't seem to stop having sex with as many guys as possible. Philip doesn't like it but lives with it. Then Guy gets AIDS and this all moves to a predictable conclusion.

Pretty bad. The film is grainy and the sound is frequently inaudible. I can forgive that (this is a VERY low-budget film) but I can't forgive the cardboard characters and woefully predictable plot. Even in 1996 (when I saw it) this was considered old hat and had been done many times before. I saw it at a gay film festival in Boston. There was scattered applause when it ended and people walked out complaining about how it was just another AIDS film. I agree! AIDS WAS (and is) a serious subject but (back in the late 1990s) every gay film seemed to be about that and nothing else. This was just one of many...and not a very good one. Phelan and Spirtas (who is openly gay) are as good as they could be and they're both handsome, hunky guys but that's not enough for a 90 minute film. See "Longtime Companion" if you want to see a good film about AIDS and avoid this one.

After a slow start, "Green Plaid Shirt" picks up steam and ultimately becomes one of the better fictional films I've seen about the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the gay community. I found it much more convincing and satisfying than, for instance, the more widely publicized and viewed "Longtime Companion," thanks to greater character development, most particularly the character of Philip; Gregory Phelan really carries the movie, in a fine performance.

That said, I wish the copy I saw had had better sound production values -- too often the dialogue was hard to understand, an unnecessary distraction. And there is a certain New-Age-y, California sloppiness (sorry!) to the narrative that creates needless confusion. The chronology seems screwy, and seldom to good effect. Guy's collapse in the kitchen looks more like an epileptic seizure than anything AIDS-related, and it seems to come well before the breakup and reunion. Guy's father comes to visit when he is sick and in an apartment with Philip; so I guess Guy goes into remission before he and Philip buy the house, break up and get back together, but really, who can tell? All this is unfortunate in view of the film's strengths, especially the acting.

As for the garment of the title, its employment frequently seems a contrivance (more "Yellow Rolls-Royce" than "Red Violin" ... hmm, why is there always a color involved?). But it looks good on everyone who wears it, notably Phelan.

This film just got better and better for me. The personalities, and by certain, the good looks of the two leads, Gregory Phelan and that Greek God, Kevin Spirtas, were enough for the price of admission. Add to this a great story, terrific acting and excellent direction by Richard Natale, who also scripted the film, and you have a gay movie that not only touches you but teaches you about partners. The honesty of the movie is what got to me. So many scenes that spoke out in a simple and yet moving way reached me. I liked the scenes when the two guys were going through the hardships of living together. Even the daily getting up in the morning, eating each other's breakfast and going to work. The scene when Phelan gets a message on the machine from Spirtas that he's left him for another man was only too real. Phelan just stood there as he listened to the message. What went on with his face told the story. I remember the same feelings when it was done to me. You could see the shock and pain. Bravo, Gregory. And the scene when Spiritas comes back having had a bad relationship with the guy he left for, almost begging for fogiveness. Seems that partner was into abusing him and probably gave him the AIDS he later is diagnosed with. Watching them both go through the agony and touching moments of living one day to another was all too real. They never overplayed this situation. The final scenes were too heartbreaking to watch. Yet you wanted to reach out and say stop, it's okay, things will get better. But they don't. You get so involved with them, you forget the underlying tragedy that is unfolding. That last scene they have together, on the beach, is a testament to that. Thinking all would get better as they walk off into the sunset, the final line just whallops such a punch. I just sobbed my heart out. Thanks, for this film to producers, actors, directors and all. I also meant to say another performance by Richard Israel, looking much like a younger Richard Kind, was well played. On the campy side, yet quite believable, he more or less tells the story of our two lovers. I am purchasing this movie as I must be able to get my hands on it anytime I want. It's that beautiful.

Green Plaid Shirt is a flawlessly conceived and executed gay love story made challenging by poor sound quality. It takes a lot of attention, audio adjustments, and frequent rewinds to understand everything that's said, but it is WELL worth the trouble. People who aren't willing to invest such time and energy will understandably hate this movie, but those who are willing to will be greatly rewarded.

It's probably the most beautifully moving and believable love story I have ever seen anywhere. Besides the sound, everything about this movie—writing, direction, acting, editing, photography—is absolutely perfect and astonishing. The story line is not chronologically linear, but it's perfectly fitted to the development of this particular story and makes it easier to follow than if it WERE chronological.

This is no fairy tale romance. There are failures, betrayals, stupidity, selfishness and much sadness along the way, but that's how life is. Learning to love another person THROUGH troubles like that is the greatest good available to us as human beings, and that is exactly what this movie is about.

Two of the supporting characters (Jerry and Devon) are so self-centered and obnoxious I was relieved any time they were out of the story, but even they are entirely realistic, believable and very well-acted. Everybody else—including Phil's mother, who's on for only a couple of minutes—is simply perfect. Others have rightly commended Gregory Phelan and Kevin Spirtas in the leads; I'll add Jonathan Klein as Todd, one of the most original, appealing, and fascinating characters who ever appeared in any movie.

I have never recommended a movie as highly as I recommend Green Plaid Shirt, to anybody who is willing to invest some of him(or her)self in watching it.

I could barely sit through this awful movie. It was so bad and it makes me wonder why so many gay movies are so hideously awful. Why do they have so many flashbacks? Why do they have to have slow plots with bad artsy directing undertones? I'm sick of bad gay movies where people try way too hard to make it "arty". This was a HUGE waste of time and if I could I would give it a negative 10.