Love! Valour! Compassion!

I would die to see the play. I didn't want to see it at first because I'm not a fan of Jason Alexander but I must admit he did surprise me, who knew he could act (although he was trying a little hard to BE Nathan Lane). I cried through most or it and I'm not much of a crier so BE WARNED! IT IS A CHICK FLICK! but a damned good one.

Eight gay men spend Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day in a remote house near NYC. Film follows their friendships and relationships. Previous posters have complained about the lack of character development but remember...the original play ran 3 1/2 hours! They had to cut out over an hour's worth of material to get a two hour film and the cutting does hurt. Still I like the film. The entire cast is good...even Jason Alexander. The setting is beautiful and the script is very good...but I saw the play so I was constantly remembering things they cut out. Ramon's (Randy Becker) part especially was chopped down. Still, the film shows a bunch of gay men dealing with AIDS, sex, love etc truthfully and with great humor. The best performances come from Alexander, Justin Kirk, John Glover and Randy Becker. Also the film has plenty of casual male nudity (especially Becker who is handsome and has a very nice body). Worth seeing...especially if you never saw the play.

It's amazing the fate the great play by Terrence McNally suffered on its way to the movies. The fact that it's basically the same team that produced this moving theater piece at New York's Manhattan Theater Club and later transferred to Broadway with basically the same cast, and with the same director, Joe Mantello, doesn't give the film viewer any idea of what "Love, Valor, Compassion" was so effective on the theater in comparison what one watches this version on the screen.

First, and foremost, the replacement of Nathan Lane, the originator of the role of Buzz was the first mistake. In fact, Jason Alexander, a good actor otherwise, throws away the balance of the film as he portrays Buzz. Mr. Alexander is out of his element in the movie. He seems to be acting in a different film, rather on this one.

The rest of the brilliant cast is repeating the roles they originated on the play.

"Love, Valor, Compassion" deals with a lot of serious topics in a matter of fact way. AIDS is at the center of the story as this group is affected deeply in one way, or another, by the plague that is killing most of these men gathered at a summer house. There is also a subtext in the movie about relationships, friendship, and loyalty.

John Glover playing the twin brothers, John, and James, gives one of his best performances in this picture. Mr. Glover is an actor who has a long background in both theater and films and he is a welcome addition to anything he decides to grace with his presence.

Stephen Spinella and John Benjamin Hickey, are Perry and Arthur, a gay couple that has managed to stay together fourteen years, a record for this type of life where relationships tend not to last at all. Stephen Bogardus and Justin Kirk, are Gregory and Bobby, the host of the house and his sweet blind lover. Randy Becker plays Ramon, who appears to be a hustler and has been brought as a guest and ends up betraying his companion and the host.

Finally, the fact the film doesn't work rests with the direction of Joe Mantello, an excellent theater director for casting the wrong man in a key part in the movie and perhaps his unfamiliarity working in films.

I am saddened by the number of negative comments about this movie. Love! Valor! Compassion! is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not every movie has to be full of action and deep thinking to be good entertainment.

What makes this movie so enjoyable is the chance to see a gay men, who lead very different lives, interact with one another to build and maintain their friendships through good times and bad. I hope that I, too, will someday have a group of friends like that.

Jason Alexander is fantastic as the stereotypical Broadway play lover and his developing relationship with John Glover's English twin brother is precious. The characters of Perry and Arthur show a "normal", boring gay couple just going through life with each other enjoying growing old together -- a lifestyle many of us aspire to. And, Randy Becker isn't too difficult to look at, either!

Granted, there are places where the writing is uneven at best (the death of Bobby's sister, the hiding in the closet scene, for example), but viewers who enjoy a good story about friends who love and support each other without the expectation deep plot twists will enjoy this screenplay for what it is -- relaxing entertainment. Enjoy!

Mart Crowley's 1968 play "The Boys in the Band" focuses on a group of gay friends getting together in a New York apartment. It addressed the internalized homophobia of the preceding decades. Therefore, one might think of Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion" as a follow-up. This one depicts eight gay men getting together at a country estate. The year is not identified, but AIDS gets mentioned, so it's probably mid-'80s at the earliest.

Joe Mantello's* big-screen adaptation of the play is a fine piece of work. I should admit that I've never seen a stage production, but it's clear that a lot of passion went into this movie. The characters muse on the issues affecting their lives, as well as the popular culture from which they've taken inspiration (with one man positing that the US produced as many gays in 250 years as England did in 2,000).

All in all, the movie has its flaws, but the assets outweigh those. I recommend it.

So is Glenda Jackson really the British version of machismo?

*Joe Mantello more recently directed a Netflix adaptation of "The Boys in the Band" starring Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. He also appeared on the Netflix miniseries "Hollywood" as a 1940s executive.