Jeffrey

I first saw this film on TV, and was gobsmacked (a British expression!) at Patrick Stewart's performance- this is totally unlike anything else I have seen him in.

However, I soon discovered that there many more superb performances in Jeffrey... from the smallest roles (usually played by bigger names than you'd expect!) to the main roles entrusted to Stephen Weber & Michael Weiss. I managed to have a marvelous time just star spotting!

I found this so hilariously funny in some scenes, and yet full of pathos in others that I ended up laughing & crying at the same time. In the end I just had to buy it, so I can watch it as often as I want. Be broadminded, and give this film a go... it won't disappoint.

Contrary to most viewers, I found "Jeffrey" to be a singularly pleasant experience all the way through. It sags a bit in the middle, but then, please name a movie that doesn't?

It starts off like a protracted confessional; gay waiter Jeffrey (Steven Weber) waxing neurotic (in some telling vignettes) about the danger of having sex in the age of AIDS. He decides to work out instead. Meeting Mr. Exactly Right in the gym gives him pause, though. Especially when the guy is the delectable Steve (Michael T.Weiss), all muscle and chiseled grin. Jeffrey's friends advise him to reconsider his celibacy, and give it a go. It takes Jeffrey around 1 hour and 20 minutes of screen-time to do so. Had he succumbed to Steve right away, there would have been no movie! There is a sitcom-like feel to this story; obstructions and cracks are neatly wall-papered over in the name of light-hearted comedy. Darius' angelic reappearance towards the end smacks of opting for the easy way out. How else would Jeffrey have seen the error of his ways? It's the least convincing scene in the movie. Still, everything else is both funny and touching. The fantasy game-show is nice, the "Hoe- Down for AIDS" is a scathingly funny piss-take on charity-events, while Sterling's banter and relentless quips are wonderful:

"Martha Stewart says that as long as you can make a nice, dried flower arrangement - nothing else matters!!

Darius is a believable character, Steve is the hunk of the year, and although Steven Weber doesn't set the room on fire as Jeffrey, I found him to be exactly in character. After all, Jeffrey is SUPPOSED to be a rather ordinary guy. Why Steve would go for him, though, is a bit of a mystery. Their subsequent affair would make for an interesting sequel. It would probably all turn sour in the end. Then again...

This takes place when AIDS was still killing guys left and right. Gay Jeffrey (Steven Weber) loves sex but is terrified that he'll get AIDS. So he decides to give up sex completely. Then he meets handsome, hunky Steve (Michael T. Weiss) and falls in love. Michael feels the same way...but he's HIV+. Can Jeffrey fight his fear?

First off, the play was better. Some of the humor that worked so well on stage fell flat on a movie screen. Second, Weber is miscast. He's handsome, muscular but he can't act. However, I give him credit for playing an openly gay man so easily. Third, the direction is really off. I don't recognize the director's name, but comedy is not his forte. His direction really destroyed some of the jokes. Other than that, this is an OK movie. Michael T. Weiss is beautiful (and hunky) and one hell of an actor. Patrick Stewart played a gay older man to perfection--I couldn't believe it when I found out he was straight. Also the scenes with Olympia Dukakis, Sigourney Weaver and Nathan Lane are great! Also a great romantic ending with a few nice, long kisses. So, worth seeing but no great movie. If only they had a better leading man and a better director it might have worked.

I like this movie-- I liked it when it came out and I still enjoy it today-- however, many people watching it nowadays have no idea it's been vandalized-- censored-- edited for "family" consumption.

I remember well the fantasy sequence at the "Hoedown for AIDS" benefit party when the "cowboys" and "indians" dance; it was a completely over-the-top burlesque romp with the square-dance caller announcing positively obscene moves. This blast of color and action was in counterpoint to the rather staid, boring benefit party and it was marvelously conceived and executed.

It is now a drab remnant of its former self with all its verve and hilarity removed-- as though someone had cut off parts of a man's anatomy.

Why?

We get fairly explicit material verbally during the movie-- like the hilarious fantasy phone call Jeffrey has with his parents-- but for some reason we no longer are allowed to see suggestions of gay sex-- even those presented in the spirit of fun and fantasy. This is wrong.

I just thought people should know.

I've noticed that many of the people who really didn't like this film were taking it way too seriously....Either that or they were expecting too much. Its a comedy, (with some serious underlying issues)...It doesn't pretend to be anything else. I found it fun, light-hearted and adorable. Michael Weiss is yummy as usual, Patrick Stewart adds flair and finesse, Nathan Lane gives yet another spunky fun performance, etc.. If you have high expectations for the film, you're going to be disappointed. If you want to have a good time and a good laugh, give it a go.