All Over the Guy

This film is much more than it seems. True to Dan Bucatinsky's vision, it showcases many of the emotional states that any coming together relationship must travel through. That's what really got me, especially the second time around. I could be watching any couple of any gender, any race, any age. I loved that. It showed me myself at various times of my own life. The actors know what they are talking about and we pick up the tiny changes of facial expressions that demonstrate this. The photography is complementary and inventive. We see the first kiss over the shoulder; the vodka falling into oversized "martini" glasses. Ya gotta watch it more than once and you'll catch all this. Kudos to the director, Julie Davis, the well chosen cast (beautiful and funny) and to Dan for everything else. I wish you all great success from here on in! (Dan: Vassar, wow!)

Well, I wonder: if it had been about two male/female couples (as the play it was based on was), would "All Over the Guy" have gotten such a critical reception? More likely it would've been seen as an honorable, at times sparkling, addition to the screen tradition of romantic comedies -- which is what I think it is. Sure, the characters are wildly neurotic and frequently annoying; so are people in real life, especially when they're in love. Is it distracting that Richard Ruccolo (who does indeed give an exquisitely tuned performance) is so good-looking? Actually, I thought it was necessary; Tom is so screwed up that we need the physical beauty to help relate to him. Do the women steal the movie? Well, with the likes of Andrea Martin, Lisa Kudrow, Christina Ricci and Doris Roberts in support, what do you think -- and how can you lose, especially since Dan Bucatinsky's script is so frequently sharp?

Forget the nay-sayers and see this one. It's a very good romantic comedy, at times maybe even a great one.

Very nice, easy-going and consistently charming. And still ,looking back, I find it hard to find that something special to remember from the movie. There is simply not very much to make it stand out from every other `romantic comedy' except the fact that the story is about two men! The performances are nicely turned and Ruccolo is charming in his part, as is Doris Roberts, who ultimately makes the biggest impression even though she is only on-screen for about 15 minutes. For a gay-themed movie, there is quite a large budget at work here (at least it looks that way) and that certainly is a nice change from all the grainy, blown-up indy-movies that is too common when the subject is homosexuality. And it has a script that is witty and sympathetic towards its characters, gay or straight, with some hilarious comedy from Eli's psychologist parents as portrayed by Martin and Abatemarco. But nothing new is on display here. Eli, as portrayed by Dan Bucatinsky, comes over as somewhat annoying, even though he should be the most sympathetic of the two main protagonists, mainly because he is unnatural in his wittisisms and one-liners. These lines are penned by Bucatinsky himself, by the way, and while they often are very funny, sometimes they come over as too contrived. And I couldn't escape a certain feeling of shallowness. The movie constantly touches on an interesting issue or storyline, but chickens out before anything goes too far away from the mainstream (as in the story about Tom's parents and his sister, alcoholism). And the biggest damage is done from the fact that nothing very special happens. The plot must have been written on the back of a stamp because basically Tom meet Eli, walks out of Eli, comes back to Eli and so on. But what am I complaining of? It still is nice to see a movie with gay characters acting as normal people. It is sweet, good-natured and watchable. Just not very memorable.

I recently saw this movie on video and was instantly struck by how sweet and original this film was. It did not show the ever constant gay teen that wants to commit suicide because his parents don't understand him him, or the gay man that is dying of AIDS, nor does it have drag queens and leather daddies. It shows two ordinary men who fall in love and are trying to sort out their own dysfunctional backgrounds in order to try and have a relationship. It just so happens that these two men are gay. The hetrosexual relationship is perfectly mirrored with their own gay one, the four leads are perfect and I loved Doris Roberts as the straight talking STD clinic worker. I just hope that there are more films like this in the future.

I've been expressing my distaste of so many gay-themed films to so many friends about how the films portray the men as stereotypical, young, pretty, and FABulous. And worse yet, always throwing in the obligatory drag queen. With the current trend of fantasy lesbianism, the gals are hot and act like everyday people but the gay males are kept in a lower level of being effeminate and weak. This of course is because heterosexual males only feel safe if the gay men aren't portrayed as masculine (that's why so many of the straight guys are terrified of Cruising, seeking comfort in the delusions of The Man Show and Howard Stern).

All Over The Guy is a film that breaks the barriers and focuses on issues of intimacy and finding ways to communicate -- and it's a big shame it didn't get the major distribution it deserves as it is right on the mark and so much more enjoyable than the endless line of circuit boy romances being released. Yes, there is a LOT of bickering and arguing going on between all the characters in this film, and that may become tiresome and turn some viewers off. But when you really listen to what they say, understand their backgrounds, and realize that this is the kind of thing that really does occur between friends everyday, it makes for fascinating entertainment. The dialogue is sharp and quick and not in the campy way, but in the way that friends who know each other can convey in codes and gestures without a lot of extra narration. This film is chock full of HONEST dialogue. I know some will compare this to an R-rated type of Will & Grace, but the big difference here is the characters in All Over The Guy are very real and have much more dimension than the sitcom offers. It doesn't dwell on stereotypes for laughs, and even in a speach by Richard Ruccolo about the film In & Out was one the TRUEST things I've ever heard about Hollywood and how mainstream "gay" films are so horrible. His character Tom is actually a bit rough around the edges and is refreshing because he's not portrayed as a youth obsessed club type. Dan Bucatinsky's character of Eli may be well groomed, but he isn't snapping his fingers and saying "girlfriend" ...these guys are just regular men, and it is comforting to know that someone out there knows the truth that many gay men are just as average as most people. Besides, Eli loved Planet Of The Apes memorabilia and that's a nice change from the usual cliched obsessions . I have always thought Adam Goldberg was a cool actor, and his involvement as Jackie's love interest was wonderful, as was Sasha Alexander as Jackie -- I sure wish I had her as a friend! Good moments from Christina Ricci, and Doris Roberts was perfect (wow, can she cuss too!). I just wish Lisa Kudrow was given a little more to do! Joana Kerns was a nice surprise and as always, I WORSHIP the ground Andrea Martin walks on, she's one of the funniest women around.

It's one of the only films I've seen that touches on issues that I've been trying to get so many people to understand: how so many assume gay men are only looking for quick sex and that when you get two guys together, it is assumed that one certain type of sexual act will occur. All Over The Guy discusses definitions of sex and the importance of intimacy and it's refreshing to see it handled in a manner that doesn't come across as preaching.

For me, I was extremely impressed by the choice of music. Instead of diva tunes from Cher and others like that (gawd, we don't all listen to Streisand or the latest flavor of the month "Destiny's Child" type group), there are very good rock songs by David Gray, The Jayhawks, Matthew Sweet and others that help keep the story grounded in reality. Even the club-type "Future Love" tune during one scene was more akin to a B-52's song than the fluff that saturates Queer As Folk's soundtrack.

It gives me great hope when I see a breakthrough film like All Over The Guy. It's for everyone, as this is not exclusively a "gay" film. I just hope that other film makers will see this one and learn that you don't have to make a flamboyant dragfest or youth worship type of film in order to involve a gay element. This is impressive filmmaking and funny, funny stuff!

And don't forget about Joan Van Ark in "Not Without My Nosejob" (wink wink)!