Girl Play

GIRL PLAY is a vibrant, smart, hilarious, and unsentimental love story about two stage actors, Robin Greenspan and Lacie Harmon, cast as the leads in a romantic play. The women come fully equipped with compelling reasons why their falling in love with each other is simply not an option: Robin lives with her life partner in a clearly defined world, replete with Post-it reminders and insurance policies, and Lacie has recently come to embrace her commitment-phobia in full. But when their eccentric stage director (played to perfection by Dom Deluise) insists at rehearsals that the two women experience one electrifying and vulnerable moment after another, their chemistry has no place to go but up.

For all kinds of reasons, these two should not fall in love, and yet we all know where this story is going. But we don't know what fresh, unexpected, and delightful trouble it will trigger; nor whether these women will actually overcome their obstacles and make it – especially given Robin's terror at the mere possibility of hurting and disappointing her live-in girlfriend. The fear takes her back to the dread-filled moments that led to her coming out to her provincial mother (flawlessly played by Mink Stole). And Lacie clings to her independence after she revisits her most recent unbearably awkward, horror-show-down breakup with a demi-semi-steady.

The story unfolds beautifully, mixing narrative and direct-address narration. Because the writing, acting, direction, and editing are so incredibly deft, this hybrid means of story-telling and story-showing works beautifully. It reminds me of High Fidelity in that seamless way of mixing narrative, direct address, and flashbacks.

Mink Stole and Dom Deloise might have stolen the movie, had Robin Greenspan and Lacie Harmon not given such strong and appealing performances. Forgive the reductive Hollywood-ese of this analysis, but Robin Greenspan's hilarious neurotic practicality is young-Woody-Allen good, and Lacie Harmon's hilarious wry cynicism is young-Bruce-Willis sexy! What's more, these two leading ladies also wrote the movie. What's more than THAT…the movie is based on their true story. What's not to love!?

Whoever the "independent critic" was who fawned over this flick and cracked on someone who panned it, they obviously had relationship issues. No relationship, hon??? From a "guy" point of view, this movie is like a "chick flick" on Drano. Imagine all the elements of a whiny, "Joy Luck Club", estrogen-overdose, and then add in grating, abrasive and utterly uninteresting griping (directly into the camera, no less) about one's "partner". There is a gratuitous girl-on-girl scene or two, but the leads are mannish, adult tomboys trying oh-so-desperately to act and sound like street-cool, arty types, with bodies like limp tube-socks, so any appeal from a strictly hedonistic perspective is devoid of any turn-on.

I will give it kudos for having the guts to be a bit more realistic in it's physical portrayal of lesbians. Unlike some "lesbian" films (which are little more than soft-core porn for gawking guys) where the women are super-models or Pam Anderson types, the women in this movie reflect a more accurate image of the "average" lesbian. With the exception of one character, the women in this film are of average, or below-average looks, blue-collar body types, and clothing styles like an unmade bed. Mannerisms and body language are truer to form as well, mostly devoid of feminine overtones.

Unless you have a burning desire to see the irritating details of a lesbian relationship on the rocks, skip this movie and watch Lost and Delirious instead. Though the women in Lost and Delirious aren't as realistically lesbian "looking", they're waaaaay easier on the eyes, the story is much more interesting (and actually quite touching), and the characters are people you'll actually care about.

In this hilarious and poignant romantic comedy, GIRL PLAY tells the story of Robin and Lacy. They're each in a committed relationship, yet they're falling in love with each other. In an intimate journey through their love lives, Robin and Lacy tell us; how they've become afraid of ending long-term relationships because... what else is there?, being uninterested sexually with a have-sex-with-me-NOW-what's-wrong-with-you girlfriend, being afraid to "come out" to a match-making Jewish mother, and, oh yeah, falling in love with a new co-star while in a play about relationships.

I laughed, I cried, I remembered the ridiculous things that I did, said and felt when falling in and out of love. Robin and Lacy bring such an honesty to their roles, I felt like I was watching two friends.

Turns out, this is a true story and the actors are also the people they portray! Oh, did I mention the extremely hot sex scene? Thank you Lee Friedlander for tastefully showing two women make love. My husband and I both thank you! Go see this movie. You will remember why you ever fell in love in the first place, no matter who it is you love.

Kissing Jessica who??

Obviously, there are some really personal emotions spilling over in Junecatpower's "over the top", immature and inaccurate commentary which is way too magnified and emotional to be taken seriously. Put your claws back in Catwoman, it's obvious who you are and what your motives are. Independent film-making is a challenge enough without public, slanderous comments like the fabricated comments from a hurt sole.

This film was beautifully shot on a combination of super 16 film and High Definition 24p. Both formats are high quality, preferred, formats for industry professionals and it shows because the film exhibits beautifully. The cinematographer clearly brings decades of award winning experience with him to this rich looking film.

A few points about the film that cannot be disputed are: it is beautifully shot, the acting is tremendous - having earned two of the top awards from Outfest 2004 for "Best Acting" (and a third Outfest award for "best narrative Lesbian feature"), just about all audiences can relate to it for one reason or another (a clear fact once you've been in an audience it has screened for) and, the sound and music quality are incredible. The film hasn't screened to an audience yet where at least a dozen or more people ask how to get a copy of the soundtrack.

Without a tremendous director, none of the above mentioned qualities come through in any film.

Congratulations to a talented group of people for coming together to create a unique, award-winning film which is screening at festivals around the world and sure to land in the theaters and/or on the shelves of video stores for hungry audiences of sophisticated women and men (lesbian, gay, bi, transgender and straight) around the world.

As in ZERO chance of crossing over to anyone who wasn't in the cast or crew of this arrogant little video that is completely full of itself. Most of the video consists of one of the two 'unfunny-comedians turned untalented-actresses' standing on a stage talking to an empty audience -- a sign perhaps?-- and smirking at their own jokes. Robin Harmon and Lacy Greenspan's performances are so terrible that the poor editor often has to cut in the middle of WORDS.

How can a person standing on a stage be that hard to videotape? This is basic stuff but vision less direction and bland acting make for an endless night of awkwardly paced and over edited monologues. It mostly feels like the movie is just complaining at you.

Razzie winner Dom Deluise appears in it just long enough to show us why he can't get acting gigs. His scene was so obviously shot separate from everything else. It felt like he was just there to pay off some kind of favor.

The whole mess looks like it's shot on home video and mostly sounds like it was recorded on an answering machine. The script is awful. When it isn't congratulating itself with annoying in jokes, it takes tired -- mostly offensive -- pot shots at "aggressive" lesbians, "meddling" Jewish women, and "swishy" gay men.

Welcome to the 21st century, where just saying 'it's a lesbian movie' isn't enough. We lesbians want our movies to be about something. This might have been a minor accomplishment 20 years ago -- minus the mean spirited antisemitic and homophobic stereotypes -- but amateur director Lee Freelander is simply out of her league. She tries to stage dated clichés and pretends they're revolutionary. She REALLY pats herself on the back with the longest most boring, sexless, sex scene ever put on video. Lesbians have needs!

We have amazing, funny, complex and powerful lesbian-themed indie films like 'Monster' 'DEBS' 'The Politics of Fur' and hit shows like 'The L Word' and 'Six Feet Under' so thank goodness we are no longer forced to put up with garbage like 'Girl Play.'

This is easily the worst 'lesbian movie' ever made (and I sat through 'Cat Woman') AVOID THIS VIDEO! Stay home and argue with your girlfriend for free.