Mulligans

I got the opportunity to see this film on Friday night, at Outfest in LA. This was a very character driven film, and it left myself and my friends talking for the rest of the weekend. In fact we've co-opted some of the phrases into our own vernacular. Without giving anything away 'Go Steelers!' and 'Golf, Golf, Golf, Balls, Balls, Balls' if I heard them once, I've heard them a thousand times. I have to say, for me, I was very happy the sex was kept to a minimum. Often the sex scenes become too long, and distract folks from the story. In Mulligans there is sex, but it's not gratuitous. Thank goodness.

The central characters are very deep and complex, the issues are not so black and white. More importantly, the resolutions are not so cut and dry. If this was the writer's first story, I look forward to seeing what else he has up his sleeve. Most of the cast were relatively unknown, at least to me, but I want to see more from all of them. Actors act, and there careers should span a body of different types of work. For those familiar faces, this was a great change of pace. For the folks I didn't know, I look forward to seeing where their careers will go.

So if you're in the mood to watch a well written, character driven story, that just has a splash of Gay in it check out 'Mulligans'.

Well-heeled family man, a loving husband and father of two, is forced into coming out of the closet after falling in lust with his college-age son's best friend, a budding artist and (somewhat timid) homosexual. Facetious drama ostensibly aimed at gay viewers, but one which fails to give its target audience anything substantial or upbeat to connect with. Everyone suffers with such relish, but where are the bracing highs of finally bonding with someone who shares the same feelings? The dialogue is fairly worthless throughout (Child: "Mommy, what were those two men doing in the bushes?" Mother: "Probably looking for a lost ball."), which may be the reason why the movie is carpeted from one end to the next with generic 'romantic' music worthy of a daytime soap (it often substitutes for dialogue which, in this case, isn't such a bad thing). The film's weakest link is the casting: Dan Payne (as the dad) and Charlie David (as his young house guest) are both attractive actors, but Payne is too young for his role and David (looking about 30) too old for his. It's a step in the right direction that no character here perishes in an accident or commits suicide--but queer cinema still has an awfully long way to go. Cutting down on the guilt and the shame are the next obstacles to conquer. ** from ****

I have a feeling this story is played out in real life far more often than most people think. The psycho-sexual sublimations of real married men in middle age are if anything more intense than those lying at the heart of the character played with understated anxiety by the actor Dan Payne. The fact that the subject of his desire is a younger man rather than a younger woman sets this film apart from the trashy stuff of soap opera and carries it into the realm of social commentary as well as legitimate drama.

Does it succeed on its own as a gripping and well-produced story? Yes and no. There are problems with continuity from scene to scene and timing in general that interfere with the viewer's ability to stay on course by way of identifying with the main characters, in spite of generally excellent acting in the separate episodes comprising a more or less believable plot.

I liked the casting with the single exception of the writer's inclusion of himself as Chase Rousseau -- somewhat long in the tooth for a college kid. He was also quite wooden (no pun) in scenes with both the buddy and the dad.

How does it all end? How do stories of this kind usually end? To the extent that this one prepares the viewer for a unique catharsis the answer to that question will be revealed and the viewer will be satisfied. A solid seven of ten in my book.

I caught this film at its Toronto festival release and I have to say that this movie was a very very pleasant experience. This is a story that is all too prevalent in society and still under-addressed. Charlie David's exploration was extremely in-depth emotionally and kept a beautiful balance between dark and light, sad and happy, drama and comedy. I also found the cinematography breath-taking. It conveyed a high production value with an excellent 'polish'. It has a quality acceptable in any market. I hope this allows for it to reach a large audience. I was very pleased with all the actors performances, however, I was most impressed by Dan Payne. His portrayal of Nathan was unbelievably well balanced and vulnerable. I have followed his career for a while and have seen his prowess in the comedic realm but this performance displays great talent I would like to see more of. I highly recommend watching this film if you get the chance.

Feast your eyes on wholesome, hunky daddy Payne for over an hour and that's pretty much what this movie is about. The rest of the cast were just distractions. The writer should have picked another lead to play Payne's love interest. The scene where Payne admits he's gay falls completely flat due to weakness in the script and Charlie's lifeless, unconvincing acting during the hugging scene. "It will be alright"....is what Charlie says. What a senseless line that just kills the whole scene. Dan Payne was well worth lots of screen time, but he didn't get a similar love interest, so the movie just sputters along.