The Art of Being Straight

There is nothing particularly bad about the Art of Being Straight, but there is nothing especially good. Rachel Castillo does deliver a delightful performance as the lead character's ex-girlfriend who is now in a committed lesbian relationship, but dealing with her attraction to the new guy who moved in next-door. Unfortunately, the parallel main plot and lead performance given by the writer/director Jesse Rosen is not as engaging as he explores his own sexual identity. Mr. Rosen acting is lifeless and his character is dull. However, the film's tone is warm, the dialogue is sincere, and the movie smartly avoids heavy angst (for the most part) and tedious academic explorations of identity politics; however, it just ends up coming up short. The movie is neither intellectually provocative, nor particularly sexy (I am not arguing for more graphic sex scenes, but the few sex scenes which were shot are so insipid and boring they should have simply been left out). The film also occasionally stretches credulity when it needs to be believable. But most problematic is that the movie fails to deliver much of a message beyond "life isn't always black and white"--something other films have conveyed in a much more thoughtful and effective manner. In the end, the film is a mildly interesting "slice of life" flick, but mostly it's just a harmless bit of fluff. It's something worth catching for free on cable, if you have an empty hour on your hands, but it is nothing worth going out of your way to see.

Though not a major movie, it is fun and has many nicely observed moments. I found the characters believable, especially the protagonist, played by Jarod Grey. He does a very good job. There are many scenes in which I thought he seemed completely real, such as when he gets chewed out at work for not sending a FedEx package properly, smoking pot in his driveway with his kooky neighbor and telling her he has slept with a guy, coming home to confusingly find his macho apartment mates with GAY spelled on their chests in grease paint, his reaction in the party scene when a girl he has recently slept with asks him whether he is gay, and especially I found the seduction scene very convincing and well done.

If there were an actual a story tying the scenes together. If there weren't such heavy reliance on cliches. If the audience were given some idea of what motivated the central characters.

One is tempted to believe that the screenwriter doesn't have much social interaction with anyone other than gay men, since the straight and lesbian characters are so peculiarly drawn. The straight men are obsessed with homosexuality, the straight women are talking set decoration, and the lesbians are just obsessed (or perhaps possessed, depending on which scene you're watching).

There's something about this movie that makes it watchable, perhaps the actors doing a creditable job without much to work with; but I would only choose it if you've run out of other things to do.

The Art Of Being Straight

Set in the late 1990's this movie attempted to examine two rather absurd assumptions

Firstly when young people are exploring their sexuality it swings backwards and forwards between gay and straight eventually landing on a determined sexuality for life, quite ridiculous.

Secondly that even in the 1990's people were conflicted over their sexuality, an even more ridiculous assertion. Exploration is not confliction.

The only shred of sense lay in that it is up to any individual to decide the moment when they decide to come out to their friends

The script was bland, the situations contrived, the liaisons unbelievable and the acting had more ham than the supermarket.

What I really hated was the portrayal that being gay was linked to guilt, deceit and around something bad.....how crass!

This film is about a young man who moves to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams. His life gets complicated when his boss takes a special interest in him.

"The Art of Being Straight" is a realistic down to earth story. The lead character Jesse Rosen is handsome and is convincing as a confused man. However, the story telling is not so good. It fails to create tension or suspense. There is little to stir the emotions of viewers, which I find a fatal flaw. The only interesting character is Rachel Castillo, whose performance is the most natural and convincing. I guess "The Art of Being Straight" might be an autobiographical account from the writer. It is not terrible, it is not particularly entertaining either.