The Art of Being Straight

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.

Bad movie with no ending. I knew I was in trouble when the main guy was the least good-looking with receding hairline (the comb over is terrible, especially after the gay sex scene). It was obvious this guy wrote and directed it; the main character would not be the least attractive if he was cast on his acting talents. The story begins with no realism-the least attractive guy is a ladies' man? Not believable. And then he has a gay eperience as a bottom? Guys in the closet do not immediately jump into anal sex-it just doesn't happen. And then the movie just ends after less than 70 minutes. I don't even want to go into the parallel story involving a teacher and some girl...not connected to the main story at all! Nothing new here-its all been done before and much better. Next time, don't cast yourself. Very few experienced film makers can star as well as direct a movie-this guy is NOT one of them.

Jesse Rosen not only directed this Cali-venued monstrosity, but also wrote it. It deals with overgrown men who are LA misfits, trying to navigate the waters of sexuality and gender affiliation. I'm not sure where Rosen received his training as a writer, but for the sake of that institution, it's best he not reveal it. Once again, we're thrown into the boring world of LaLa land with a cast of characters lacking any depth, consistency or interest for that matter. The acting is also awful. Nobody really cares about these pampered, spoiled brats but themselves as well as some over enabling parents. The guys aren't anywhere as good looking as they think they are. The women do nothing to help the women's cause whatsoever. Overall, this film should never have happened. Jesse Rosen should return to Freehold NJ and start all over again.

So... What's supposed to be the point of this movie? That straight white men are the most retarded, obnoxious sub-human species on the planet? That residents of Los Angeles County are the most vapid, self-obsessed, boring people in the US? That in an LA gay movie gay bosses can get away with sexual harassment and even rape of employees as long as they're hot and have fabulous tans, buff bodies and blindingly white teeth? Don't we already know all this?

The only thing this movie has going for it is the one thing I care about least in a movie: the technical quality of the production - flawless sound, lighting bright enough that everything on screen is always easy to see, and a camera that never EVER shakes - so that you can easily keep up with everything that happens in this movie while simultaneously eating, texting, playing your X-Box and trying to remember what day it is.

This is the kind of movie the geniuses who impress us all with such pronouncements would NEVER complain about as looking like a film-school project. Everything else about this movie is pretty bad, except for some of the acting, which is passable at best. None of the characters is the least bit believable or interesting at all, and the story is about as dumb as they come.

If what you care about most in a movie is bright lighting and a camera that never shakes, this one is for you.

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.