BearCity

This film tells the story of a young slim man who is embarrassed by his attraction to older plump men. He finds love via a series of unlikely mishaps.

"BearCity" is hailed as the bear version of "Sex and the City". Though it is clearly the filmmaker's attempt to do so, the result is a less glamorous and more ridiculous version of "Sex and the City". The acting is bad consistently across the board, and the story is full of clichés and even ridiculous moments. Are we really expected to believe that someone spilling coffee on his T shirt would remove that T shirt at once? And the numerous romantic moments always get truncated by expected appearances of other people? And the scene of trying clothes on - oh that's exactly when they want to be "Sex and the City" like, but the result is painful to watch! I won't be rushing to watch the sequel.

I honestly wish I could say that "Bear City" is not your typical indie gay comedy—and indeed some elements of the film differentiate it from most of the other gay indie comedies that seem to sprout up like toadstools these days. But those very elements that distinguish this film—the focus on bear culture, the bashful twink who "comes out" as a bear-lover, and the depiction of love and sex among gay men who do not resemble Abercrombie & Fitch models—are so thoroughly transformed into standardized gay tropes that the movie is ultimately stripped of its originality and settles into a formulaic, plot-less pattern of mildly amusing vignettes with no real focus or story structure. We are ultimately left with vapid platitudes assuring us that bears don't need to conform to queer norms of beauty in order to find love and happiness. And it takes them only 90 minutes to deliver this profound and provocative message (YAWN).

This movie is a fine example of a project, made for a specific subgroup. Considering how much fun everybody's having and how unbelievably relaxed all the actors are, it could easily be a project among friends. And a well-done one.

The story is simple: young Tyler finally comes out of the closet for the second time when he admits he likes bears, and starts exploring the bear scene with all its positive and negative sides. And, of course, falls in love on the way.

The movie is full of inside jokes (by not being on the bear scene, I probably missed quite a few), but that's great, considering it was made for that specific group and not so much for the general public. It's a movie for bears and bear lovers to feel better in their own skin (and for open-minded others).

My only negative remark would be about the script (the text) - it often tends to be really forced, it doesn't flow and seems unnatural. However, this doesn't go for the role of Brent. According to IMDb, the actor Stephen Guarino is a professional comedian and this is really obvious from the movie. It seems like the writers didn't write the words for him because they assumed he will be much better improvising everything on the spot anyway. He is definitely the most hilarious character in the movie.

Conclusion: a really really funny movie. Apparently #2 is coming out this year and I'm hoping it will be at least as funny as the first part.

A movie is good when a script is plausible, the directing taking risks while making smart, wise choices, the actors loose themselves and find an inner voice, and the music, wardrobe, location and atmosphere comprehensively transport me from my personal reality to the reality of the "living" movie. It is under this simplified rendition of how I watch movies, that judge whether a movie is good.

I do not project my past onto the art of the movie makers.

I go to movies to escape from my here and now and to go on the creative journeys others provide. The only question is: Is the movie a complete trip, as described above, to sustain my journey, my escape.

So, did BearCity take me on a journey? Yes! All the necessary pieces were in place. There was humor and anger, laughter and louder laughter, and with each scene, the plot and tension pulled me in deeper and deeper. There were no serious or minor missteps that made me remember I was escaping.

At movie's end, I - like 80 percent of the audience who journeyed with me - stood and applauded. So, while my life and the lives of the character's may not be trace the same biographical story, the movie itself provided me with a journey into another life, another world where I could wholly believe in life. 9 out of 10.

I can't believe some of the reviews I read above... This is a C-O-M-E-D-Y so of course you will have stereotypes, because they ARE funny. I think the script is funny, the actors are fantastic, in a simple and cute plot. Just enjoy a simple comedy, don't go looking for the ultimate masterpiece of human drama. For those of you who complain about this "stereotype" film, I am sorry to break it to you but this is very much how it is: muscle bears, far bears, cubs, crazy sex, drugs, fun, fantastic queen bears, older with younger, handsome with ugly, sexy and sexier.

Stop the denial.