What Happens Next

This movie by no means will win an Oscar, however, it is a sweet story that I found very refreshing. They don't rely on sex or your typical "hot guys" and nudity, as most gay movies do. There are some continuity errors (they are forgivable) and some of the dialog may be a little forced. The story however is the saving grace. I like the message it has and I like that they didn't make any of the characters victims or whinny. You know going in how this movie will end and it doesn't disappoint. I thought the main cast did a very good job Wendie Malick was great to watch and you could see she was having fun with the role. Jon Lindstrom played the part very uptight as it should be. The Character is in his 50s and was a CEO if you expect him to be anything but conservative and uptight then you haven't worked with many CEOs (Tech Company CEO's don't count). Chris Murrah was very good and again it was nice to see a younger gay character that I would consider a more normal slightly above average in looks person. He was something that I think everyone could relate too. If you want to watch a good movie with a nice story and characters that you can relate to then definitely watch this.

I think this movie may have originally been meant to be a play but it adapts well. I enjoyed it much more than most independent movies. I do not find anything cliché about it. There are several duos of characters present who are each coming to terms with what they know of particular relationships in their lives or what they think they know of those relationships. I think the acting ability in this is fair. There are several new faces to see but they each demonstrate a proficient ability. There are some very to scenes to put this in the quirky category which I like. I enjoyed this film.I think it is definitely worth a watch.

Wendy Malick, who plays Elise (and for some reason I can't see credited in the cast list above … maybe she didn't want her name associated with this movie??) was about the only central character in this film who was believable, although at times even she seemed to be overplaying her role.

Paul is in his fifties and has no inkling that he's gay. Right. He's been a successful businessman who just sold his business and is a bit at a loss as to what he's going to do now that he's retired. He meets Andy, who is in his twenties, in the park. Andy strikes up a conversation with Paul. Paul acts like this is the first person he's ever met. He's unable to respond to even the simplest questions without long pauses. I mean does it really take 15 seconds for a successful businessman to come up with a response to, "ok if I sit here?" and other things normal people can react to without a thought? And the twenty year old Andy falls in love with the 55 year old Paul who can't seem to carry on the simplest conversation, seems to be really uptight & uncomfortable about anything gay, is nearly twice his age and Andy isn't even sure Paul is gay … right.

The characters, their interactions, the dialogue and the inconsistencies in their behavior are all difficult to believe. What happens next or in this case what happens at the end of the movie, is a bit difficult to swallow as well.

Some funny moments … the dogs are cute … but I spent most of the movie feeling uncomfortable about it all and, what I assume was supposed to be a happy ending didn't relieve this discomfort.

How come I never go for a walk in the park and meet an eligible CEO who is just about to sell his company? Well that's what happens when the young "Andy" (Chris Murrah) is sitting on a bench with his dog and he is joined by "Paul" (Jon Lindstrom) who has just acquired his new pup and they duly bond over doggie stories. Over a period of time, they begin to get to know each other and we quickly establish the former is a gay lad whilst the latter is constantly being harangued by his sister "Elise" (Wendie Malick) to meet a nice lady. The more she pushes, the more he finds himself drawn to his new young friend but having been so dedicated on his business for his life so far, has he the faintest idea how the whole courting game works - boy or girl? It's got the look of a television movie about it from start to finish, has some terribly cheesy dialogue and is about as predicable as the sun coming up in Jamaica - except possibly, for Malick who brings a little hutzpah to this otherwise routine drama. It does focus a little on age-gap politics, and on assumptions ill-informed people can jump to but sadly it does nothing particularly originally and leaves us with little of substance. Daytime fodder, sorry.

The idea of the film is very good, the story is very good. Those are the only good things about it. Bad photography, poor actor direction (you can see the actors are good but aren't being led in the right way), the story is full of gaps - situations and characters that lack development -, the dialogs are sometimes artificial, the soundtrack is badly used - you barely notice it, in a bad way -, errors in continuity (you see the characters eating but the plate stays full throughout the scene), reflections of studio light on the walls, misfit colors (filtering?). It could have been and should have been so much better. What a waste of wonderful plot...