Scenes from a Gay Marriage

I'm completely on the fence with this one.

I watched the trailer, and somehow I fell under the impression that it would be a fast paced comedy about a gay couple with juicy secrets unraveled by the - coincidentally gay - downstairs neighbor. Boy, was I wrong. I got this sucked into this artsy dramedy that tries to over analyze "gay relationships" instead.

Although it may seem appealing at first, Trying to distance itself from the most common LGBT movies which are usually raunchy comedies - there's not a single sex scene in the entire movie, kudos for that - or unending romantic dramas (which I love, don't get me wrong), it gets boring quite fast. The story develops into a unappealing conclusion, that has nothing to do with the direction it followed in the beginning, too bland and rushed.

The acting is not that bad, and the dialogues are quirky enough though they're not believable... to say the least. But the main problem with this piece, is the utter lack of chemistry between any of the characters. You have a couple, that clearly behaves like two random guys put together in the same room for the first time the week before, a romantic pairing that just has no spark at all, a pair of instant best friends with literally nothing in common, and a pair of old lovers that just don't seem to relate at all.

Maybe it's the dialogues fault, it just feels too... phony, too rehearsed It's like the writer just expect us to fill the blanks in a chemistry that just isn't there.

It's not a great movie. Don't expect a super clever dialogue - I mean, it sure has some pop cultural references in there - but you can watch it without regret. It's okay to watch it in a Sunday afternoon with some popcorn and no expectations whatsoever.

A well made film - nicely filmed and passable acting but about as exciting as watching paint dry.

If the intention was to show how banal gay life is then they succeeded hands down.

I can't believe that they bothered to make a sequel to this yawn-fest.

This film is worth seeing simply because Jared Allman is in it and this guy has star quality like no other. From the moment he appears you cannot take your eyes off him. He is absolutely riveting. And that's what makes a star. I see that he has already been discovered by mainstream Hollywood so it makes perfect sense that he will crossover to major Hollywood films big time. His bio says he came out to his parents at the age of 22. This was a real shock to me because for sure I thought he was straight and it really cracks me up to see straight actors in gay parts. But the fact that as straight as he appears to decide to come out is really something in my book and I applaud his guts in being who he is with no apology. This film is okay but it's Jared Allman that makes it worthwhile.

Thashana McQuiston. Absolutely the best performance I have seen in a movie in a LOOOONG time! Every single time she appears she steals the show. The lead has an uncanny resemblance to Adam Levine, and it was driving me crazy to try and keep my mind from jumping into Levine mode. Jared Allman had such a quiet but manly sexuality that just exudes into your being, that you can't help but feel it. It is always refreshing to see a man that happens to be attracted to men portrayed. The writer and director and star has obvious talents, but was definitely overshadowed by his two supporting actors, and was smart enough to let them! Smartest move made with the production was allowing those talents to shine. The Will and Grace "listening at the vent" storyline quickly was overcome by the supporting characters ability to transcend the gimmick the movie was predicated on.

The title is a play on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage. You could say it covers a bit of the same territory--as any movie about marriage/relationships would. But the tone and construction of the movie owes more to Woody Allen's work.

The comparison is impossible not to make. Music is used like Allen uses it, and the early jazz guitar instrumentals sound almost identical (maybe they are) to music in many of Allen's films. The music serves not just as a bridge between scenes or for montages, but it sometimes plays under dialog too. Allen does the same thing.

The vagueness of relationships, how they've come to be formed, and what they are is also Allen-esque, as is the primary plot device: overhearing "scenes" from neighbors' gay marriage and becoming obsessed by one half of the couple who might potentially become eligible. And there's an effort to keep the plot from overwhelming the film, to keep it somewhat light and abstract, enough to make it feel modern and sophisticated. All this seems a little too much--it comes dangerously close to being more about style than substance.

The dialog rings true enough even if the encounters between characters seem implausible or forced. I kept thinking that there were paths the writer could have taken that would have made this really interesting, but instead it stays pretty safe. Unfortunately playing it safe doesn't make for a great film, or one that is compelling. But this did hold my interest, I'll say that much. And there's a lot about it that is original.

I don't know why I'm reluctant to call this good. It's very watchable. But just as the movies of Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allan aren't for everybody, neither is this. And don't get the idea that it's that kind of quality--it isn't. But it aspires to be, and that's worth something.