I just happened to find this film in a magic non-gay place, and decided to sit through the whole thing and see how it went. In addition to arranging ferns, I also happen to be quite fond of musicals and gay cinema, so I figured even if it was bad at least it would take my mind off the not-so-great day I had.

And... well, it wasn't bad. It wasn't great either, but my day seems better.

The Big Gay Musical Official Trailer

The movie is essentially two stories woven together. The first is the musical, which is how we get half of the songs, and the second is a combined story about the two leads of the musical. One of the leads works at an open-mike bar, which is where the other songs come from. One lead is young, a virgin, and just coming out; the other is more experienced and looking for true love. The musical is called "Adam and Steve: Just the Way God Made 'Em" or something, and carries a very strong 'wingnuts are crazy' message.

Before I say much more, I do have to say that the men in this film are incredible looking. Both leads are hot, but the guy who plays Adam especially caught my eye. He kind of resembles Russel Tovey, and he was in Broadway Bares. I even exclaimed to a friend "I want his body." There is so much toned muscle flying about on the screen, it's very easy to forget you're actually watching a film with plot.

Actually, that might also be because the plot is just sort of meh. The plots are woven together haphazardly, and the musical numbers don't seem to be included for any purpose other than to entertain. I think I can name three numbers of the fifteen or so that actually related directly to the story. The music also didn't feel quite as strong as I wanted. It could just be the version I was listening to had an inferior audio, but they lacked something. The characters are likable, and the actors can mostly act. I wasn't ever bored. I just wanted a little something more, which I recognize to be horribly vague. That little thing that puts a performance over the top, that you can't figure out until it's there.

It's very hard to review a film that's just all right. If it's great, it's easy to gush. If it's terrible, it's fun to rip it apart. I really, truly didn't dislike this film. But I've been waiting for it for a long time, so I think perhaps that's why it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I think I agree very much with what Brent Hartinger said at AfterElton about the film: It's a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours, yet I suspect it might be better on stage than on film.

Oh, and one last link: I want to be a slut . Watching him dance to it (and the scene that comes after) was fun, too.

       

Mattie B lives near Washington, DC, working at a job he really doesn't care for in between acting gigs and going out for drinks. When he has enough time, and more importantly money, he enjoys traveling the world. While he has a great many opinions, he unfortunately lacks the talent needed to write actual stories, and as such has a great deal of respect for authors. Especially the future author that he is dating.

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