2006 NEWFEST-Another Gay Movie

          As much as I wish to be supportive of gay and lesbian filmmakers,
  when they produce drivel, I have to say so. ANOTHER GAY MOVIE
  from writer-director Todd Stephens is one of the worst films I've ever
  had the misfortune of having to sit through. It is so bad that if it is the
  only gay-themed film someone saw, it would set Queer Cinema
  back some 50 years (at the very least).

          Stephens, whose coming out process formed the basis of the
  pretty good indie EDGE OF SEVENTEEN, and who made his directorial
  debut with the uneven but ultimately rewarding GYPSY '83 (which was
  long delayed over music clearance rights), has set out to make what
  he calls in the press notes "a film where gay sexuality could be both
  celebrated and poked fun of." What is on screen is a sort of rip-off
  of the AMERICAN PIE movies but without half their wit or style.
  Stephens rely on lame jokes, bathroom humor and, when in doubt,
  having his actors appear in various forms of undress.

          The premise of what Stephens calls "the gayest movie ever made"
  is that four high school friends -- all seventeen year old homosexual
  virgins -- make a pact to get laid during the summer. This group
  includes Andy (Michael Carbonaro) perhaps meant to be the directorial
  stand-in, the athletic Jarod (Jonathan Chase), the bookish Griff (Mitch
  Morris), and the ultra-queeny "alternative" Nico (Jonah Blechman).
  In addition to attempting to send up heterosexual teen sex movies
  (AMERICAN PIE and PORKY'S come to mind), there are homages
  to CARRIE, EDGE OF SEVENTEEN, GYPSY '83, and any number
  of other films. The only problem is that most of what is meant to be
  hilarious just isn't.

          In addition to the four leads (who probably will want to omit this
  travesty from their resumes in the future -- assuming any of them
  ever get hired again), the cast is littered with "personalities" like
  Richard Hatch of "Survivor" fame, gay porn star Matthew Rush, drag
  artiste Lypsinka, Scott Thompson of "The Kids in the Hall", Andersen
  Gabrych (who made his debut in EDGE OF SEVENTEEN), stage
  actress Ashlie Atkinson inheriting the mantle of wise lesbian from
  Lea DeLaria and James Getzlaff from the "reality" series "Boy Meets
  Boy," and who delivers the most convincing performance on screen.

                                         Rating:                F

ANOTHER GAY MOVIE