It was hard not to be charmed by the cute
trailer for the new gay romantic comedy, Is it
Just Me?, which I think speaks to just how
starved I am for a good gay romantic comedy.
Alas, the movie itself doesn't really live up to the trailer.
The film was obviously made on a shoestring (and it often shows
in the music, lighting, and sound), but I could totally forgive
all that if the screenplay was better — either wittier or more
satisfying as a story.
That said, the movie does have its charming moments, the leads
are appealing, and if you're willing to accept some clunky
elements, it may momentarily satisfy your needs for gay
romance.
Blaine (Nicholas Downs) is a caustic
twentysomething Los Angeleno who's been unlucky in
love. He's convinced there's no other gay men who want
something more than just sex hook-ups — until he stumbles into
an online chat with Xander (David
Loren), who seems to share all his same values. A
subsequent six-hour phone conversation confirms: these two are
meant for each other.
The problem is, Blaine was accidentally chatting with Xander
from the account of Cameron (Adam
Huss), Blaine's hot, but slutty roommate. Xander
thinks Blaine looks like Cameron.
A big problem with the script is that I was
never quite sure why Blaine simply didn't immediately clear up
the confusion and let the chips fall where they may. I could
see how, feeling insecure about his looks, Blaine could've
tried to create some kind of "Cyrano de
Bergerac" situation, where he tries to get Xander and
Cameron together, and live vicariously through their love, in
order to not disappoint Xander.
Instead, the script invents a convoluted "bet" where Blaine and
Cameron switch names and agree to see who can win Xander's
affection ("brains" or "looks"). Even this might've worked if
it had been Cameron who came up with the idea for the bet. But
no, Cameron isn't interested in Xander, and only reluctantly
agrees to the bet anyway, so the arrangement doesn't have much
dramatic possibility and just makes Blaine look really, really
insecure and neurotic.
Basically, I have a hard time feeling sympathy
for any main character whose dramatic "obstacle" is entirely
self-imposed. Actor Nicholas Downs, who has a nice "everyguy"
quality on one hand, doesn't help things by often playing
Blaine as very, very mopey. But ultimately, this is the fault
of the script, which eventually blames his feeling like no one
will ever love him on ... the fact that his parents rejected
him for being gay.
What, not even a traumatic high school experience?
David Loren as Xander, who likes to play
his guitar shirtless for some reason
The movie has its moments. David Loren's Xander, a Texan cowboy
new to the city, is extremely easy on the eyes, and it's
wonderful to see an older character like Xander's roommate
Ernie (My Big Fat Greek Wedding's
Bruce Gray), who isn't creepily obsessed with
hitting on young men and isn't played solely for laughs (and
ironically ends up with a fair amount of dignity, despite the
facial masques).
There's also a very funny scene where online chatters try to
get Blaine to hook-up for sex — even though he's in the
"relationships" room (!).
And I confess: I feel a little bit like I'm
stepping on a butterfly by pointing out this movie's flaws,
because I really, really liked where it was coming from. It's
sweet and earnest and romantic (and the final scenes are
admittedly killer), and its heart is absolutely in the right
place.
Raunch has its place in the world, but this movie is the
perfect antidote to the string of films in the
Eating Out and
Another Gay Movie franchises,
where the point seems to be to have sex with as many people as
possible. Comedies, maybe, but not my idea of romantic.
Is It Just Me? is better than last year's similar
romantic comedy offering, Make the Yuletide
Gay, but it's not as good as last year's
outright froth-fest Redwoods. Still,
if you keep your expecations low, it may satisfy.
