Eating Out (2004)
Although it may be low-budget, a
bit long-winded in places, and too damn clever for
its own good, "Eating Out" is nonetheless one of the
funniest gay comedies you'll ever see.
The script is a contrived mess and
writer/director Q. Allan Brocka forces his actors
to speak in endless witticisms that have absolutely
no basis in the reality of how people really speak,
but it doesn't matter, the film is laugh-out-loud
hilarious from start to finish.
The set-up is pretty obvious: Straight
Caleb has the hots for pretty party girl Gwen. Meanwhile,
Caleb's gay boi roommate Kyle has the hots for fag-hag
Gwen's roommate and ex- boyfriend, gay boi Marc. Since
Gwen likes gay guys and Caleb wants her bad, he pretends
to be a homo and dates Marc while Kyle pines away,
hoping Caleb will help to steer Marc his way. This
screwball set-up is ripe with possibilities for comedy
and Brocka gets the maximum yucks out of it. And as
if this weren't enough, he also beings along Caleb's
mouthy little sister (who is way too funny for her
own good), his understanding parents, and his nymphomaniac,
role-playing ex- girlfriend into the mix. The comedy
rips though every frame of this film, from start to
finish.
Brocka only stops the laughs for
a couple heart-warming moments, which are as contrived
as the comedy, and an extended, erotic, steamy, bi-sexual
scene that, while it goes on far too long, will also
leave you staining your shorts. While there is a missed
opportunity to really discuss bisexuality and open-ended
sexuality here (everyone has to hook up with their
"perfect" partner here) there is enough of an open
door into the topic to get the audience talking, after
they stop laughing, of course. When hottie Bambi-eyed,
submissive Caleb is seduced by both queer Marc and
dominant Gwen at the same time, the film becomes jaw-dropping
in its audacity.
The acting here is usually pretty
good with Scott Lunsford taking what could be an impossible
role and making us fall head-over-heels in love with
him. You have to care about this guy and Lunsford
makes that easy to do. He gives Caleb a sweet heard
and a naivety that makes the character work perfectly.
Ryan Carnes (who has a gig on "General Hospital")
is also perfect as hottie Marc. Carnes may be just
a pretty face but he is able to convey much complexity
with his wide yet soulful eyes. Emily Stiles does
a great job as motor- mouth Gwen and has the entire
audience eating out of her hand after seducing Caleb
with just the sound of her voice. But the script betrays
her at the end. Well, the script and the casting.
Stiles, you see, has to deliver
a bitchy speech to Jim Verraros' Kyle and it just
doesn't work. Not only does this harsh diatribe come
out of left field, but Verraros doesn't deserve it.
It just doesn't ring true. You see, Verraros, a former
"American Idol" finalist, is a "K-9" not in Marc (i.e.
Carnes') league according to Gwen's speech at the
end of the film and this simply isn't true. Verraros
is a real little hottie gay boi and to try and present
him as anything else here simply doesn't work. It's
the biggest problem in the film. Either Brocka should
have cast someone else or changed the script a bit.
Still, the problems here simply
do not matter. This is a hilarious film that will
leave you spouting the dialogues to friends well after
the showing. My favorite? Gwen, who has a habit of
sleeping with one confused gay boy after another mewls
to a friend, "I feel like a turnstile at the White
Party." With hilarious zingers like this coming one
right after another from every character in the film,
things like budget, cinematography, acting and plot
just don't matter.
Notes:
The film has played at over 15 festivals
this year and is yet to be picked up for distribution
to the best of my knowledge.
Viewed at the opening night of the
Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival.
(See Day
One) During his opening comments, as he introduced
the film at Agliff, Brocka said it had been made in
10 days for $50,000.
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Report
Card
Script:
B+
Acting:
B-
Cinematography\Lighting: D+
Special Effects\Make Up: C
Music: C-
Final
Grade: B
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