Metrosexuality
(2001)
I missed the whole "Queer as Folk" thing. I remember
it showing at the Austin Gay and Lesbian International
Film Festival back in 99, but I was new to Austin and
only saw a couple films that year. I just never got
a chance to see the thing. And I don't have cable so
now I missed the Americanized version. Not that I mind,
I don't think "Queer as Folk" would really be for me
anyway.
"Metrosexuality" is a British series that is sort
of "Queer as Folk" meets "AbFab." It's brilliant. Campy,
sassy, ambisexual and vibrant, the series revolves around
several gay and straight characters living in the Notting
Hill area of London. The whole show really centers on
Max, played by Rikki Beadle-Blair. Since RBB writes,
directs and produces the series, he conveniently has
every guy in the film in love with his character. It's
crazy. But RBB's Max is an interesting guy. He's black,
so ugly he's cute, and has some CS lips that would surely
win over even the straighest man.
There are several storylines involving several combinations
of gays, straights, lesbians and bisexuals. There is
a drug dealer who has some sort of physical deformity
that affects his arms. There is the fiercest drag queen
since RuPaul. There are alcoholic mothers, dead cats,
abusive fathers and much, much more. "Metrosexuality"
is ambisexuality at it's best. And it is peopled with
some of the most amusing and amazing characters ever
to grace the small screen.
RBB's Max is a businessman with a skate park and a
hair salon amongst his holdings. He has just broken
up with his longtime companion who is now dating, unbeknownst
to him, a rent boy. His son, a hunky, Malado teenager
named Kwame, who grew up with two dads but still sees
his alcoholic mother, plays the typical teenager games
in trying to get his two dads back together. The son
is straight but all of his male teenage friends are
gay. His best friend, the adorable Dean (Paul Keating)
is in love with Max, Kwame's father, much to the straight
boy's disgust (not because its gay love but because
it is his dad). Keating, who has that delicious hair-
hanging-down-in-his-eyes look that turns me on like
crazy, shaves his head midseason. I almost cried. He
starts out looking like the most delicious little gay
boy to ever pop out of a candy factory and ends up looking
like Moby's teenage clone.
And there's more plot. Two straight couples are breaking
up. One story about a couple, who met during their drug
days and then got sober, finds the wife being seduced
again by white powder. She fucks the deformed drug dealer
guy, Dean's brother, for junk. The other couple breaks
up when the wife becomes bored with the marriage and
wants her husband to act as suitor. She ends up with
another guy whose daughter is also Kwame's girlfriend.
The storylines here are as blurred and as tangled as
the character's sexuality. But this is a soap and it
is enormous fun to get into the story and the characters.
Most of them are quite likeable. There's even a young
gay man who tries to make a husband out of a Mohawked
punker. It's just fun and refreshing.
And let's not forget the girls. At least their stories
are more interesting than the straights. Imagine a cute,
young, funky lesbian who doesn't know what a dental
dam is. Or how about two lesbian moms who make love
atop a squeaky toy when they final ly get the kids out
of the house for the weekend.
But the biggest allure of "Metrosexuality" is its
highly stylized look. The piece is filmed in brilliant,
washed out color. There's a hell of a lot of Day-Glo
here generally flowing off a white background. It's
wild. It's perfect for the show. With "Metrosexuality,"
the brilliantly unique characters and the over-the-top
color scheme personify the diversity rainbow. RBB's
eye for fashion, color and visual panache is right on
the mark. This series just isn't interesting and fresh,
it's artistically stunning as well. It's as if a paint-box
exploded and all the colors landed in perfect places.
It's like a TV series by Peter Maxx.
There is much to like here with so many cute gay boys
bopping about in various stages of undress. The fashion
sense here is just awesome. And the style of the cinematics,
with swooping swish pans (ahhh.... There's never been
a swishier swish pan!) and the washed out colors and
the beautiful sets and props. The final episode has
a scene where a girl stands by the most beautiful water
fountain I have ever seen in my entire life. The fountain
has a large glass ball in the center and the water just
cascades down it. It's gorgeous. But my favorite thing
of all about the series was that two or three times
during the proceedings, the characters just break into
song. The first time finds Max and Dean sharing a beautiful
duet that is so romantic it will make your heart throb.
Later, Kwame sings a rap tune only to find Daddy Max
busting in to prove not only can he flow with the best
of them, but he will do it with more fierce gay attitude
than imaginable.
Yes, with "Metrosexuality," the rainbow flag comes
to life. And it's simply fabulous. After watching the
first 6 episodes of the series, which aired in Britain
in early 2001, I was ready to pop out and buy some Day-Glo
make-up. "Metrosexuality" has got it going on, girl!
|
Report
Card
Script:
A-
Acting:
A+
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A
|
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