ALL OVER THE GUY

SYNOPSIS:
Friends Jackie (Sasha Alexander) and Brett (Adam Goldberg) introduce Eli (Dan Bucatinsky) to Tom (Richard Ruccolo), whose initial meetings are disastrous. But Jackie and Brett believe they are right for each other, and as they themselves get caught up in cupid’s game, the two reluctant lovers find a complicated, often painful road to romance.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Dan Bucatinsky adapted his own stage play, in which the reluctant lovers were boy/girl. The film’s boast is that it is not a gay movie, really, but a movie about relationships. This is true, in that stereotyping is absent. But you can’t really have a successful romantic comedy without sensibilities of one kind or another, and gay sensibilities have to be part of the communication between the characters. The film works as a relationship movie, with one straight and one gay couple in the mix. Lots of amusing dialogue and sharp, truthful performances make this a potential for cross-over marketing – if cross-over is the right word in this context. The story brings in the parents of the two gay men, one set more damaged than the other. Some of this provides ballast and grist, but some of it comes close to parody and stereotype. Nonetheless, enough interest is generated by the characters to keep us focused and the well developed themes of identity and sincerity work well to maintain attention. The storytelling structure adds interest, with a gritty cameo by Doris Roberts as a receptionist at a STD clinic, where she triggers the unraveling of the story.