Filmmaker Rob Williams who is one of the leading exponents of gay male romantic comedies that could best be described as ‘boy-lite’ fare, is developing quite a penchant for setting his movies in the holiday season. His most successful movie to date was Make The Yuletide Gay in 2009, and now his latest one involves a group of men coupling up during the week leading up to New Year, or as they keep insisting on calling it, their “Steve Not Eve” New Year’s party.
There is Laslo (Christopher Grant Pearson) and his husband Cal (Alex Manley Wilson) who are bemoaning that all their gay friends are becoming dads, and what’s worse are becoming that awful kind of obsessive parents, but before they can say Dr Spock, they open their front door to find they suddenly have a ‘child’ of their own. Cal’s teenage nephew Zeke (Ryan Weldon) has just been thrown out by his mother when she discovered he was gay, so he hopped on a train to the big city looking for refuge with his gay uncle.
Meanwhile Dylan (Robert Werner) arrives home unexpectedly from his travels to discover that Julian (Daniel Lipshutz) his roommate had let his room out online, so they have no alternative than to bunk in with each other whilst the ‘guest’ remains. Dylan has actually been carrying a torch for Julien ever since he moved in two years ago, but has been too frightened to make a move, but now he is rigid with fear (!) as he has to lie naked next to him in bed.
Elsewhere in Tinsel Town, Sid (Justin Xavier Smith) and Gray (Alexander Neil Miller) two loners who are not really into celebrating Christmas hook up after meeting in line and are naked from the word go. What starts as a purely physical connection very suddenly gets deeper once the two discover they have a lot more in common ……. besides nudism.
The story touches on such issues as gay parenting, online hookups, rehab, dealing with exes, and gay youth being rejected by their families, but not in anyway that can possibly threaten this bunch of good looking guy’s actual well-being. As in typical Williams fashion everything gets neatly tied up at the end so everyone can live happily ever after.
Shared Rooms is a well-made enjoyable feel-good romantic comedy that is no real stretch to watch, but will make you feel warm and happy by the time the final credits role.
Labels: 2016, romantic comedy
