For his sophomore feature film as a writer/director Doug Spearman reunites with Daryl Stephens who not only starred in his Hot Guys with Guns debut, but who was also a co-cast member of the groundbreaking Noahs Arc TV series.
Stephens plays Pete a successful copywriter in Philadelphia who has a penchant for dating men who happen to be married to women. His latest amour is Jack Dickinson (Scott Bailey) who has all the trappings of a successful marriage with a big house in the country, an art gallery-owning wife (Keili Lefkovitz) , and two adorable children but he still cannot drag himself away from the occasional visit to a gay bar to look for a man.
His encounter with Pete is meant to be just about sex but instead something clicks with both men and they find themselves wanting more. Conflicted closeted Jack starts seeing a therapist insisting that he doesn’t want ro be gay or even bisexual as he loves his wife and family. We can all buy the second part. but we are as unconvinced as Jack about the first.
Pete on the other hand is lectured by his father who is more than comfortable about his son’s sexuality but very unhappy about him being a potential homebreaker once again.
As the relationship between Pete and Jack in heading for an impasse both men reach decisions. As Jack announces that he will now leave his wife, Pete confesses that he has started seeing someone else and that he wants to give the new man a chance to see where their relationship is heading.
Neither man argues with the other, and so they go their separate ways. Jack goes back to his wife who he gets pregnant again, and Pete moves in with his wealthy trust fund new beau and their very swishy apartment. They have made their beds and now they must lie in them, which they do for some time until both lives swing other curves which mean changing course again.
Spearman’s script allows the men’s relationships to unfurl so naturally that although they take a roller coaster course, they thankfully avoid any hint of cliched melodrama. There are no moral judgements here in the witnessing of these two men falling in love despite the upsetting effects it may have on others. The lack of demons in the whole piece makes for a refreshing change. Kudos also as to how Jack’s conflict about coming to terms with his sexuality quite late in life like this is intelligently handled with both honesty and authenticity.
The fact that this thoroughly entertaining movie is so compelling owes a great deal to the chemistry of the talented lead actors who actually sizzle together in their performances on the screen. It is also the positivity that Spearman packs into his story that makes this movie a sheer joy to watch
Labels: 2019, coming out, drama
