Once upon a time gay film lovers were expected to run out and see every movie to come along with any gay content whatsoever, no matter how terrible you heard they might be. You’ll be relieved to know that times changed long ago and you’re officially off the hook from having to watch Something Borrowed and The Best and The Brightest.
Something Borrowed
($25.99, Warner Bros)
In the latest from director Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door), Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Darcy (Kate Hudson) are best friends whose relationship is mangled by Rachel’s inability to stop having sex with Darcy’s fiance, Dex (Colin Egglesfield). You know how these things happen between pals. A barely-there gay subplot involves Rachel’s straight-guy confidant Ethan (John Krasinski), who begins adopting weird, stereotypically effeminate mannerisms to convince an irritating female one-night-stand that he’s out of the hetero loop. He tries on these qualities for mere seconds before the subplot is abandoned entirely, which is totally in keeping with the rest of the inept, baffling, unfunny romantic “comedy.”
The Best and The Brightest
($26.99, New Video)
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Neil Patrick Harris and Bonnie Somerville (she was “Mona” on Friends, remember?) are a couple scheming to get their young daughter into a good Manhattan kindergarten. Stiff well-off people with well-off people’s problems and a nonsensical spouse-swapping subplot makes for nobody’s idea of a good time.
Fans of Harris, and especially devoted Amy Sedaris followers (she plays a private-school matchmaker) might be tempted to give this one a try. Resist that temptation. Fandom can only take you so far here.
There’s nothing gay about Brightest besides NPH, so just watch Jane Eyre ($19.98, Focus Feature) with Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska instead. It hits DVD today, too—and it’s terrific.
Henry
I wonder what the age demographic is for people who actually buy DVDs.
phallus
@Henry: Cute. I wonder if straights watch gay films staring straight actors….. oh wait that’s gay porn. Never mind.
Henry
@phallus: Is that a joke or something, sweetie? I really don’t know what you’re trying to say.
randy
Poor John Krasinski — he’s really pretty good looking, but he always lands in these horrible movies. TV is really his medium.
Jakey
@Henry: Well I thought it was funny. It’s a joke about how much more often gay actors play straight than the other way around, to the point where one is an everyday thing and the other is a big frigging deal. Unless we’re talking about gay porn, ha ha, and therein lies the punchline. (No offense, but you really couldn’t follow that?)