Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.
The Shirtless: Top Gun
Film critic Pauline Kael once said Top Gun wasn’t so much a movie as it was an aspiration to be the movie’s iconic movie poster. We’re not sure that’s what director Tony Scott had in mind when he made the film, but we have to agree.
We’re also not sure that Scott realized that he’d also made one of the most homoerotic films in the American canon. To recap the plot: a group of hotshot, young Airforce pilots try to survive their training–and their hormones–to become the head of their class.
That’s it. Seriously.
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.
Top Gun isn’t as big on plot so much as pageantry: in this case, that involves lots of majestic shots of the aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise, action footage of fighter planes pulling wild stunts, and 80s heartthrobs looking trim and handsome in uniform. On that final front, the movie pulls no punches. Stars Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer and Tim Robbins have seldom looked this good. For that matter, director Scott also loves to show his boys in uniform out of uniform in several locker room scenes as well as in a now-notorious game of shirtless volleyball. Scott, Cruise, and company may have thought they were making a movie to appeal to a male demographic, and they did…though probably not the male demographic they had in mind.
Indeed, producer Jerry Bruckheimer seems to have embraced Top Gun‘s gay legacy. We hope that also extends to the forthcoming sequel, which sees Cruise reprise his role next year. Even if it doesn’t, we’ll always have the original, a prime example of high-gloss 1980s cinematic bombast, complete with a memorable performance by lesbian actress Kelly McGillis in the female lead, and a soundtrack of songs that have since become staples at karaoke parties. Given that Veteran’s Day also happened this week, we think this is a great time for a rewatch.
In no universe could we ever take Top Gun seriously as a drama. Thank goodness, then, that Tony Scott–wittingly or not–made a movie about men so obsessed with masculinity they’d probably be happier peacocking about at a circuit party. When these guys talk about their cockpits and sticks…we know what they really mean.
Streams on Amazon, Hulu, iTunes & VUDU.
This article includes links that may result in a small affiliate share for purchased products, which helps support independent LGBTQ+ media.
Archie
Navy pilots, not Air Force pilots. Dummy.
spiralx
You Americans are so adorable. Thinking anyone in the wider world notices, let alone cares. The amount of countries where hidden gay men can actually go to this legally and quietly perve. Thank you, Ridley Scott.
ROTHERS
Regardless of gender or rather should l say from a status person. to obtain this behavior.
l speak from a noncommercial, flight rules idiot and all that Jefferson can confuse those with limited education. yes, sir keep the rules hard. we all need to be assured of competence in our selection of carriers of our choosing and smoozing sic.
phillycap
Rick Rossovich… Nuf said. The rest? Who cares?
Squeak
. . . number of countries, spiralx
Man About Town
Not to mention it’s not Ridley Scott but his brother Tony, spiralx.
claudio sgaravizzi
Again with TOP GUN?
with hundreds of movies with gay undertones, innuendos, hidden stories, you still talk about that stupid movie???
Do you have a decent knowledge of queer cinema? interesting films? or just the obvious?
Joshooeerr
If you think Top Gun is “one of the gayest movies of all time” you really need to see more movies. Heavy-handed subtext that’s quite possibly largely unintentional hardly adds up to gayest of all time.
Kangol2
Nowhere near “one of the gayest movies of all time” but hey, it’s Queerty, so it’s expected.
stan2015
Stupid film. Homophobic actor. Would of been better had Val Kilmer did a full frontal and punched out Tom Cruise!
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
Too bad Valmer Kilmer starring in Top Secret wasn’t chosen. To me that is one of the funniest movies of all time. The jail scene where a huge butt machine was brought in to sooth Val and that shootout where they all broke out into that chorus line dance number are classics scenes in comedy.
felixthegato
I know you just want to trigger your readers for the clicks and the traffic, Queerty, but I’ll bite anyways: calling this movie gay is a low blow even by your low a** standards.
Preppy1000
It’s a very stupid film but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it. I can’t stand Tom Cruise but the other guys were hot and the homoeroticism was through the roof. Years ago a Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Boston showed it (as a joke). The theatre was packed and the audience was wall to wall gay men. We were in hysterics over the dialogue and obvious gay posing. Whether this was intentional or not I don’t know. I’d call it an unintentional gay classic.
ScottOnEarth
I love this strictly because Tom Cruise is so completely terrified to be associate with anything gay, in any way. LOL!
jwchenard
Well, in addition to the fact that it’s definitely not one of the gayest movies of all time, I have to say that I didn’t even consider it homoerotic. I worked in an electronics store when I was 18-19 years old, and Top Gun was one of our demo movies. It was literally playing on 24 screens at a time, sometimes for hours. I don’t recall ever being… distracted. For me, I think the absurdly overdone swaggering masculinity was such a turn-off that even all the abs on display weren’t enough to salvage the film. That said, these days, I am a bit of a Tom Skerritt fan. 😉