WATCH: This hidden gem ’90s gay rom-com—with a hunky young Tuc Watkins!—is finally coming back to theaters

As frequently documented on this very site, the history of LGBTQ+ cinema is surprisingly robust—you just have to know where to look for it.

Despite that, queer romantic-comedies have been few and far between. Oh sure, we’ve seen some major examples in recent years (Fire Island, Bros), but you can count on two hands the number of gay rom-coms released prior to this past decade.

One such hidden gem example is writer-director Brian Sloan’s 1997 indie, I Think I Do, a groundbreaking ensemble screwball comedy with a gay will-they-won’t-they relationship—a staple of the genre, straight or otherwise—at its core.

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It’s the story of a group of college friends reuniting for a wedding, bringing feelings old and new to the surface, including successful TV writer Bob (the late Alexis Arquette) who has to face his former roommate Brendan (Christian Maelen) five years after confessing his then-unrequited love. However, Brendan may have discovered some things about himself in the years since…

Now, it’s possible that you’ve heard of I Think I Do—especially because some of its out stars like Tuc Watkins and Guillermo Diaz have had their careers skyrocket since. But the chances that you’ve actually seen it? Well, they’re fairly slim!

After premiering at San Francisco’s historic Frameline Film Festival in ’97, then making a splash at the Toronto International Film Festival, the movie received a limited theatrical run in the spring of ’98 courtesy of Strand Releasing, earning just under $350,000 at the box office.

Related:

Tuc Watkins reveals what finally nudged him out of the closet

Tuc Watkins has been playing gay characters pretty consistently since the ’90s. But there was one big life change that finally convinced him to come out.

According to filmmaker Brain Sloan, “the big problem was the major indie players at the time (Miramax, Fine Line, Focus, et al) were reluctant to finance gay comedy as they believed there was no market for it.”

Of course, much has changed in the 25-plus years since. And, even though a big gay rom-com like Bros failed to become the massive blockbuster we all hoped, you can’t say there’s not an audience out there eager to see LGBTQ+ stories of all shapes and sizes in the screen.

And so we are absolutely delighted to discover that Strand Releasing is working on a new 4K restoration of I Think I Do set to release later this year, which will make the film available to a wider audience for the first time in decades.

While the film currently has a 20% rating on RottenTomatoes (with only five reviews listed, to be fair!), we’re eager for new audiences to view the film through a modern lens—and not just because Tuc Watkins (playing Sterling, Bob’s chiseled soap actor boyfriend) looks especially hunky in it!

“I Think I Do truly struck a chord with LGBTQ audiences desperate to see themselves in a film where they were not dead, dying, or being attacked,” Sloan said in a LinkedIn post about the restoration announcement. “Along with other breakthrough films from that time like Trick, Edge Of Seventeen, and But I’m A Cheerleader, it changed what was possible in queer indie cinema.”

Related:

‘Edge Of Seventeen’ & ‘Another Gay Sequel’ filmmaker looks back on the challenges of telling gay stories

Between filming “in the closet” and working with adult entertainer Mermen, Todd Stephens opens up about bringing two very different movies to life.

“I’m so thrilled the film will be getting back out there again,” the filmmaker continued, “both for its longtime fans and to teach the current generation that gay romantic comedy was not invented last year. That’s right kids, it happened way back in the 90s…even before Will & Grace!”

We’re excited, too! And while Strand Releasing hasn’t yet shared any specific release details, you can check out the new trailer for I Think I Do‘s restoration below. Stay tuned for more details!