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The Sum of Us
(directed by Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling, 1994)
**** Movie Picked by NEBBIT
****
Dear Nebbit, I liked this movie but I'm sorry to say I found it too sappy and honestly, rather boring until about the last half hour. Stunningly sexy and young Russell Crowe plays a 24 year old bloke living in Sydney, Australia with his funny, talkative and extremely supportive father, played by Jack Thompson. Russell's character, Jeff, is gay and single, though he did have a longtime boyfriend for awhile in the past. The father, Harry, is a widower and, like I said, is extremely supportive of Jeff, in part because Harry's mother was a lesbian who had a female lover named Mary for forty years and OH. MY. GOD. I got to sick to death over hearing about Jeff's lesbian grandmothers! Constantly, this movie was flashing back to the past to show us these two old lesbians in bed together or something. Frankly, I just wasn't that interested. I wanted to take a high caliber rifle to those lesbian grandmothers.
Anyway, the movie deals with this dad & gay son duo as they search for love while dealing with the complication of always being around each other. Jeff brings a guy home but it doesn't work out because Harry barges into his room right before they're about to have sex. Later, a woman that Harry starts dating deals with the shock that Harry's son is gay and Harry keeps gay porno magazines lying around the house for Jeff. This father and son are a little too close and shockingly, the movie takes a turn by the end that says to me that separation between the two of them isn't likely to happen anytime soon.
One of the devices that this movie employs excessively is the use of characters breaking the third wall and talking to the audience. The Sum of Us is based on a play by David Stevens and although I never saw it, I assume it also broke the third wall a lot. I was not impressed. Since there's not many characters in this movie to begin with, it's almost like those of us watching the movie are characters, too -- being spoken to and being a part of the movie. Well, I didn't want to be a part of the movie. I thought this device ruined a lot of realism and kept the pace slow and boring. At one point, even a character who can't speak because of a stroke breaks the third wall and comes out of the stroke just to give us a little chat. It's like watching a cartoon. Thought bubbles are everywhere. It's a complete bubble bath of thought bubbles. This bath isn't so bad when you're taking it with Russell Crowe in those tight shorts he wears a lot (although, in a bath, those better be off), but the sad thing is Russell's looks help this movie a lot -- if an unattractive guy had played Jeff, I don't think I would have been able to get through this movie.
There's not much else to say. Nebbit, I'm sorry, but I could have left this one alone. I'll make sure to check out that other movie you recommended sometime. The Sum of Us is just too sappy, too melodramatic and too uninteresting, though I liked how light and easy it all seemed. I dunno... it seems like a good movie for someone who might be coming out of the closet and dealing with issues like letting your parents know you're gay or something, but to me, this material was just old and dated. It was very 1994, though, which was a big year for Australian gay films -- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert came out that year. There must have been something about 1994 and gay movies, especially in Australia. Lots of rainbows in the Australian sky that year, for sure.
I don't recommend this movie, but it was cute seeing Russell Crowe play a homosexual.
(directed by Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling, 1994)
**** Movie Picked by NEBBIT
****Dear Nebbit, I liked this movie but I'm sorry to say I found it too sappy and honestly, rather boring until about the last half hour. Stunningly sexy and young Russell Crowe plays a 24 year old bloke living in Sydney, Australia with his funny, talkative and extremely supportive father, played by Jack Thompson. Russell's character, Jeff, is gay and single, though he did have a longtime boyfriend for awhile in the past. The father, Harry, is a widower and, like I said, is extremely supportive of Jeff, in part because Harry's mother was a lesbian who had a female lover named Mary for forty years and OH. MY. GOD. I got to sick to death over hearing about Jeff's lesbian grandmothers! Constantly, this movie was flashing back to the past to show us these two old lesbians in bed together or something. Frankly, I just wasn't that interested. I wanted to take a high caliber rifle to those lesbian grandmothers.
Anyway, the movie deals with this dad & gay son duo as they search for love while dealing with the complication of always being around each other. Jeff brings a guy home but it doesn't work out because Harry barges into his room right before they're about to have sex. Later, a woman that Harry starts dating deals with the shock that Harry's son is gay and Harry keeps gay porno magazines lying around the house for Jeff. This father and son are a little too close and shockingly, the movie takes a turn by the end that says to me that separation between the two of them isn't likely to happen anytime soon.
One of the devices that this movie employs excessively is the use of characters breaking the third wall and talking to the audience. The Sum of Us is based on a play by David Stevens and although I never saw it, I assume it also broke the third wall a lot. I was not impressed. Since there's not many characters in this movie to begin with, it's almost like those of us watching the movie are characters, too -- being spoken to and being a part of the movie. Well, I didn't want to be a part of the movie. I thought this device ruined a lot of realism and kept the pace slow and boring. At one point, even a character who can't speak because of a stroke breaks the third wall and comes out of the stroke just to give us a little chat. It's like watching a cartoon. Thought bubbles are everywhere. It's a complete bubble bath of thought bubbles. This bath isn't so bad when you're taking it with Russell Crowe in those tight shorts he wears a lot (although, in a bath, those better be off), but the sad thing is Russell's looks help this movie a lot -- if an unattractive guy had played Jeff, I don't think I would have been able to get through this movie.
There's not much else to say. Nebbit, I'm sorry, but I could have left this one alone. I'll make sure to check out that other movie you recommended sometime. The Sum of Us is just too sappy, too melodramatic and too uninteresting, though I liked how light and easy it all seemed. I dunno... it seems like a good movie for someone who might be coming out of the closet and dealing with issues like letting your parents know you're gay or something, but to me, this material was just old and dated. It was very 1994, though, which was a big year for Australian gay films -- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert came out that year. There must have been something about 1994 and gay movies, especially in Australia. Lots of rainbows in the Australian sky that year, for sure.
I don't recommend this movie, but it was cute seeing Russell Crowe play a homosexual.