This was a wonderful character study - beautifully filmed, well acted, and nicely put together. Yet for all of that, in the end it lacked the depth - and more importantly, the tension - to pull off the story in a compelling way.
The story, or perhaps more accurately, the situation is a group of eight gay men who gather on several occasions throughout the summer at the palatial of home of Gregory Mitchell (Stephen Bogardus) and his blind, and rather cloying, lover, Bobby Brahms (Justin Kirk), who live just outside of New York City. The guests include the hot-tempered, and occasionally politically incorrect, Perry Sellars (Stephen Spinella), and his long suffering lover, Arthur Pape (John Benjamin Hickey), who is occasionally embarrassed by Perry's outbursts; their campy friend Buzz Hauser (Jason Alexander), whose flamboyance hides his fears over his HIV positive status; the lugubrious John Jeckyll (John Glover), a man whose unexplained anger rules his every move; and John's companion for the first weekend Ramon Fornos (Randy Becker), a man who decides that he will have any man he wants regardless of the cost. Ramon's first conquest is Bobby which leads to tensions between Ramon, Bobby, and Gregory later in the summer. To further complicate matters, John's twin, James (again, John Glover), arrives from England midway through the summer. James, who is in somewhat more advanced stages of AIDS than Buzz, is as sweet as John is sour, which means that he fits in much better than his brother, much to John's chagrin. In addition, Buzz falls for James, which further complicates the already complicated dynamics of this group. As the summer progresses, each individual deals with his internal conflicts as well as his conflicts with the others, and at the end of the summer, they will resume their lives in the city.
It's more a character study than a story, so it comes to a somewhat inconclusive ending, but along the way you do learn to care about all of the characters. Or at least you're supposed to. I never really cottoned to Ramon, and never developed much sympathy for John. Still, this movie does a good job of portraying this group as men who happen to be gay, rather than gay men. And there is a world of difference.
The ensemble acting is excellent. All the performances are uniformly good. Alexander plays Buzz's flamboyance with surprising skill and tenderness. And Glover is masterful in giving the contrast between the two twins he plays. The rest of the cast does a fine job.
The cinematography is gorgeous. The house and grounds are appealing, and you can almost feel the warmth of the summer as you watch.
It's a very cerebral film, and for those who want more action and more story, it may seem a little dull. But it does present an excellent character study of many aspects of gay life, and as such, it is a rewarding experience.
The story, or perhaps more accurately, the situation is a group of eight gay men who gather on several occasions throughout the summer at the palatial of home of Gregory Mitchell (Stephen Bogardus) and his blind, and rather cloying, lover, Bobby Brahms (Justin Kirk), who live just outside of New York City. The guests include the hot-tempered, and occasionally politically incorrect, Perry Sellars (Stephen Spinella), and his long suffering lover, Arthur Pape (John Benjamin Hickey), who is occasionally embarrassed by Perry's outbursts; their campy friend Buzz Hauser (Jason Alexander), whose flamboyance hides his fears over his HIV positive status; the lugubrious John Jeckyll (John Glover), a man whose unexplained anger rules his every move; and John's companion for the first weekend Ramon Fornos (Randy Becker), a man who decides that he will have any man he wants regardless of the cost. Ramon's first conquest is Bobby which leads to tensions between Ramon, Bobby, and Gregory later in the summer. To further complicate matters, John's twin, James (again, John Glover), arrives from England midway through the summer. James, who is in somewhat more advanced stages of AIDS than Buzz, is as sweet as John is sour, which means that he fits in much better than his brother, much to John's chagrin. In addition, Buzz falls for James, which further complicates the already complicated dynamics of this group. As the summer progresses, each individual deals with his internal conflicts as well as his conflicts with the others, and at the end of the summer, they will resume their lives in the city.
It's more a character study than a story, so it comes to a somewhat inconclusive ending, but along the way you do learn to care about all of the characters. Or at least you're supposed to. I never really cottoned to Ramon, and never developed much sympathy for John. Still, this movie does a good job of portraying this group as men who happen to be gay, rather than gay men. And there is a world of difference.
The ensemble acting is excellent. All the performances are uniformly good. Alexander plays Buzz's flamboyance with surprising skill and tenderness. And Glover is masterful in giving the contrast between the two twins he plays. The rest of the cast does a fine job.
The cinematography is gorgeous. The house and grounds are appealing, and you can almost feel the warmth of the summer as you watch.
It's a very cerebral film, and for those who want more action and more story, it may seem a little dull. But it does present an excellent character study of many aspects of gay life, and as such, it is a rewarding experience.