GETS BETTER WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE VIEWING
Added 4/19/2009
This is a movie that really clicks; the pacing is excellent and the electric organ music sequence is a priceless show stopper. Great 1950's look and feel and the actors all seem very comfortable in their roles. Added special bonus features make this DVD a value and a keeper. I also suspect this might be a good gay-themed flick for a family evening (for those still luckily so inclined) and for thawing the ice with conservative straight parents and/or grandparents. Preview it first on your own to see if you agree.
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campy, fun
Added 11/29/2008
Didn't know what to expect when I first started watching the movie.the more I watched the movie the more I fell in love with it.it was campy,funny,romantic and it had a great message in it.Guy Stone gave everything up for the one he loved,how could you not love that.loved it so much,I bought the DVD.watch the whole movie and it will pull you in and tug at your heart.
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Very original!
Added 6/29/2008
I absolutely love this film! It is clever and offers a funny but serious insight of the communist paranoia of the 1950s. Matt Letscher is great as Guy Stone, the Rock Hudson-like actor who is too absorbed in finding the perfect lover (at least for the night) while ignoring the possible ramifications of his actions. Adam Greer is adorable as Rick Foster, the openly gay writer who scoffs at the hypocrisy of Tinseltown. He isn't afraid to tell Guy Stone what he thinks but his honesty also reveals his true affections for him. Veronica Cartwright, however, steals this film as Jerry, Stone's agent and closeted lesbian. She cares too much for Guy to leave him to the wolves of Hollywood but is obviously frustrated at Guy's childish ways of looking at the world.
This movie is so underrated. It deserved a lot more accolades than it was given and should have earned Cartwright some recognition.
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Fluffy Fun
Added 1/31/2007
"Straight-Jacket"
Fluffy Fun
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
"Straight-Jacket is a fun movie. It is a homage to the films of the fifties that mix farce and message. Guy Stone (Matt Letscher) is a horny movie star and a Hollywood sex symbol that just can't seem to keep his pants zipped. His agent decides that the only way to save his career is to marry him off to a naïve secretary (Carrie Preston). Everyone knows the marriage is a sham aside from Sally, the secretary who tries very hard to make a husband out of Stone. In the meantime Guy meets Rick (Adam Greer) who is his exact opposite and challenges his living a lie.
The script is sharp. Full of great one liners that will keep you laughing; this is one of those films that entertain the entire length. Adam Greer is wonderful as he steals the leading man and the audience's heart. He is a Marxist novelist who seems just to be the one for Guy Stone. Their differences make them well suited.
The movie is obviously based on the life of Rock Hudson and Letcher plays it for al it is worth. Greer on the other hand plays a Gary Grant type character, suave and debonair.
What first appears to be a "fluff" movie about Hollywood and its hidden secrets soon takes a life of its own. Filmed in the style of the old Cinemascope love comedies, it is a pleasure to watch. Some of the issues covered are the closeted gay actors, the producers who only care about the cash and the secret gay scene on the West Coast.
Guy Stone is handsome and successful with a legion of female fans. The fact that he is a promiscuous and indiscriminate gay man is kept very secret. But of course he makes a mistake and when he is photographed "en flagrante", his agent, so the story will not leak out, convinces him to marry to a ditsy, star struck girl. After marriage Stone discovers his wife's obsession with being a wife whose all encompassing love prevents him from his nightly forays to the gay clubs. When Guy meets pro-communist writer, Rick Foster (Greer) who coincidentally wrote his last film which was a script he had doctored to get past the McCarthy probes, they fell in love. When they are found out, Guy is forced to go public with his homosexuality and give names of others. It is here that the film becomes serious and sincere. To find out what happens, you must see the film.
Everything about the movie is a throwback to those 50's movies. The sets and costumes remind us of what was and that alone is fun to watch. The music is just awful but is reminiscent of that period. In fact. I think the term "camp" describes the movie completely. What starts as a strange film evolves into an endearing love story. No pretense, just fun makes this movie one you can enjoy every time you watch it. Resting somewhere between satire and screwball comedy, it is just pure pleasure. It demands nothing and gives great pleasure.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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As artificial as the cover makes it look
Added 9/22/2006
Wow, talk about being able to judge the 'book by its cover'. The acting is wooden and artificial. As a result what could have been a pleasant enough film turns out to drag on.
1 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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