Still Fun and touching....well made
Added 5/4/2009
This is a pleasant little film, well written and well acted. Russel Crowe and Jack Thompson play widowed father and gay son. If only my father was half as open minded and warm hearted as Thompson. They play off of each other's little irritations and hoped for romances. The touching moments about the mother and her lover being ripped apart make me cry every time I see them. What would you say to your lover of 40 years on your last night together ? In the end it has more subtance than you might think - and makes one think about not putting off too long what you should be taking care of right now. None of us knows when that moment will come and it'll all be too late.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Ahead of Brokeback Mountain...Still the Best Homosexual Themed Film
Added 6/1/2008
I love this movie...I own it, and I watch it about once every two or three months. It's so well done, so well acted and way ahead of its time. Russell Crowe, of course, is phenomenal and so, so sexy.
I guess, bottom line: I've never seen a homosexual theme film so well acted and so honest and moving. Ever.
Most "gay" movies are so badly acted, too overtly sexual, or just plain boring...lacking in substance and truth.
"Brokeback Mountain"...a wonderful film...yet this one serves all of the above positive objectives with a brilliant light. It's a truly loving film.
See it and enjoy.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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"Ashamed of Jeff? Never."
Added 8/17/2007
Twenty-something Jeff Mitchell (Russell Crowe) is a gay plumber and footie player who lives with his father, Harry (Jack Thompson). The two have a close and loving relationship and Dad is forever trying to fix Jeff up with nice men. Harry, a widower, misses being in love and tries a computer dating service for himself; the lady he meets seems just about perfect, until he tells her about his son.
This is a very sweet father and son story, with Crowe and Thompson both convincing, sympathetic, and utterly likeable in their roles. Filmed in Sydney, the thick Aussie accents and slang may be a bit hard to understand at times, but they make the story seem very real and intimate. I would have given the film five stars (I did give it 3.5 stars) had it not been for the very annoying gimmick of having the actors break character and talk directly to the camera every few minutes. This was especially distracting when the father, paralyzed and mute from a stroke, suddenly started moving and speaking normally. I gather this is a holdover from the stage play, but it definitely destroyed the continuity; each time an actor spoke to the audience, we were reminded that it's only acting and we had to start all over in our willing suspension of disbelief. It would have been so much better if they had just used voice-overs or, better yet, skipped the narrations altogether.
Since no story lines are concluded, this is basically a slice-of-life drama, a peek into a life shared by father and son. The sight of Russell Crowe in footie shorts is reason enough to watch this movie; his many fans will enjoy seeing him in his pre-Hollywood days in this simple and lovely love story.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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A movie well done...
Added 8/14/2007
I'm not gay - but I have to tell you - I love this movie! It was very heartwarming. I could easily watch this movie 100 times over - and never get tired of it. Both young men where very desirable - coming from completely different homes - one father accepted his sons way of life while the other was against it. The trials they both go through - with their own families and with their own self's - it really was a very well done movie.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Nice performances and story
Added 7/21/2007
Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson do a fine job of playing son and father, with the former showing his love and devotion after his dad falls ill, and the father, before that time, showing his acceptance of his gay son and a refusal to let anyone else make him feel ashamed of it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Still Fun and touching....well made
Added 5/4/2009
This is a pleasant little film, well written and well acted. Russel Crowe and Jack Thompson play widowed father and gay son. If only my father was half as open minded and warm hearted as Thompson. They play off of each other's little irritations and hoped for romances. The touching moments about the mother and her lover being ripped apart make me cry every time I see them. What would you say to your lover of 40 years on your last night together ? In the end it has more subtance than you might think - and makes one think about not putting off too long what you should be taking care of right now. None of us knows when that moment will come and it'll all be too late.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Ahead of Brokeback Mountain...Still the Best Homosexual Themed Film
Added 6/1/2008
I love this movie...I own it, and I watch it about once every two or three months. It's so well done, so well acted and way ahead of its time. Russell Crowe, of course, is phenomenal and so, so sexy.
I guess, bottom line: I've never seen a homosexual theme film so well acted and so honest and moving. Ever.
Most "gay" movies are so badly acted, too overtly sexual, or just plain boring...lacking in substance and truth.
"Brokeback Mountain"...a wonderful film...yet this one serves all of the above positive objectives with a brilliant light. It's a truly loving film.
See it and enjoy.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"Ashamed of Jeff? Never."
Added 8/17/2007
Twenty-something Jeff Mitchell (Russell Crowe) is a gay plumber and footie player who lives with his father, Harry (Jack Thompson). The two have a close and loving relationship and Dad is forever trying to fix Jeff up with nice men. Harry, a widower, misses being in love and tries a computer dating service for himself; the lady he meets seems just about perfect, until he tells her about his son.
This is a very sweet father and son story, with Crowe and Thompson both convincing, sympathetic, and utterly likeable in their roles. Filmed in Sydney, the thick Aussie accents and slang may be a bit hard to understand at times, but they make the story seem very real and intimate. I would have given the film five stars (I did give it 3.5 stars) had it not been for the very annoying gimmick of having the actors break character and talk directly to the camera every few minutes. This was especially distracting when the father, paralyzed and mute from a stroke, suddenly started moving and speaking normally. I gather this is a holdover from the stage play, but it definitely destroyed the continuity; each time an actor spoke to the audience, we were reminded that it's only acting and we had to start all over in our willing suspension of disbelief. It would have been so much better if they had just used voice-overs or, better yet, skipped the narrations altogether.
Since no story lines are concluded, this is basically a slice-of-life drama, a peek into a life shared by father and son. The sight of Russell Crowe in footie shorts is reason enough to watch this movie; his many fans will enjoy seeing him in his pre-Hollywood days in this simple and lovely love story.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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