08/12/06 All Over The Guy

All Over The Guy (2001), directed by Julie Davis

watched w/ Leslie & Jenny; DVD (Jenny's copy) @ Jenny's house (Northampton, MA)

Since we are visiting Leslie's wonderful sister Jenny in the very liberal and progressive city of Northampton...I thought I would give another Julie Davis movie (see the post for "I Love You, Don't Touch Me") a chance. I can expand my horizons to think that not all of her movies are crap...but there was an outside chance this would be too. The director sticks with her motives of bringing out the sexual natures of modern day relationships, putting a hetero/homo-sexual spin on it. This contemporary contemplation of commitment and copulation (alliteratively speaking) goes above and beyond the humor, wit and insight that her prior work did simply on such attempts of landing a spectacular ensemble cast...and lead by actor/screenwriter Dan Bucatinsky. Interesting side note on Bucatinsky...he is (or at least one time was) the partner of one of my favorite directors to explore modern day sexuality Don Roos (of "Opposite Of Sex" and "Happy Endings" fame), thus enlisting some cameo acting appearances by the likes of Christina Ricci and Lisa Kudrow. Back to the plot though...Eli is a gay man who is best friends with hetero male Brett (always funny Adam Goldberg), when the pair of buddies stumble across another pair of best friends Tom (gay) & Jackie (hetero female). Now the romantic triangle or quadrangle or whatever can ensue...as Brett & Jackie try to pair Eli & Tom up, at first to no avail, then they do like each other, then Brett & Jackie fall for each other, then Eli & Tom hate each other...yadda yadda. It gets much more complicated than that, but it delves humorously but sensitively into the hang-ups that most people have when entering into relationships with emotional baggage. Some hold that baggage from past bad relationships, some from overbearing parental units...some are just freaks on their own. In any respect, all the uneasiness and tension run their course through every emotion possible in the film...as the two sets of friends struggle to keep their friendships and their romances intact. It's much more polished and clever attempt at bed-hopping vs. monogamy by director Davis...as she reached into her bag of indie film tricks to solidify it as a good film. She secretly incorporated a light & airy jazz score to the background of the peoples' lives, sucking us into a world of occupational underachieving, over-sexed, witty-retorting twenty-somethings with a poetic look at life. It was good already, no need for the indie cred. Now I will go back to enjoying my indie cred of sparkling wines, gourmet cheeses, tag sales, i-pods, PFLAG and pita wedges with my progressive thinking present company.

3 out of 5 stars