Eating Out (2004)

Thanks for the memories!

Overrated and overhyped

Overrated

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

After reading all of the bad reviews I was sure this movie was going to be horrible. I have to say I was quite surprised.The movie was much better than I expected. I mean, sure there were some moments of bad acting, but really: this is a date movie and it succeeds as such.Marc does a great job as a sensitive, but very sexual guy. He does a great job playing his role without being a characture.My only major complaint is about Caleb. He does a good job of being the "bungling" straight guy, but he was a little too "hard to get" when it comes to the girl he wants.

I could sum up this movie in just a few words: awkward, plot-less, and cliché.Do yourself a favor and don't waste an hour and a half of your life watching this movie. That is, unless you enjoy straight men awkwardly pretending to be gay to win the hearts girls who unrealistically flirt with them despite the fact that the men have declared their complete gayness. This movie was a complete mess.I seriously had no idea where the plot (if it can so be called) was taking me throughout the entire movie. By the end, I was just horribly annoyed.The only remotely entertaining part of this movie was the main guy's ex-girlfriend, who is the only character who actually has a believable personality. She actually made me lol a few times toward the end.Other than that, I seriously hate this movie with a passion. If you want to see a good gay move, rent Trick, Latter Days, or Boy Culture.

How on earth did this get an average score on IMDb of over 6 (at the time of writing)? Where to start with why it's so dire? The "acting" and dialogue are worse than that in the average porn movie (if you've ever seen a porn movie you'll know what I mean).The direction is appalling - there are so many scenes where you can see the actors freezing waiting for either the next line from one of the other characters or their director to yell "Cut". It's like watching the rehearsal of a bad stage production designed to "project" to an audience that just happens to have been filmed.There is no "chemistry" between any of the characters.The male "muscle Mary" lead, who admittedly has more charisma than most of the rest of the "actors" put together, and is very easy on the eye should NEVER have been cast as a "straight" lead. One certainly doesn't believe for a fraction of a second he is "in love" with the fag hag who he is supposed to have fallen for. Cast him as someone in love with himself and you might have a movie that walks.And the script, while containing some witty and "daring" (yawn!) bitchy one liners is insulting in its depiction of stereotypes. The plot strands are so ridiculous they become funnier than anything the "comedy" writer originally intended. The UK DVD has been deliberately "gayed down" in an attempt to shift copies, with a cover claiming this is "A modern-day variant on a Shakesperean comedy". No - it's a diabolically bad amateur movie that will only be of interest to a gay crowd wanting to see some eye candy (who would be better off spending their money on gay porn). To add insult to injury the UK DVD is a full-priced non-anamorphic copy that looks like it was transferred from an out-of-focus print.Avoid!

If you're looking for trite gay cinema stereotypes like drag queens, karaoke singing elder queens, disco dancing circuit boys and everyone dying of AIDS, you're going to be extremely disappointed because "Eating Out" is just a delightful gay date film, reminiscent of screwball comedies like the Doris Day-Rock Hudson classics. Some have complained this is an "odd" film. Indeed it is, and thank God for that. The "Godfather" is an odd film. So is "Citizen Kane," for that matter. The characters are well drawn and all genuinely likable in their own quirky ways. Yes, it's a low-budget indie with the usual production quality compromises and it could have used a script polish, but its rough edges are appealing in their own way – like the gritty, raw feel of a reality TV show. The actors give their all. The direction is perfectly understated and never distracts from the story. The ending, while perfectly logical, could have been foreshadowed a bit better and we never really buy into the notion that Kyle is an unattractive, C-list boyfriend prospect for Marc. Perhaps he's not as buffed as Caleb, but he's far from unattractive and he has a much more delightful personality. My only major complaint with "Eating Out" is that we didn't spend more time with Kyle's (Jim Verraros) character. (Pop singer Verraros also provides music on the soundtrack).