The thing that struck me most about Partner(s), aside from the fact that it's funny and romantic and features a talented and attractive cast, is "how far we've come." By this I mean that only a few years ago one would have expected a film about a straight man who (for various plot reasons) must pretend to be gay, to have featured offensive gay stereotypes and homophobic comments/reactions by at least some of the characters, none of which is present in this delightful and charming film. Dave's roommate and best friend is a gay man; when Dave "comes out," he is accepted by co-workers and family; he doesn't try to or feel the need to "act" gay; and finally, Dave himself seems to feel no embarrassment or shame in telling people he's gay. In fact, the only reason he wants to come out as straight is because he's falling in love with a woman and pretending to be gay gets in the way. There's a funny subplot involving two male co-workers that plays with straight males' discomfort with "gay stuff," and hints that these two supposedly straight guys may be protesting a bit too much. Though at heart a boy-girl romance, Partner(s) does deal intelligently with issues of coming out to parents, gay sex roles, gay men involved in dishonest relationships with women, etc. The cast is made up of very talented and photogenic mostly TV actors, and though most likely low budget, has very much a big movie feel. If I have one complaint, it's that this is one movie which would have worked better with openly gay actors cast in the gay roles. Since Partner(s) is about a straight man pretending to be gay, the film loses some effectiveness because (with the exception of out actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, who has only a bit part) *all* the actors in gay roles seem to be straight men pretending to be gay, and to tell the truth, I didn't buy any of them as gay (especially Sean McGowan and Bru Miller as Michael Ian Black's gay friends, who registered zero on my gaydar). But other than that, a film which straight and gay people can enjoy equally, and a must see for straight men who could do with a bit more contact with "the gays."
Review of Partner(s)
