Gay-themed fluff about a photographer with an infatuation for a straight waiter whitewashes the whole prospect of two men caring about each other in the physical sense. In an example of what has become typical of gay cinema, the characters are allowed to say they're gay but not to BE GAY. They have gay impulses, but are not allowed to act upon them. These movie-gays are in the same closet as James Coco's actor from 1981's "Only When I Laugh" (who tossed off lines about painting his toenails and cruising Central Park, but never got to flirt with another man on-screen). Some viewers might say this is fine with them--perhaps they don't wish to see two men being intimate--but, unfortunately, writer-director Tommy O'Haver never gives audiences a chance to decide (he's too busy evading the issue and hedging his bets). Tellingly, the most vivacious character in the whole film is a straight woman (fetchingly played by Meredith Scott Lynn) and the only man-to-man kiss on display is played for a cheap laugh. It sets gay cinema back 20 years. *1/2 from ****
Review of Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss
