Kind of a Week in the life of a gay couple and their friends, Whirlwind was written, produced, and edited by Jason Brown. At least he didn't make the mistake of also directing and starring in it, like many writers do. Bobby (Alexis Suarez) and Sean (Bryan West) decide to give an anniversary party for an uncle, who has been in a gay relationship for 25 years. Bobby and Sean are also considering buying an apartment together, but when sexy bad-boy "Drake" (David Rudd) shows up on the scene, it appears they have different priorities. Rudd is the hot, sexy, single, dark soul,who is determined to mess with happy couples he encounters. It's kind of a "Big Chill" week, as the gang plans this party. Each person here represents a stereo-type who is stuck in a rut, and must overcome their fear of change. Mick is the talented, broody, sad guy. JD is the big drunk who doesn't know what he wants out of life, but who does, really?? No big surprises here, but no plot-holes either. The tag line on the front of the DVD cover says "Banter is witty, and the sex is hot!" ... not sure if I agree with either part of that 100%, but they do capture a lot of gay culture into 100 minutes. Cute cast. Interesting mix of actors -- some are brand new to the acting scene, and some have a longer resume. Directed by Richard LeMay, who wrote and directed "200 American".
15 Reviews
Middle of the road
scottinhawaii-127 November 2019
Well it deservedly didn't win an Oscar but it's not the worst gay movie out there.
Yep, it's a bit predictable. Yep, some if the acting is quite wooden. But some of the actors actually have a flicker of talent. The script is a bit cliché, but a lot of the problems are with the direction. Rehearsal and tightening up of the dialog would have helped. Witty repartee comes fast and furious, not after a pause for someone to realize that that was their cue. Some instances could have been helped with editing.
Bryan West has been in other things, but only lists this one title. Maybe he changed his name. He is by far the most natural of the cast. And the hottest.
And don't believe the claims of hot sex. There's some foreplay but it's hardly hot.
Yep, it's a bit predictable. Yep, some if the acting is quite wooden. But some of the actors actually have a flicker of talent. The script is a bit cliché, but a lot of the problems are with the direction. Rehearsal and tightening up of the dialog would have helped. Witty repartee comes fast and furious, not after a pause for someone to realize that that was their cue. Some instances could have been helped with editing.
Bryan West has been in other things, but only lists this one title. Maybe he changed his name. He is by far the most natural of the cast. And the hottest.
And don't believe the claims of hot sex. There's some foreplay but it's hardly hot.
Not so much a Whirlwind as a light breeze
Suradit26 July 2014
The first part of the movie was meant to ensure that we knew the five main characters were great friends, so we get to listen to them exchanging supposedly intimate jibes and charming repartee. We also get a little insight into flaws in their personalities & relationships as well as some potential issues, all of which suggest their shared intimacy and charm are somewhat fragile.
Handled well, all of this insight would have served a useful purpose in developing the plot. Unfortunately neither the acting nor the script really rose to the occasion. It was pretty heavy-handed & obvious and I don't think many viewers could be expected to feel any emotional connection to any of the characters or any concern for what would happen next. It all was pretty predictable and no surprises lay in store.
When the "bad guy" appeared he was not wearing a black hat, but there was still little doubt that his mission in life was to sow the seeds of discord amongst the happy band of brothers and that he would, theoretically, be a force to be reckoned with. I doubt anyone in the audience could fail to see what he was up to, although the characters in the movie were utterly oblivious & helpless and he was able to work his evil magic on them without setting off any alarms or creating much interest.
Thrown into the mix is a couple who are nearing their 25th anniversary together and who, we are told, everyone just loves to death. They were two-dimensional cardboard cut-out unemotional characters and the supposed great love for them felt by everyone else was never convincing. Nonetheless, planning the party to celebrate their anniversary is meant to be the glue that eventually holds everyone together.
Had the plot been well written and had the actors been a bit more appealing & convincing in presenting their characters to the audience, it would have been a mediocre and trite work. Unfortunately it never quite reached that level.
The actors who played Bobby and Sean were sufficiently attractive and charming to engender some sympathy for their characters and to hold one reluctantly in his seat to see how things panned out for them, but they weren't really enough to save the production.
There are certainly many worse movies out there, but it's hard to think of any good reason why anyone should bother watching this rather poorly crafted soap-opera although watching Bryan West might just have made it more tolerable.
Handled well, all of this insight would have served a useful purpose in developing the plot. Unfortunately neither the acting nor the script really rose to the occasion. It was pretty heavy-handed & obvious and I don't think many viewers could be expected to feel any emotional connection to any of the characters or any concern for what would happen next. It all was pretty predictable and no surprises lay in store.
When the "bad guy" appeared he was not wearing a black hat, but there was still little doubt that his mission in life was to sow the seeds of discord amongst the happy band of brothers and that he would, theoretically, be a force to be reckoned with. I doubt anyone in the audience could fail to see what he was up to, although the characters in the movie were utterly oblivious & helpless and he was able to work his evil magic on them without setting off any alarms or creating much interest.
Thrown into the mix is a couple who are nearing their 25th anniversary together and who, we are told, everyone just loves to death. They were two-dimensional cardboard cut-out unemotional characters and the supposed great love for them felt by everyone else was never convincing. Nonetheless, planning the party to celebrate their anniversary is meant to be the glue that eventually holds everyone together.
Had the plot been well written and had the actors been a bit more appealing & convincing in presenting their characters to the audience, it would have been a mediocre and trite work. Unfortunately it never quite reached that level.
The actors who played Bobby and Sean were sufficiently attractive and charming to engender some sympathy for their characters and to hold one reluctantly in his seat to see how things panned out for them, but they weren't really enough to save the production.
There are certainly many worse movies out there, but it's hard to think of any good reason why anyone should bother watching this rather poorly crafted soap-opera although watching Bryan West might just have made it more tolerable.
Too little reality
mikeylovesgregg23 January 2009
Most films in the LGBT genre are not good. 'Whirlwind' is no exception. Full of shallow characters & clichés. The script is very superficial & pretentious. It could have worked if they had focused on one storyline or one idea, but it is so full of characters & story lines, you can never truly invest yourself to anyone or anything. The acting is very stiff & seems melodramatic, forced, and amateur. Overall, the film fails on all levels. Even the sex scenes are not believable.
I would love to say I enjoy more movies like this, but most are awful! I wish the GLBT community would demand better entertainment, but it seems like naked bodies & sex are all we are ever given (and too bad most of us are appeased by that).
If you're looking for a "gay" movie with substance, see 'Save Me', also from 2008.
I would love to say I enjoy more movies like this, but most are awful! I wish the GLBT community would demand better entertainment, but it seems like naked bodies & sex are all we are ever given (and too bad most of us are appeased by that).
If you're looking for a "gay" movie with substance, see 'Save Me', also from 2008.
QAF movie version
qouth_the_raven28 November 2009
I thought that this is a refreshing change from a lot of recent gay movies.
Supposedly we have a group of mature men: 20's and 30's. But dig below the surface and we see their true selves when Drake appears. I won't explain Drake's motivation for his action but his role as, essentially, a psychopath, is well written: he has the ability to charm his way into any one's like quickly spotting their weaknesses and exploiting them for his own reasons. I wouldn't like to have him in my workplace. Although the 'villian', Drake also serves as catalyst in exposing the shortcomings each individual in the group.
Of the other characters a couple are stereotypes but most are complex enough to carry the story but still be resolved in a movie time-frame. This is a good looking movie. Yes, some of the guys are hot (not, to my taste Drake though)but the settings work well and the small apartments add to the claustrophobic-like relationships that these friends have together. New York as a background works well: not a West Hollywood convertible in sight.
Supposedly we have a group of mature men: 20's and 30's. But dig below the surface and we see their true selves when Drake appears. I won't explain Drake's motivation for his action but his role as, essentially, a psychopath, is well written: he has the ability to charm his way into any one's like quickly spotting their weaknesses and exploiting them for his own reasons. I wouldn't like to have him in my workplace. Although the 'villian', Drake also serves as catalyst in exposing the shortcomings each individual in the group.
Of the other characters a couple are stereotypes but most are complex enough to carry the story but still be resolved in a movie time-frame. This is a good looking movie. Yes, some of the guys are hot (not, to my taste Drake though)but the settings work well and the small apartments add to the claustrophobic-like relationships that these friends have together. New York as a background works well: not a West Hollywood convertible in sight.
One-dimensional and dull.
paulclaassen17 June 2018
The characters were so one-dimensional, they just never seem to come to life - not until the final act, at least. The actors were also not very convincing and the plot was very straight forward and thin. The film was more annoying than entertaining and quite honestly a negative viewing experience. I found it dull with a bittersweet ending.
This Whirlwind really blows...
hddu10-819-3745818 November 2019
This is a very predictable, cliche'-ridden gay morality play (yes...oxymoron) filled with over-acting, camp and not much else. The punch-line of every scene seems to be someone pulling out a joint...which is of course hiLARIOUS the more times it happens. The "villain" is beyond Vaudeville expectations, and the real tragedy is you really just don't care about any of these characters. Unless you're related to one of these actors (or slept with them apparently) then you can safely let this Whirlwind blow right past you.
Beware of dinner tables!
Toadinthehole30 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
No running over the hills with Julie Andrews in this film.
Instead urban living, superficiality versus hard earned truth. A very worthwhile movie in this respect.
The nearest we get however to healing nature is a scene in a park towards the end after the whirlwind has struck! So full marks for a film about urban claustrophobia and all that it brings. I was gasping for fresh air. But that was the whole point of the film.
And when fresh air finally came, after the whirlwind had struck I would have liked to have seen sunlight on the water, or mist rising over the hills and not just a park bench! An opportunity missed I feel.
With a little contrast, more visual poetry taking us away from the claustrophobia of endless interiors of clubs and bars and dinner tables after the whirlwind has struck and truth restored we're back to that wretched dining table again where we started! Once the tall dark man has gone we're left where we started out with the boys, having dinner, and I wanted to scream and scream and wasn't totally convinced! Why not under a clear blue sky. OUTDOORS! not that dinner table..... Otherwise I enjoyed it tremendously.
Instead urban living, superficiality versus hard earned truth. A very worthwhile movie in this respect.
The nearest we get however to healing nature is a scene in a park towards the end after the whirlwind has struck! So full marks for a film about urban claustrophobia and all that it brings. I was gasping for fresh air. But that was the whole point of the film.
And when fresh air finally came, after the whirlwind had struck I would have liked to have seen sunlight on the water, or mist rising over the hills and not just a park bench! An opportunity missed I feel.
With a little contrast, more visual poetry taking us away from the claustrophobia of endless interiors of clubs and bars and dinner tables after the whirlwind has struck and truth restored we're back to that wretched dining table again where we started! Once the tall dark man has gone we're left where we started out with the boys, having dinner, and I wanted to scream and scream and wasn't totally convinced! Why not under a clear blue sky. OUTDOORS! not that dinner table..... Otherwise I enjoyed it tremendously.
Entirely predictable moral tale
mmillington55428 July 2012
This is a film about a group of five gay men in New York and how their lives are affected by the arrival into their social set of a "nasty type". Unfortunately, the "nasty type" is so transparent and two dimensional that it is difficult to believe that anyone with intelligence would allow themselves to be taken in by him. But then the other characters are two dimensional, cardboard cutouts too. The plot was entirely predictable from the very beginning. The "wit" was nonexistent. The sex scenes were flaccid. The acting ranged from the competent to the wooden. Frankly, it was difficult to care what happened to most of the characters. It had the moral vision of a Victorian novel and just about the same grip on reality.
I liked it
diva300023 August 2009
It really fit its title well. I liked how it characterized this group of men as a family to each other. There was a driving story -the work toward's the party. Each character was challenged and each grew from it.
I think more background about Drake's history might have been nice and a little bit more sexiness. Drake is hot as the poster shows us, but we don't see his chest that much. After all, gay films have an obligation to show a little bit of butt, at the very least.
I thought it was a nice surprise. When they are bad, I fast forward through them. I didn't this one. I also liked that the DVD has a director's monologue, but I wanted to know more about the casting which it didn't reveal.
I also find it refreshing when most of the actors are gay. I want gay actors playing the gay parts. They do a better job and we need to support our out gay actors and stop giving away all the gay money to others.
I think more background about Drake's history might have been nice and a little bit more sexiness. Drake is hot as the poster shows us, but we don't see his chest that much. After all, gay films have an obligation to show a little bit of butt, at the very least.
I thought it was a nice surprise. When they are bad, I fast forward through them. I didn't this one. I also liked that the DVD has a director's monologue, but I wanted to know more about the casting which it didn't reveal.
I also find it refreshing when most of the actors are gay. I want gay actors playing the gay parts. They do a better job and we need to support our out gay actors and stop giving away all the gay money to others.
Things Change
jromanbaker15 August 2020
I saw this film years ago and gave it a lower rating. Seeing it again I changed my mind, and thought it was a very watchable film with a mix of lovable characters, and after the film was over I wondered how some of my favourites in the cast have fared over the years. I was shocked to see that quite a few I liked had done very little and to echo a reviewer here what happened to Bryan West ? Talented and good looking parts for other roles should have piled up. 2007 seems like a million years ago in our current climate and my personal wish would be a sequel set in 2000 with as many of these actors good searching could find. I do not agree they are two-dimensional but fairly accurate characters from a Gay Community that has somewhat diminished over the years. The dialogue was generally good and if there were a few remarks that seemed to come out of ' The Boys in the Band ' so what ? There are lots of parties, mild drugs and some callous bed-hopping but then again, so what ? The only thing that jarred was a little too much tying up of relationship problems, and sadly this seemed more like wish fulfilment rather than reality. As for the character of Drake who has not met someone who is out to cause a bit of havoc among a group of friends ? The moment when he enters the lift and the look on his face reminded me of Jeanne Moreau at the end of Vadim's update of ' Les Liaisons Dangereuses ': brilliant moment in the whole film. To sum up it is a glimpse of a time 13 years ago and like a fine photo album it captures moments that now belong to Gay History. I will return to that album quite happily.
Coulda, Shoulda Been Good
montecellic27 January 2015
I rented this movie on DVD recently because of the jacket art. It featured a scorchingly hot young man with muscles, a hairy chest and piercing eyes. So I grabbed it.
Although the aforementioned stud is featured throughout in a prominent role, most of the film focuses on the maudlin, politically correct and rather womanish babble of a clique of NYC potheads. While none of them is particularly attractive or interesting, we follow their daily lives closely...a waste of film.
Adding to the turn-off is the obligatory, 21st century insistence on forcing interracial relationships on us (blacks or mulattoes making out with whites). This forced, political message further derails the film.
Overall, "Cyclone" reminds me of one of those neighborhood theater plays one sees in the Midwest: an amateur effort with unlikely dialog, poor timing and some rocky performances.
The hot stud on the DVD cover is the film's only saving grace. Aside from providing eye candy, he does the best anyone could with the hokey, improbable dialog. They should have built a different story around him with fewer supporting characters, a stronger plot and a more surprising outcome.
Not horrible, but not as good as the DVD cover art made it look.
Although the aforementioned stud is featured throughout in a prominent role, most of the film focuses on the maudlin, politically correct and rather womanish babble of a clique of NYC potheads. While none of them is particularly attractive or interesting, we follow their daily lives closely...a waste of film.
Adding to the turn-off is the obligatory, 21st century insistence on forcing interracial relationships on us (blacks or mulattoes making out with whites). This forced, political message further derails the film.
Overall, "Cyclone" reminds me of one of those neighborhood theater plays one sees in the Midwest: an amateur effort with unlikely dialog, poor timing and some rocky performances.
The hot stud on the DVD cover is the film's only saving grace. Aside from providing eye candy, he does the best anyone could with the hokey, improbable dialog. They should have built a different story around him with fewer supporting characters, a stronger plot and a more surprising outcome.
Not horrible, but not as good as the DVD cover art made it look.
Friends will be Friends??
adamjohns-4257511 May 2021
The story of this film had potential to show that certain people can be a cancer in your lives. Entering your social group and slowly spreading discord amongst you and your best friends. And actually this could have been made with a much nastier tone to really make you think. Sadly though it was lacking in many things.
It's not much of a surprise to see that most of the actors never went on to do anything else, although there was maybe two of them that could actually act. These type of actors, another viral contingent that usually find their way in to all sorts of tv series and incestuously in to all the other gay films too, must have realised that it wasn't worth carrying on this time. Special mention goes to David A. Rudd whose performance as Drake was even more over the top than the others.
The use of recreational drugs as a constant in every gay man's life continues to pi$$ me off. It's like our lives aren't complete without a smoke after dinner at a friends house. When will people realise that putting it in films like this is why more people are doing it. Showing what a lack of control there is around it. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not blaming films for drug use, but certainly in this circumstance it is absolutely unnecessary to be shown at all, when more time could have been devoted to the story.
The quality of the film itself didn't help, it was cheap and it showed. Let's just hope I can make back the money I paid when it goes back on eBay.
It's not much of a surprise to see that most of the actors never went on to do anything else, although there was maybe two of them that could actually act. These type of actors, another viral contingent that usually find their way in to all sorts of tv series and incestuously in to all the other gay films too, must have realised that it wasn't worth carrying on this time. Special mention goes to David A. Rudd whose performance as Drake was even more over the top than the others.
The use of recreational drugs as a constant in every gay man's life continues to pi$$ me off. It's like our lives aren't complete without a smoke after dinner at a friends house. When will people realise that putting it in films like this is why more people are doing it. Showing what a lack of control there is around it. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not blaming films for drug use, but certainly in this circumstance it is absolutely unnecessary to be shown at all, when more time could have been devoted to the story.
The quality of the film itself didn't help, it was cheap and it showed. Let's just hope I can make back the money I paid when it goes back on eBay.
This is a very slow, bad gay soap opera movie.
nreale-4506918 March 2020
This movie is like a 3rd rate gay soap opera. Some of the acting is ridiculous some of the actors can't even act. The story needed a good editing and some coherence to it Avoid this movie unless you have nothing else to do.
A whirlwind of terrible
otherdutiesasassigned7 December 2019
I watched this movie with great fascination at how bad it was.
The filmmakers have a created a masterpiece of charmlessness here. The best characters are uninteresting; the worst make you wonder how they could have any friends at all. Boring photography, terrible music.
The filmmakers have a created a masterpiece of charmlessness here. The best characters are uninteresting; the worst make you wonder how they could have any friends at all. Boring photography, terrible music.
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