Films
about gay life have become more frequent and more professional
in recent years. The latest, The Broken Hearts Club
-- A Romantic Comedy, unfortunately says nothing new
despite clever lines and good acting. Director Greg Berlanti
exposes filmviewers to the problems of those in their late
20s who search in vain for a well-trod formula for success
in gay life. Since parents, schools, and the media tend to
be unfamiliar with what will produce happiness in gay life,
those who "come out" must learn by trial and error. Modeled
on The Boys in the Band (1970), but somewhat
more upbeat, the movie focuses on those who work for a gay
restaurant in West Hollywood called Jack of Broken Hearts,
including the owner Jack (played by John Mahoney). The waiters
form a mutual support group for one another, with Jack as
the mother hen. For nearly every remark by one of the gay
men, another dispenses what might have been intended to be
advice, but the words come out nastily, provoking similar
rejoinders back and forth until the discourse hits bottom.
The film identifies a variety of relationship problems. Bitchy
complaints from Howie (played by Matt McGrath) drive his erstwhile
partner Marshall (played by Justin Theroux) to hunt elsewhere.
Cole (played by Dean Cain), the best looking guy in the club,
is good at picking up tricks but does not want a relationship,
leaving those who idolize him to become depressed. Macho-appearing
Kevin (played by Andrew Keegan), age 23, is in the process
of coming out, finds that his parents are accepting, but he
is dumped twice. Benji (played by Zach Braff) frequents a
gym, where he is approached by a muscular bodybuilder; but,
to fit into the gym queen subculture, he nearly dies of a
cocaine overdose. Anne (played by Mary McCormack), a lipstick
Lesbian, asks her gay brother Patrick (played by Ben Weber),
the most unsuccessful at love in the group, for sperm to inseminate
her dyke lover Leslie (played by Nia Long), and he ultimately
looks forward to becoming a father and an uncle. Taylor (played
by Billy Porter), the token African American, boasts of a
long-term relationship in the film, albeit measured in months,
but is dumped later on. In due course Jack, the only one with
a relationship that has lasted many years, dies, leaving some
of his employees disconsolate because now they lack a mother
hen. Dennis (played by Timothy Olyphant), age 28, who supplies
voiceovers, also sleeps with one guy after another, knowing
that until his career is more in gear that he will not have
much to offer besides a pretty face, similar to the message
in Relax . . . It’s Just Sex
(1999). Having viewed the film in West Hollywood, I can attest
that bellylaughs from the audience at the bitchiest lines
in the film eloquently validate the depiction of life for
those in the largest gay majority city in the world as narcissistic
and unfulfilling. In the words of an older character in the
movie, "Sometimes I wonder what you boys would do if you weren't
gay -- you'd have no identity.'' MH
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