Just One Time

Film Synopsis 
A comedy about happiness, trust, and sexual identity, Just One Time lays out the comical consequences of what happens when a young couple attempts to turn fantasy into reality.

Anthony, your average red-blooded New York City fireman, is on the verge of marrying his lovely fiancé, Amy. But he has a nagging sexual fantasy he wants to satisfy before taking his vows. When Amy turns the tables on her future husband's desires, they both discover that living a fantasy, even just one time, may be one time too many.

The Full Story
ANTHONY (Lane Janger) is a New York City firefighter engaged to AMY (Joelle Carter). She's a straight laced and lovable lawyer, the woman of his dreams. There's just one problem: Anthony can't help fantasizing about his beloved with another woman. Anthony floats the idea with her and, surprisingly, Amy says yes - but tricks Anthony into agreeing to "do it" with another guy as well. After all, all's fair in love and lustful triangles, right?

Having sworn on his mother, Anthony is bound to Amy's tricky deal. However, he is far from happy about the prospects of "doing it" with a guy -- even if it is just one time. Enter VICTOR (Guillermo Diaz), Amy's young gay latino friend from the neighborhood, who has a puppy dog crush on Anthony. Victor is more than willing to play the pawn in this game of sexual chess. But Anthony is not so willing to be Victor's queen. Seeking the counsel of his best friend, DOM (David Lee Russek), Anthony tries to devise a way of avoiding sex with Victor while still appearing to uphold his bargain with Amy. 

Using his firefighting buddies as chaperones, Anthony asks Victor to tag along as they all go out for a night of drinking on the town. The evening takes an unexpected turn when Dom suggests they check out a local gay disco. The fireguys very reluctantly agree to go inside and give the joint a spin. And spin they do. After getting tanked, Dom and his boys end up shaking their straight asses on the dance floor and having a blast. Victor has a gay old time hanging with Dom who takes an unusual interest in Victor's tales of being an "out" teen. 

Meanwhile, Amy seeks to satisfy her end of the deal by researching lesbian life and trying to get in touch with her Sappho side. After some misadventures with a gay hotline and a lesbian bookstore, Amy decides to go to a more local expert for help. MICHELLE (Jennifer Esposito) is a sexy, cocky furniture restorer who lives across the street. Over woodworking and a few too many beers, Amy explores her own curiosity with Michelle in ways that even surprise her straight-laced, lawyerly self. Michelle, being recently single, is open to this unusual friendship and possibly more. It's basically Anthony's fantasy come true. Except for one little problem: Anthony is getting more than a little jealous.

When Anthony senses that things might be getting a bit too real between Amy and Michelle, he begins to lose trust in his betrothed and their relationship begins to unravel. Meanwhile his carnal moment with Victor is approaching fast. As the wedding date looms, events start to spin out of control and it becomes unclear whether or not Amy and Anthony's relationship can endure this double fantasy. When Amy's parents arrive for the big event, the question becomes not whether or not they will fulfill each other's fantasies but whether or not they will end up saying "I do." 

With the help of an eclectic cast, this knowing comedy about happiness, trust, and sexual identity lays out the humorous consequences of what happens when a young couple attempts to turn fantasy into reality just one time!

Source : Obtained from www.cowboybi.com/jot/home.htm

Just One Time Explores Bluring of Sexual Lines 
by James F. Mills 


October marks the arrival of all three of director Lane Janger’s babies. His debut film is scheduled to arrive this month, as are his twins. 

Just One Time, the gay director’s first film, is a screwball comedy where a straight couple experiments with gay partners on the eve of their wedding. This gay Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice has been a hit on the gay film festival circuit and now begins a commercial run. It opens in New York on Oct. 20, in Los Angeles on Nov. 3, and in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco on Nov. 10. 

Meanwhile, his twins – a boy and a girl – are due to be born to a surrogate mother any day now. He and partner David plan to raise them at their Manhattan apartment. “[Being a father] is something I always knew I wanted,” said the 33-year-old Janger during a telephone interview. “It’s amazing it’s all happening at the same time.” 

Inspiration 
After several female friends told him how their husbands or boyfriends always wanted to have a three-way with another woman, Janger began to envision a story. “The women always question three-ways,” said the California native. “I always felt like ‘Why is this something that’s questioned?’” 

Before long, Janger had crafted a tale where a macho fireman begs his fiancée to satisfy his fantasy and have a three-way encounter with another woman. Tired of the nagging, the fiancée turns tables on him and says she’ll do it with a woman if he’ll do it with a guy. 

Déjà vu 
If this premise sounds familiar, it should. Janger did an 8-minute, credit-card financed short, also titled Just One Time, which made the rounds at gay film festivals. It also played at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where, as Janger hoped, financing for a full-length feature was lined up. 

Janger and writing partner Jennifer Vandever expanded the script to full length and then divided the work between them, according to their strengths. “I wrote the boy scenes and Jennifer wrote the girl scenes,” he laughed. 

Triple Duty 
In addition to co-authoring the script and directing the film, Janger also played the lead character, Tony. That came out of necessity to save money, but also allowed Janger to explore his acting side. “People always responded to me well as an actor,” said the New York University graduate. “I always wanted to get back to that, and this offered the perfect opportunity.” 

Original actors return 
All three of the original actors from the short agreed to return for the 22-day shoot. Filming took place in Sept. 1998, primarily on the East Village block where Janger lives. 

Jennifer Esposito, who plays Michelle, the no nonsense lesbian furniture restorer, juggled two other jobs while filming Just One Time. In addition to her role as Stacey, the feisty secretary on TV’s Spin City, Esposito was also shooting Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam at the same time. “I'll be forever indebted to her for [doing all three jobs simultaneously],” Janger said. “I think she was the only one on set who was as exhausted as I was.” 

Openly gay rising star Guillermo Diaz (Party Girl, 200 Cigarettes, Stonewall, I Think I Do) plays Victor, the gay teen who’s had a crush on fireman Tony for years. Janger had been following Diaz’s career and was impressed with his sense of comedic timing and expressiveness. “His enthusiasm was fantastic,” said Janger, who lists the scene where Tony asks Victor out on a date as one of his favorites. 

Rounding out the returning trio is Joelle Carter, who plays Amy, the lawyer fiancée who agrees to explore her lesbian side. “I just love her,” Janger said. “Over the course of the short, we had become such good friends that it was easy to play the guy that was so crazy about her.” 

Gay firemen 
The New York City Fire Department assisted with prep work and technical aspects of the film, but turned down a request to shoot in a NYC firehouse. So, the crew went across the river and filmed in a firehouse in Hoboken, NJ. Janger reports no problem with the Hoboken firemen and homosexuality. “I’m not sure they knew it was a gay film,” said Janger. “None of the scenes at the fire department were too explicit.” 

Janger credits Fire Flag, a support group for gay firemen in New York, with offering tips about being gay in the fire department. “It turns out there’s only one firemen who is out on the job [in New York City],” said Janger. “There are a lot more cops who are out on the job, but they don’t have to live in same quarters, sleep and shower there.” 

Fireman fetish 
Muscular and tall with rugged movie-star good looks, Janger decided to make his character a fireman because he “particularly had a fascination with fireman.” As a writer, he also wanted to explore male ways of bonding. 

“Just from being an athlete, I had an idea of what happens when you put guys together,” said Janger who rowed for the NYU crew team. “OK, they act like frat brothers, but there’s also a deep affection there. They really do care about each other.” 

Family ways 
While Janger hopes for a successful commercial run, right now, his thoughts are on family. He and partner David, an aspiring actor, have been together for 15 months. David “moved in after the first date and basically, he never left,” Janger laughed, explaining that Janger’s dog forced them to stay at his East Village apartment rather than splitting time between their two places as most early couples would do. 

Plans for the babies were in place long before David entered the pictures. “[David] is a bit younger than me,” said Janger, “but he’s just as excited [about the babies] as I am.” 

Visit the Just One Time web site:www.cowboybi.com/jot/home.htm

Source : Obtained from gaywired.com

Just One Time

(2000, USA) 
Director: Lane Janger 
Producer: Lane Janger
Starring: Lane Janger ; Joelle Carter ; Guillermo Diaz 

Just when you thought it couldn't happen in your lifetime, a miracle occurs. Yes, finally a terrific indie comedy about homosexuality has arrived on the scene, one with its lead characters being really, really straight. Well, pretty straight. Okay, let's just say they give Anne Heche a run for the money. 

You see, hunky Anthony (Lane Janger), a fireman with a square slab of manly hair on his well-defined chest, is about to wed the lovely and wise Amy (Joelle Carter). She's the perfect woman for him and he knows it, so remaining faithful to her for the rest of their lives will be no problemo. But wouldn't it be nice if his one fantasy could come true before they took their final vows? 

Anthony's fantasy: Amy making love to another woman with him on the mattress watching and possibly participating. 

Amy ponders this suggestion and finally agrees if Anthony will make her wish come true. Sure, Anthony hoots. Anything! 

Amy's wish: Anthony making it with another guy. 

Oh, no! 

Soon glum Anthony and his firehouse mates are going to gay bars with homo-in-training Victor (Guillermo Diaz) as their guide, and Amy is wooing a furniture restorer (a simmering Jennifer Esposito). 

It's all good clean -- and at times charmingly hilarious -- fun even with lines like "You're gonna pack this guy's fudge?" and "Fish is an acquired taste" sprinkled throughout. 

The cast keeps it light, the script is never less than enjoyable, and the direction is swift. You can even imagine that if $50 million more were attached to the project, Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage would be playing the leads, but they couldn't be any more endearing than the up-and-coming thespians featured here. 

--Brandon Judell

Source : Obtained from planetout.com