Finally saw the much-hyped "Call Me by Your Name" yesterday, at the Paris Theater, surrounded by enough gay men to fill the dream prom I never attended. I went in expecting to love it, but several of the plot points didn't seem to track, and Armie Hammer's cerebral frat boy character's attraction to a smart-alecky 17-year-old seemed sort of out of left field to me. (It took forever to happen, yet there seemed to be very little buildup let alone chemistry.) Hammer also seemed a bit too old for the part. And as attractive as I find him, I couldn't help but wonder if a gay/bi actor would have been more believable in the role. Damian and I jokingly wrote poster reviews for it as we walked out that read:
"Clumsy but well-meaning" -- Damian
"Sorely lacking anal." -- Kenneth
And then I imagined the Men on Films boys saying: "Hated it! Should have been called 'Kettle of Fish'" for all the straight sex these two seemed to endure for the "affair" they finally had. (Elio's dad talked about it longer than it actually lasted.) Still, I enjoyed it enough and am very glad stories like this are being told, even if I must confess I found the romance between Meryl Streep and a 100-year-old Clint Eastwood in "The Bridges of Madison County" to be more compelling.
4 comments:
They are really hyping this movie specially in the gay media- are we that desperate for a mainstream gay movie?
You should check out Beach Rats. Pretty deep. Not a fan of the ending, but it a very hot movie.
I was really moved by the film, though it may just have chimed with my own experiences of a) becoming infatuated with film stars and b)breaking myown heart. I get the criticism about the age gap, but I have to say I found Armie Hammer shockingly believable in the role.
I give it two snaps up.
Post a Comment