Colour this pink

>> All Over the Guy is a pleasant but predictable gay romantic comedy

by MATTHEW HAYS

Gay critics have often lamented that the promising wave of radical films which came out of the late '80s and early '90s, referred to by many as the New Queer Cinema, have since succumbed to a bunch of silly, light romantic comedies.

And for the most part, I have found this spate of romantic comedies unendingly dreadful, from I Think I Do to Broken Hearts Club. Thus All Over the Guy comes as something of a surprise: it's the best gay romantic comedy thus far, though I suppose that's not saying a lot.

The film is written by actor Dan Bucatinsky, who, incidentally, is the boyfriend of Dan Roos, the writer-director behind The Opposite of Sex and Bounce. Based on Bucatinsky's own play, All Over the Guy tells the story of two gay men struggling to make a relationship work; one is Jewish, the other an alcoholic. Seeing as Bucatinsky plays one of the men and Roos has been open about his recovering alcoholic status for quite some time, it's hard not to imagine that this is semi-autobiographical, their own story of getting together.

Which is fine, of course. Autobiographical love stories can work so well (see Annie Hall). All Over the Guy has some sweet moments and snappy one liners, but too much of its dialogue feels far too stagey, with its theatrical roots showing very clearly. In a sense, the film works extremely hard to level the playing field, making gay and straight romances stand on an even footing, with all the characters, regardless of their sexuality, desperately seeking some kind of intimacy.

But the film moves along, rather predictably, with the hardships, road bumps, ups, downs etc. that these sorts of film always deliver along the way to the closing credits. This is not an evil movie, and certainly, there's something refreshing about seeing gay characters develop adult relationships and overcome their intimacy issues. (Lord knows, I'm getting mighty sick and tired of the gay eunuchs on Will & Grace.)

All Over the Guy will neither ruin your day nor change your life. It may make some laugh and swoon over the cute actors, but it won't change the course of film history. At best, it's a pleasant and benign diversion for a couple of hours.

All Over the Guy opens Friday, Oct. 5