THE TRIP
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Stereo
The relationship between a free-spirited gay activist (Steve Braun) and a conservative closet-case (Larry Sullivan) is tested to breaking point during the political turbulence of the 1970's and reaches a bittersweet conclusion during the Reaganite 80's, when AIDS begins to decimate the gay community.
Miles Swain's warm-hearted comedy-drama ploughs a far-reaching furrow through two decades of gay liberation. As the opposites who attract each other against their better judgment, Braun (EVERYBODY'S DOING IT) and Sullivan (FORBIDDEN CITY) are perfectly matched, and both young men are profoundly altered by their burgeoning love for one another, while an eccentric supporting cast spins a magical web around them, including former Bond girl Jill St. John (DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER) as Sullivan's daffy, kleptomaniac mother, veteran character actor Ray Baker (WHAT LIES BENEATH) as the scheming politician who covets Sullivan for his own bed, Sirena Irwin (TV's "Stripperella") as a bubble-headed blonde who is forced to step aside as the two main men in her life begin to fall in love with each other, and the ubiquitous Alexis Arquette (I THINK I DO) as an activist more interested in bedding guys than changing the world. The fads and fashions of ages past are exploited to the hilt by costume designers Kristen Anacker and Cherie Sevilla Granger and art directors David Touster and Donna Willinsky, while the changing political landscape is charted through a series of contemporary news clips (including the glorious moment when Anita Bryant was ambushed during a live TV broadcast!). Best of all, the romance between Braun and Sullivan is depicted with heartfelt sincerity, making their final scenes together all the more tender and poignant.
For all its good intentions, however, the movie is weakened by a significant flaw: Despite Swain's clever screenplay (loaded with fruity one-liners), his depiction of Braun's activism is both underwritten and underplayed, resulting in a narrative imbalance which fails to convey the zest and forcefulness that characterized the gay liberation movement of the 1970's. Braun does his best with the material - he and Sullivan give fine performances in their own right - but his character lacks the sheer dynamism that might have elevated proceedings to a whole new level of achievement. Despite its flaws, however, THE TRIP is one of the most romantic gay films to emerge from independent US cinema in many years, and is heartily recommended. Lovely music score by Steven Chesne.
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Stereo
The relationship between a free-spirited gay activist (Steve Braun) and a conservative closet-case (Larry Sullivan) is tested to breaking point during the political turbulence of the 1970's and reaches a bittersweet conclusion during the Reaganite 80's, when AIDS begins to decimate the gay community.
Miles Swain's warm-hearted comedy-drama ploughs a far-reaching furrow through two decades of gay liberation. As the opposites who attract each other against their better judgment, Braun (EVERYBODY'S DOING IT) and Sullivan (FORBIDDEN CITY) are perfectly matched, and both young men are profoundly altered by their burgeoning love for one another, while an eccentric supporting cast spins a magical web around them, including former Bond girl Jill St. John (DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER) as Sullivan's daffy, kleptomaniac mother, veteran character actor Ray Baker (WHAT LIES BENEATH) as the scheming politician who covets Sullivan for his own bed, Sirena Irwin (TV's "Stripperella") as a bubble-headed blonde who is forced to step aside as the two main men in her life begin to fall in love with each other, and the ubiquitous Alexis Arquette (I THINK I DO) as an activist more interested in bedding guys than changing the world. The fads and fashions of ages past are exploited to the hilt by costume designers Kristen Anacker and Cherie Sevilla Granger and art directors David Touster and Donna Willinsky, while the changing political landscape is charted through a series of contemporary news clips (including the glorious moment when Anita Bryant was ambushed during a live TV broadcast!). Best of all, the romance between Braun and Sullivan is depicted with heartfelt sincerity, making their final scenes together all the more tender and poignant.
For all its good intentions, however, the movie is weakened by a significant flaw: Despite Swain's clever screenplay (loaded with fruity one-liners), his depiction of Braun's activism is both underwritten and underplayed, resulting in a narrative imbalance which fails to convey the zest and forcefulness that characterized the gay liberation movement of the 1970's. Braun does his best with the material - he and Sullivan give fine performances in their own right - but his character lacks the sheer dynamism that might have elevated proceedings to a whole new level of achievement. Despite its flaws, however, THE TRIP is one of the most romantic gay films to emerge from independent US cinema in many years, and is heartily recommended. Lovely music score by Steven Chesne.