Gray Matters (2006/I)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Sue Kramer

Writer (WGA):

Sue Kramer (written by)

Release Date:

13 July 2007 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A romantic comedy about a brother, a sister and the girl of their dreams.

Plot:

They finish each other's sentences, dance like Fred and Ginger, and share the same downtown loft--the perfect couple? Not exactly. Gray and Sam, are a sister and brother so compatible and inseparable that people actually assume they are dating. Mortified, they both agree they must branch out and start searching for love. He'll look for a guy for her and she'll look for a gal for him.

Plot Keywords:

New York City | Advertising Executive | Lesbian Interest | Brother Sister Relationship | Gay Interest

Cast

Heather Graham	...	Gray Baldwin
Bridget Moynahan	...	Charlie Kelsey
Tom Cavanagh	...	Sam Baldwin
Molly Shannon	...	Carrie
Rachel Shelley	...	Julia Barlett
Bill Mondy	...	Jordan Phillips
Don Ackerman	...	Conrad Spring
Warren Christie	...	Trevor Brown
Alan Cumming	...	Gordy
Sissy Spacek	...	Dr. Sydney
Campbell Lane	...	Harry
Samantha Ferris	...	Elaine
Timothy Paul Perez	...	Roberto
Benjamin Ratner	...	Derek
April Telek	...	Lana Valentine (as April Amber Telek)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Philippines:R-13 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Archer Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gray is drinking tea, she keeps changing her grip on the yellow mug.

Quotes:

Gray: What can I say? I am a mess.
Gordy: You don't look a mess. You look cute as a button. And buttons aren't messy.
Gray: Well, looks can be deceiving.

Movie Connections:

References Como agua para chocolate (1992)

Soundtrack:

I Won't Dance

Nauseous with the Munchkins

Greetings again from the darkness. First time writer/director Sue Kramer certainly tackles an interesting and unique topic with her initial outing.

A quick synopsis: Brother (Tom Cavanaugh) and sister (Heather Graham) live together and are so close and spend so much time together that people naturally assume they are a couple (Ick!). Sister sets brother up with gorgeous, friendly, smart newcomer to the city (Bridget Moynahan) whom they meet at the dog park. Brother and newcomer immediately fall in love and set a wedding date for the next weekend. Sister and bride to be share a long, wet kiss before bride to be passes out drunk. This incident threatens to ruin brother - sister relationship while "outing" sister as the reluctant lesbian she is.

I rarely struggle over a rating or comments for a film. Normally the rating just hits me and the words flow. This one has me almost as confused as Heather Graham's character (Gray). I very much admire the soft-shoe approach that Kramer brings to this most delicate topic. No, I don't consider the theme "coming out" ... I consider the theme self-discovery of identity. Learning to accept one's self and not "pretend" to be what is expected. This topic is explored through some humorous moments, but in a strange way we actually go through the awakening with Ms. Graham.

The key actors all do a nice job. Graham and Cavanagh have a nice chemistry, Moynahan in lingerie is always a good call, Sissy Spacek as the world's worst therapist and Rachel Shelly in an extension from "The L Word" are all solid. Even Molly Shannon is finally cast in a role that suits her just fine. The best and most entertaining character is the Scottish cab driver played charmingly well by Alan Cumming. He is such a likable guy ... except for the whole gay bar scene.

What really prevents this one from reaching another level is strictly the number of unbelievable events. Two smart people zipping off to Vegas to get married after 6 days and having someone 30 years old first entertain thoughts of gaydom are just two large examples of stretches that ask the viewer for a bit too much latitude. Still, there are some funny moments, funny lines and a thought provoking identity theme that make it worthwhile.