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| Plot Synopsis Gay man falls for straight man who is pretending to be gay man to win the heart of straight girl in this raunchy and offbeat romantic comedy. Attractive but bitchy college student Gwen (Emily Stiles) shares an apartment with her friend Marc (Ryan Carnes), a gay man with a hyperactive social life. Keeping track of Marc's lovers has given Gwen a taste for gay men, or at the very least men who look and act gay. Kyle (Jim Verraros), who is also gay, learns about Gwen's unique preference at a party also attended by his straight and newly single pal Caleb (Scott Lunsford), who wants to hook up with her. Kyle gets the bright idea that Caleb should pretend to be gay in order to attract Gwen's attention, but this plan seriously backfires when Marc develops a major crush on Caleb - and Gwen decides they make a perfect couple. Eating Out marked the screen acting debut of Jim Verraros, who was a finalist on the 2002 season of American Idol. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide Reviews NICK SYLVESTER Village Voice Way back when, friends, Jim Verraros used to be as much of a household name as Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, and in certain circles (maybe just mine) Ryan Starr. Now American Idol 2002's favorite gay top-tenner has a hand in the best straight-plays-gay, straight-goes-gay flick since Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Because straight Gwen (Emily Stiles) only has eyes for queer-like (but not actually queer) guys, real gay Kyle (Verraros) convinces his straight roommate Caleb (Scott Lunsford) to pretend he's gay so straight Caleb can score straight Gwen. Thing is, straight Caleb's so good at being gay Caleb that straight Gwen, thinking Caleb's actually gay and ipso facto not interested in her, passes on straight/gay Caleb and sets him up with her real gay roommate Marc, who-wait for it-straight/gay Caleb's own real gay roommate Kyle has a real gay crush on. Confusing for sure, but not every filmmaker can be the next American Idol. MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, June 9, 2005 "We talk normally -- in English." That's gay college student Kyle (Jim Verraros), explaining to his clueless, straight roommate, Caleb (Scott Lunsford), how to communicate with Marc (Ryan Carnes) during Caleb's first boy-boy date in "Eating Out," a silly romantic farce about sex-orientation switcheroos from first-time feature writer-director Q. Allan Brocka. Ah, if only that were true. Most of the gay characters here -- and even a few of the straight ones -- talk anything but normally, batting such a barrage of zingers, bon mots and pop culture references back and forth that each of them winds up sounding like a cross between Bruce Vilanch, Carson Kressley, Steven Cojocaru and a reincarnated Oscar Wilde. "When he's around, my heart beats like a trailer-park husband," says Marc about Caleb, the heterosexual object of his homosexual affection who has recently been pretending to be gay to get the attention of Gwen (Emily Stiles), Marc's straight best friend and roommate, who has a thing for gays and gay-acting guys. Kyle, meanwhile, secretly likes Marc but is too shy to tell him. Confused? Wait till you get to the scene where Caleb, who's still pretending to be gay (and really well, I might add) has phone sex with Gwen while allowing himself to be, ahem, "serviced" by Marc. It may just be one of the hottest -- not to mention weirdest -- sex scenes I've seen lately. My favorite moment, though? That comes later, when the still-straight Caleb is forced to "come out" during a dinner with his parents and little sister. The family's reaction, a parody of open-armed tolerance and acceptance, is hilarious, as well as a sweet touch of wishful thinking. Which, come to think of it, pretty much describes "Eating Out," a sweet and funny take on the crossed-wire romantic couplings of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," albeit one that, as filmmaker Brocka freely admits in his own production notes, is "way too gay" for Middle America. |
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| EATING OUT 2004 - USA - 90 min. - Feature, Color Director -Q. Allan Brocka |
| Genre/Type -Comedy, Gay & Lesbian Films Flags -Not For Children, Adult Humor, Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations Keywords -bisexual, homosexual, mistaken-identity, misunderstanding, roommate, sexual-awareness, sexual-attraction Themes -Faltering Friendships, Playing the Field, Looking For Love, Sexual Awakening, Mistaken Identities Tones -Goofy, Light, Irreverent, Sexy Produced by -Posh Pictures Release -Apr 8, 2005 (USA - Limited) Released by -Ariztical Entertainment Group DVD Street Date -Jul 26, 2005 Languages -English Screen Formats -Letterbox for TV Sound -Dolby Digital Stereo Aspect Ratio -1.78:1 (DVD) Studio -Ariztical Region -1 (USA & territories, Canada) DVD Sides -1 Features -Actor commentary / Photo gallery / English subtitles (for the hearing impaired) Cast Scott Lunsford Jim Verraros Emily Stiles Ryan Carnes Rebekah Kochan Jillian Nusbaum Billy Shepard |
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