New Reviews: A Gay Double Feature: Adam & Steve, Surge of Power

OK, folks, here are reviews of two new gay flicks that are just now, um, "coming out." Enjoy!

ADAM & STEVE
(TLA Releasing, rated R, 99 min.)

Actor-writer-director Craig Chester’s gay romantic comedy Adam & Steve is not a perfect film, but at least it avoids the stale clichés that often litter most of today’s self-consciously gay-themed entertainment. In this light and breezy romp through (what else?) the trials of the heart, Chester (Swoon, Grief) stars as Adam, a single man who, when we first meet him, is a Robert Smith-idolizing Goth with the requisite bad hair and eye makeup who spends most of his time hanging out in clubs with the requisitely overweight fag hag Rhonda (Parker Posey in a hysterical fat suit). When he meets go-go boy Steve (Malcolm Gets, looking much buffer than I remember him on Caroline in the City), the encounter – which includes copious amounts of coke laced, um, with baby laxatives – inevitably ends in disaster, and the two part ways never to see each other again. Or so they think. Cut to 17 years later, when Adam and Steve unexpectedly reunite after Adam almost kills his dog (don’t ask) and rushes the poor pooch into the hospital where Steve, now a successful doctor, works. Not recognizing each other from their previous encounter, they eventually wind up in a relationship that is, of course, doomed by the inevitable realization that is to come. It’s a clever setup, and one that is informed by Chester’s obvious fondness for the romantic comedy genre, even if his somewhat lackadaisical style as a director occasionally clashes with the more outrageous tone of his slapstick-inspired script. Still, it’s a fun ride. Buoyed by the engaging performances of the ensemble cast (SNL vet Chris Kattan is particularly riotous as Steve’s straight roommate Michael) and benefiting from Chester’s confident, no-guilt approach to an otherwise formulaic genre, Adam & Steve may not be the ultimate date movie, but that’s certainly no reason not to embrace a film that is this un-self-conscious about being exactly what it is. That’s not a bad lesson for the entire gay community, come to think of it. Grade: B. --Originally published in IN Los Angeles Magazine.

SURGE OF POWER
(Company, not rated, 98 min.)

For those who’d always fantasized that Spider-man had been bitten by a radioactive spider that was part of an experiment on, say, the origins of sexual orientation, Mike Donahue’s decidedly kitschy gay superhero flick Surge of Power just might be the movie for you. Or not. As a bona fide superhero fan myself (I’m a sucker for a man in a codpiece and colorful tights), I’d like to report that Donahue’s indie comedy redefines action hero stories for a contemporary gay audience. But, rather than send up the genre (as one might have hoped any creative queen with a camera might do), Donahue merely tweaks it to include a surprisingly outdated gay sensibility. Working with a woefully limited budget and a cast of “actors” (I use the term very loosely) who appear to have never even heard of acting class, Donahue gleefully follows all the conventions of superhero origins without giving them a truly fresh spin: Comic book fanatic Gavin (Vincent J. Roth, who also wrote, produced, and designed costumes for the film) acquires odd electrical powers after an egomaniacal science queen named Hector (John T. Venturini) with delusions of grandeur and an overly gym-pumped body causes an explosion in a scientist’s laboratory, then sets about saving the world while romancing the pants off the badly dressed circuit queen he saved from a potential fag bashing. The script is supposed to be witty (a la Scream, characters frequently comment upon the superhero conventions applied throughout the film; Surge’s one superhero weakness is—wait for it—dance music), but the dialogue is so embarrassingly cringe-worthy (“Wait’ll the city gets a load of my magnetic personality!” seethes the magnetically powered Hector) and the acting so awkward (honestly, I’ve seen better work in porn flicks) that most of the “jokes” just fall flat with a resounding Pow! Even a series of D-grade celebrity cameos (hey, there’s Lou Ferrigno ordering a copy of a gay comic book!) can’t buoy the film’s spirits. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if this so-bad-it’s-actually-unintentionally-hysterical stinker wound up becoming a gay cult classic. At least the midnight costume screenings would be a riot! Grade: D. -- Originally published in IN Los Angeles Magazine.