Closing night at Outfest was GBF this year. They couldn't have found a funnier, smarter audience pleaser than this one. You can watch the trailer here.
The movie focuses on a high schooler inadvertently coming out at his school and becoming the most prize possession of the popular girls in school, the GBF, gay best friend. It's sharp, and deals with one of the most annoying trends of tv, film and media: gay as accessory. I won't spoil how it does this, but it takes all of the great high school movie tropes (especially Mean Girls), and deconstructs them while relishing and paying tribute to them. I'm not the only, one - you can read great reviews on imdb. And while it's deconstructing the high school movie and commenting on gay as accessory, it allows everyone to figure out who they really are, which is the theme of all great high school movies.
The writing is terrific and smart. Darren Stein, who directed Jawbreaker, another cult high school favorite, does a great job here. Michael J. Willett plays Tanner the lead, and is charming. I haven't seen him before, but he holds the movie together with his portrayal of the boy just figuring out how to be himself. Xosha Roquemore, who I didn't know was the standout girl with the glasses in Precious, was hysterical. She needs to be seen more. The performances were great all around, and I hope we see the cast a lot more. There are some great cameos, including Megan Mullally, who is hysterical as always. This movie should be seen. I hope it gets a wide audience, and a high school audience, too.
2 comments:
I do not watch television and rarely go to movies but this sounds enticing. My very closest and best friend in high school was gay. We were extremely close until his death from aids in 1994. I miss him beyond words. I'm interested in seeing this film. Thank you for sharing.
I hope you do get to see it. It's surprisingly charming, and has some funny moments. Outrageous, to be sure, but great heart.
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