Another Gay Movie (2006)

Dir. Todd Stephens
92 min.
It’s not quite clear what universe Another Gay Movie emerges from. The film is clearly set in California with its modern-kitsch houses and Technicolor furniture. Even more delightful is the notion of a town where gay people are the majority, where the average teenage boy barebacks another on prom night, and average girl gives or receives with a fun-colored dildo. Technically, the film is a spoof of spoofs, something that I have yet to wrap my mind around. Regardless, Todd Stephens, who directed Edge of Seventeen in 1998, has created a surprisingly touching romp into the world of a seventeen-year-old gay boy.

Michael Carbonaro plays Andy plays Andy Wilson, just your average, horny teenage boy. The only exception is that instead of jerking off to porno mags, he pleasures himself with his mother’s garden salad accoutrement. Andy and his three best friends, Nico, Jarod and Griff make a pact at the beginning of the summer to get “laid” (do anal) before summer’s end. You’ll recognize the three young actors as Jonah Blechman (This Boy’s Life), Jonathan Chase, and Mitch Marshall (Queer as Folk), respectively. Of course, in the tradition of American Pie, the road to losing their virginity is paved with unfortunate encounters with penis pumps, messy enemas, and hard-dick-in-eye mishaps. In other words, they are the new all-American gay boy characters.
Pop culture nods abound in this comedy with homage paid to Rosemary’s Baby, Mommy Dearest, Edge of Seventeen, The Graduate, The Broken Heart’s Club, and many more. And aside from being legitimately funny, the film retains some self-respect with its positive messages about gay pride, commitment, and safe-sex practices. It casts a sympathetic and universally relative light on the experience of the gay teenage boy, his insecurities and fears, his inexperience with sex, his simultaneous desire to lose his virginity and guard it jealously.
There are some admittedly offensive aspects of the film. The boys are aggressively stereotypical at moments-for example when they are attempting to identify themselves as “top” or “bottom”. Also, the characters are obsessed with both the size of their cocks and the size/shapes of their asses. The sole lesbian character, appropriately nicknamed “Muffler” is characterized as grotesque and misogynistic, which I found offensive, since the four boys are certainly cute as hell. I just had to chalk this up to the film being created by a gay man, and I suppose I can accept that. All in all, you have to admit that the stereotypes represent a three-pronged meaning; they are ironic devices, they represent a very real labeling problem within the gay community, and they make an attempt to include every soul in the broad queer spectrum.
With Kids in the Hall legend Scott Thompson and Drag Legend Lypsinka as Andy’s parents, and fun cameos from gay film actors such as Ant, Matthew Rush, Darryl Stephens (soon to be in The DL Chronicles), James Getzlaff (Boy Meets Boy), and Anderson Gabrych (Edge of Seventeen), the film is in itself a big gay pride parade. In the word of the infuriatingly aloof Jarod, “the best butt love is when you’re really in love”.
- Helen G.