Coming of age slightly later in life

November 24, 2000 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

CINDY KELLEHER, SONY PICTURES (2)

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Cole (Dean Cain, left) tries to help Kevin (Andrew Keenan) get over his first lost love in The Broken Hearts Club.

The Broken Hearts Club Directed by Greg Berlanti Sony Pictures

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Coming of age films usually focus on young children as they struggle with the growing pains of youth and into adolescence, Beautiful Thing, Get Real, and the recently released, wonderful and soulful Billy Elliot all belong to the oeuvre of coming of age films..

It is an anomaly then, and quite interesting, to see a coming of age film about a group of twenty-something gay men and women in Los Angeles.

This perhaps lends credence to the theory that gay men, in particular, experience a

Broken Hearts

I first realized I was gay, only the first time I knew it was okay. It was when I met these guys-my friends." In the tradition of the 1980s brat pack films like The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire, this film too shows us how this circle of friends must struggle with their own inner demons, fighting to stay close and yet not losing one's identity in the crowd.

Andrew Keegan plays Kevin, the youngest and newest member of the tribe who is still in the closet and dealing with coming to terms with one of the most basic aspects of his existence. Keegan plays his part to perfection as he struggles with his first love, his first lost love and his first true love. Keegan's face expresses his inner turmoils beautifully and he brings a tenderness and sensitivity to the film that is endearing.

Hearts

Dennis (Timothy Olyphant) joins Patrick (Ben Weber) at a softball game.

delayed adolescence caused by the pressure of the closet during one's youth.

The movie under scrutiny here is The Broken Hearts Club, gratuitously sub-titled "A Romantic Comedy."

This film played to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year where it enjoyed its world première. It is about growing up, getting wiser, and the importance of true friendships as one gets older. At its heart the movie is a character study of six friends and their acquaintances, lovers and partners.

At the center of the story is Dennis (the wonderful, gorgeous and versatile Timothy Olyphant), a West Hollywood photographer who is about to celebrate his 28th birthday. Approaching one's 30s can be a very traumatizing time, particularly for men. Survival and one's life's purpose become the center of one's existence. Frivolity is challenged by finding the meaning of one's life.

Dennis, in one of the film's inner monologues, tells us that "I can't remember when

John Mahoney, of Frasier fame, plays Jack, the owner of a restaurant where many of these friends work. Mahoney always lends a comic edge and dignity to any part he plays and here he is particularly good. He gives Jack a quiet confidence and subtle grace. And Jack's relationship of twenty years with his partner who only wears purple, is a touching and quiet centering force in the film.

Dean Cain gained Hollywood hunkdom by playing Superman on the television series. He plays Cole, a self-absorbed, ego-maniacal actor. Cain's arrogance and selfcenteredness are annoying to watch as he lends his character an edge of realism that makes you want to hate him.

Ben Weber plays Patrick who considers himself to be the ugly one of the lot. As he struggles with being part of the pretty-boy club, he must come to terms with finding the strength in himself. In one of the most touching and tender moments of the film, Jack, the father figure, turns to Patrick after one of his moments of self-loathing and says to him, "We can't all be the same. We can't all be straight. We can't all be beautiful. Some of us are just gay and average."

After a pause and sly wink Jack adds, "But I think we are the strongest."

The irony here is that Ben Weber who plays the low self-esteem Patrick is very attractive, very cute and a dead ringer for a young Tom Hanks. It's sometimes hard to believe that he is the ugly duckling he claims he is.

One of the more interesting couplings in

the film is between Howie (Matt McGrath) and Marshall (Justin Theroux). Howie uses Marshall, his ex, as a convenient sex partner. When Marshall goes off and finds a new beau, Howie realizes the good thing that he used to have. While the story line isn't particularly inventive, the performances by McGrath and Theroux make this an engaging pair to watch.

Zach Braff as Benji and Billy Porter as Taylor round out this gay Big Chill. Benji gets seduced into the world of gym bunnies and drugs, and finding a way out is the monkey on his back. Taylor, who is the epitome of a happily married gay man at the start of the film, enters the Broken Hearts Club when his husband dumps him. Taylor becomes a cliché from that point on, and as such the only man of color in the film becomes the hysterical, nellie queen. Even independent filmmakers and alternative films are unable to escape some of the racist, homophobic and stereotypical archetypes of the Hollywood machine.

Mary McCormack and Nia Long play Anne and Leslie respectively, a lesbian couple who decide to have a baby. While their characters aren't quite as well developed as the male parts, these two actresses turn in some fine performances.

The film has its problems. At times it feels like a sitcom and sometimes the resolutions seem all too easy. Its biggest problem is that while it seems to be making some interesting commentary about the gay community's obsession with stereotypes based on looks and physique, the film succumbs to every one of them.

There is no one in the film who is ordinary looking or without a decent physique. No one has a waist size larger than 32. And the only man of color is a raging queen who watches Joan Crawford films while dealing with a breakup.

Greg Berlanti, who wrote and directed The Broken Hearts Club, has made an important and entertaining film for the most part. The dialogue is fresh, witty, insightful, and at times even profound.

The directing is well paced and keeps the story moving along at the same time allowing us a detailed and significant glimpse into the lives of these people.

Berlanti also doesn't always give us the easy answers or the clichéd outcomes and he treats his story and characters with a lot of love and dignity.

Most of us are, whether we acknowledge it or not, honorary or emeritus members of the Broken Hearts Club. It is refreshing that a film has been made about gay men that is interesting, funny, touching and not totally clichéd. It also asks us to take a hard look at the pitfalls of being gay in America at the turn of the millennium.