Beautiful Thing

Rating:
Summary: This movie lives up to its name.
Review: There are only a handful of really, truly feel-good gay movies out there at the moment, and this gem of a film from 1996 endures as one of the best of them.

A simple story: two boys coming to terms with their sexuality in their teenage years, one more comfortable than the other but both strong and complex in their own ways. Subtle yet fulfilling sub-plots focusing on the neighborhood and families are rare in that they actually fill out the story rather than distract from it.

If I had to summarize the moral of the story, it's would be that it is about personal will to find happiness despite the seemingly larger-than-life obstacles that can and will get in your way. A truly touching film and one definitely worthy of the permanent collection.

Note, though, that though this DVD is many years later than the VHS release, it's a very bare-bones DVD - pretty much just the movie. The movie itself is worth it though - you won't regret the purchase, and will probably have to lend it out to a number of friends. :)

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie
Review: About two high school boys in a gritty urban housing project somewhere in London, the athletic Ste, who lives with an abusive father, and the quiet, shy Jamie, who lives with a no-nonsense barmaid mum; and there are other quirky characters, such as the crazy Caribbean gal-pal obsessed by Mama Cass Elliot, and the slacker dude with a heart of gold dating the barmaid mum. The love blossoming in the most unlikely of locations does not depend on eye-candy shots of high school hunks in swimsuits, like most "young love" movies (e.g., "Nico and Dani," "Get Real," "Come Undone"), but is driven by believable characters leading believable lives. They actually refer to themselves as gay and acknowledge the existence of a gay culture, again a rarity in movies of this type.

The only thing I didn't like was the conclusion, in which the boys' anxiety over coming out seems downright silly as the adults clamor to show their support.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Thing is just that.
Review: I know: why would anyone consider writing another review after more than 240 of them already? Well, it's simple: BEAUTIFUL THING is worth the praise.
Beautiful Thing has been on my wish-list to see for several years and, finally, just the other night I found the opportunity to see it. I will not bore you with any details as it has all been said elsewhere. I just want you to know how much I LOVE this movie.
Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I simply could not help myself from falling in love with Jamie and Ste as they fell in love with each other. Several moments found me in tears. BEAUTIFUL THING is just that: a beautiful thing.

Rating:
Summary: A touching story about the power of touch
Review: If you have a good ear and mind for decoding British working class accents (I don't), or a high tolerance for misunderstanding every fifth or sixth phrase (I have), you'll enjoy this film about several families from an apartment complex somewhere in contemporary industrial England. Living in a row like unlikely peas in a pod are teenage youth Jamie and his single barmaid mum, Ste (Jamie's chum) and Ste's single (alcoholic and physically abusive) father and older brother, and an elderly Caribbean woman and her granddaughter Lea, a sassy high school drop-out(?) with a passion for Mama Cass records. (By the way, Mama Cass delivers the only fully intelligble lines in the entire movie.)

It is not an easy life for any of the young people--or the adults, for that matter--in this story. Lea is self-deluded and about as lost as any young girl can be. Jamie is relentlessly teased for being "bent" and "a fluff" at school, a torment he is too ashamed of to report to his mother. Neighbor Ste is brutally beaten by his father and brother for the slightest infractions. The most touching scene in the movie for me was when Ste first shows Jamie his bruises and Jamie offers to rub his back with a soothing cream, the kind sold to self-pampering housewives in The Body Shoppe. In Jamie's hands, the cream takes on the importance of a sacred unction, a balm of Gilead.

It is apparent throughout this movie that skin to skin contact-- touch--is the most primal way people communicate, establish trust, and form opinions about themselves. "You're all right," Jamie's mother assures him shortly after relentlessly pummeling him during a fit of frustration. One wonders whether such words of assurance can ever undo the messages communicated by direct physical violence. In Jamie's case, perhaps. His mother's efforts to stand by her son are consistent and sincere (bouts of frustration and parental ineptitude aside). In Ste's case, it is only through the gentle, loving contact he receives from Jamie (and Jamie's mother) that he can even begin to realize that he counts for something.

Amidst all this violence and pain is the omnipresent voice of Mama Cass blasting from Lea's hi-fi. This can be heard as the "la-di-da" voice of denial, a voice emanating from the far away world of sunshine and flowers (California) and the long-ago time of the Summer of [Innocence and] Love (1967). Or it can be heard as the hymns and creeds of a new religion, one whose chief doctrine is the power of love to conquer hate, violence, and intolerance.

The film has a few loose ends that left me puzzled, but overall I'd call this a great film. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite coming out/gay movie
Review: At the very top of my gay movie collection. So good I had to replace my well-worn VHS with a DVD copy. My only slight is how the mother treats her boyfriend in the end. I actually liked his character. On the outset he might be a "loser" in terms of career, etc... But his heart seems to be good and I don't se why the mother would not want to extend her relationship with him.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic Coming of Age in Industrial England
Review: The movie Beautiful Things has just been released in DVD format. This is a movie that really does not have the most compelling plot, but it does have memorable characters that give the film great appeal. The story revolves around two young men from a working class neighborhood in an English city. Jamie lives with his mother Sandra and her latest boyfriend. His relationship with his mother is somewhat tense and moody, but viewers also know that the two love each other very much. Ste, a neighbor, lives with his older brother and father. The two regularly subject Ste to physical abuse. Sandra has compassion toward Ste and takes him into her home. Ste becomes friends with the outsider Jamie, and Jamie begins to sense something in common with Ste, though neither really talks about it. Eventually Ste and Jamie become lovers. The action flows naturally, and there is some angst about sexuality, but neither seems to be tormented by it. Other colorful characters include Leah, a neighbor who dreams of being the next Mama Cass, and Tony, Sandra's love interest.

The movie has quite a few humorous moments, as well as touching and tragic moments. Love conquers all, but the viewer realizes that while the movie ends on a happy note, life may or may not be all happily ever after for the two main characters. Both will have to deal with other issues at other times, but for now all is well.

Gay audiences love the film, and parents of gay and lesbian children can probably relate to Sandra, but the film really has universal qualities that all audiences, gay and straight should be able to appreciate.

Rating:
Summary: FINALLY out in the US on DVD!!
Review: I'm so glad I can finally retire my horrid Japanese-subtitled DVD of Beautiful Thing! This is a very well-done transfer to DVD of a great coming-of-age gay 'fairy tale' of live in Thamesmead outside of London. If you've been waiting as long as I have for this movie to come out on DVD, your wait is over! My only reservation about this DVD transfer is there are no bonus features and no closed-captioning or subtitles for the hearing impaired. Those accents can be hard to follow at times! Well worth any price just to HAVE it on DVD, though! :)

Rating:
Summary: Classic Movie
Review: This is a great movie that I never tire of watching. It is truly a real classic!!

Rating:
Summary: Favorite Movie of All Time
Review: Like most romantic movies, Beautiful Thing, is first and foremost a fairy tale-but one that's not afraid to take a closer look at the challenges of adolescent gay love. The story centers on Jamie, an awkward teen with a crush on Ste, his popular classmate who lives next door. Jamie lives with his mother, barmaid Sandra, in a public housing block in a South London working-class neighborhood. He constantly faces teasing at school for his lack of athletic ability and for just generally not fitting in. Things are far from perfect for Ste, however. He is abused by his alcoholic father and drug-dealing brother.

The two boys are thrown together when Ste is kicked out of his apartment one night and Sandra finds him alone and crying. She insists he stay with Jamie and the two boys share a bed, stirring feelings that Jamie has been trying hard to ignore. Nothing happens the first night, but when the scene is repeated a few nights later, Jamie can no longer hold back his feelings. Much to his delight, Ste returns his affection and the boys clumsily stumble into a relationship. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the path to true love never did run smooth, and the boys still have many challenges to face.

Released in 1996 and filmed for British television, the movie boasts strong acting from its two male leads. Glen Berry as Jamie and Scott Neal as Ste both bring a real sense of confusion and pain to their roles. Strong supporting turns by Linda Henry as Sandra and Tameka Empson as Leah, Ste and Jamie's loopy neighbor obsessed with Mama Cass, round out a wonderful cast. The script, though filled with British slang that some Americans might find somewhat confusing, is sharp and witty. It has some of my favorite movie lines of all time. I've seen the movie so many times I can quote it right along with the actors. The movie also has one of the best coming out scenes I've ever seen.

The movie is set to a soundtrack of songs by Mama Cass Elliott. The songs are surprisingly fitting and often seem as if they were written with this movie in mind.

Funny, sweet, and sad, all at the same time, this movie staked its claim as my all-time favorite movie the first time I saw it years ago, and nothing has been able to take its place since. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Film!
Review: This film has a loyal cult following, and with good reason. It's an inspiring story about two very normal teenage boys figuring out who and what they are. Great story, great acting, great great great. I can't recommend this strongly enough.