Defying Gravity

Rating:
Summary: OK drama let down by so-so DVD presentation
Review: Closeted frat boy Griff (Daniel Chilson) is forced to come to terms with his sexuality when his boyfriend (Don Handfield) is the victim of a violent assault. Writer-director John Keitel's debut feature "Defying Gravity" (1997) is an earnest, likeable portrait of campus life where conformity is the norm and gay students are implicitly discouraged from finding their true identity. However, the underwritten script stumbles badly over a number of crucial scenes, which means the intended dramatic sparks never really ignite, and the performances are merely OK, but the characters are sympathetic and the narrative still has a lot of social relevance. Ultimately, the film's heart is in the right place and it works on its own modest level.

Wolfe Video's full-screen (1.33:1) DVD transfer seems accurate and the colors are vivid, but the sound is a bit of a mess: The original mono track appears to have been ditched in favor of two-channel stereo, which would have been fine if the dialogue had been appropriately centered. Instead, everything comes out of the front left-right channels, making the characters' voices seem disembodied! As such, it might be best if you listened to it through your TV set rather than your Dolby/DTS processor. And in another unfortunate lapse of judgement, Wolfe hasn't time-encoded the main feature (it runs 91m 40s), thereby disabling some of the trickplay functions that distinguishes the DVD format. There are no captions.

Wolfe's track record on DVDs to date has been generally superb, and while the technical blips on "Defying Gravity" may have spoiled the presentation, it remains a strong entry in their ongoing catalogue. The disc also includes a trailer for this film and several other Wolfe titles. All in all, an OK package, but could've been better.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Seeing
Review: "Defying Gravity" is an earnest, heart-felt movie. While its edges are rough, both in terms of the performances and the filmmaking, it's these rough edges that actually make the movie feel more real in a way that polished Hollywood acting and production values would undermine. One could complain that it is yet another coming out story, and in many ways it is, but it's an effective one.

Griff (Daniel Chilson) is a college student who lives in a frat house with your typical college guys. Everyone is assumed to be straight, and the majority of brothers are. Griff wants to belong, but as a young gay man, he feels a certain amount of isolation. Because of his wanting to fit in, he remains in the closet despite the efforts of his boyfriend Pete (Don Handfield) to help him come to terms with his identity. Finally, a crisis forces Griff to take a stand for himself and for Pete. Yes, anyone who has seen more than a few gay-themed movies or TV shows will have seen this plot. But it is handled in such an honest and affecting way that you will forgive it.

What sets this movie apart are the character relationships. Griff's interesting relationships with best friend Todd (Niklaus Lange), with Todd's girlfriend Heather (Leslie Tesh), with fellow student Denetra (Linna Carter), and with Pete's father (sorry, I don't recall the actor's name) are what helps us to forgive the cliched elements of the plot. Of particular note are the relationships with Todd and with Pete's father. Their reactions to Griff's relationship with Pete are not what you have come to expect from coming out films. It makes for a refreshing change of pace, and writer/director John Keitel deserves credit for putting new spins on these stock characters.

The acting never really rises above college drama student level, but that works for a movie about college students. Chilson, Lange, Tesh, and Carter all act earnestly and come across as believable college kids in ways that technically-trained performers might not.

I do wish that the DVD had more to offer. The film is in 1.33:1 ration. I don't know if it has been panned and scanned, a matte removed, or originally shot for a TV screen. There is no commentary track. I would like to hear Keitel talk about the choices he made as writer and director. There is a "pictorial" soundtrack, meaning that the song's from the film can be accessed and played like a CD while images from the are played like a slideshow. As there were a couple songs that I particularly liked, I appreciated this feature and found myself wishing other films did the same thing.

Overall, it's a solid film and one that I have found myself watching several times. I recommend it to people who enjoyed "Get Real", "Edge of Seventeen", "trick", "Broadway Damage", and "Torch Song Trilogy."

Rating:
Summary: Nice story, horrible acting
Review: This is some of the worst acting I have seen in any movie in a long time. The performances are completely overdone. The concepts presented are nice enough, but even the most dramatic encounters I have seen are tame in comparison to those in "Defying Gravity".

Rating:
Summary: Is this merely gay-sploitation?
Review: This is a cute movie.. not a great one, to be sure, but worth watching. Its gotten a lot of positive reviews in the gay media, as does just about anything that comes out today that shows a couple of guys shirtless and kissing on the lips once or twice.

Let's face it, movie companies realize there is an exploding interest in gay themed films, and they're rushing product to market. I understand this one was made on a very slender budget in a very short time. It is more than a little reminiscent of some badly done teen movies of the 80s in which every character was disgustingly good looking but otherwise had no business being in front of a camera.

The two leads in this film rise above that somewhat and are appealing in their roles. Daniel Chilson as Griff has great "guy next door" looks, plus a shy smile that will make many a heart flutter. Don Handfield as Pete is a much stronger character and is perhaps the better actor of the two, although it's hard to tell since he spends most of the movie in a coma after a gay bashing.

Most gay coming out movies are set in high school. This one takes place in college, which is why I bought it. But other than Pete, the emotional and intellectual level of the characters is very high-schoolish to me. Griff in particular seems to be on about the 15 year old level when it comes to understanding what's going on between the two of them.

One of the characters in the film drives a white Jeep that is completely open while another drives a black SUV with darkly tinted windows, oversized driving lights and a menacingly loud stereo. Can you guess which is the good guy and which is the bad guy? The rest of the film is no more complex. The script has gaps in it. The filmmakers assume the audience will already know a lot about gay relationships and coming out and will be able to fill in the gaps in the story; this is probably true of most who will go to the trouble to see the film, but it would have been more satisfying if the story were more complete and coherent. The dialog is about on an intellectual level with the average Stallone movie, which is of course only slightly higher than in an XXX film.

The other characters in the fillm have even less depth than the two leads except for Niclaus Lange, who plays Todd, a straight frat-brother and friend to both Griff and Pete and who is so overbearingly earnest, tolerant and understanding as to be creepy. A plus for me was the depiction of heterosexual male relationships in the fraternity. I avoided the frat scene in college and nothing in this film suggests I missed anything. Heterosexual male bonding is an oxymoron.

In a departure from the norm for gay films, there is no naked butt scene in the entire movie. There are numerous references to Vaseline which the scriptwriter apparently believes are hilarious.

Still, if you're gay you'll probably relate to the characters in this film and their story. For all its shortcomings, if I had to choose at a multiplex between this and say, American Pie or Rocky, or 100s of other vapid Hollywood blockbusters, I'd choose to watch these two try to figure out what love means.

Rating:
Summary: Dated, Tired & Worn
Review: Folks, please skip this title.

First, the viewing quality of the DVD, especially the audio, is horrific. Even outdoor scenes have an annoying muted echo that can drive one mad.

Second, the acting is laughable. Literally. About five minutes into the film, some "light-hearted banter" in the frat house bathroom caused me to pull my shirt up over my head in embarrassment for the actors' lack of acting ability and the writer's serious lack of imagination.

Incredibly tired, worn cliches combined with dated ideas even for homophobes and self-hating homosexuals serve to further frustrate the viewer. Rather wide gaps in plot give the entire story an illogical flair that begins to annoy you at a point when you thought you couldn't feel worse about paying money for this DVD.

Compared to current alternatives in the genre, i.e. All Over the Guy, Big Eden, etc., this one's a waste of the DVD upon which it was burned.

A must for your DVD collection? Only if you're a compulsive shopper.

Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed it
Review: Why do all of these pseudo-movie critics berate this film.

I thought it was well done, the acting adequate and the story well played out. No it will never get an Oscar, but who cares!

My boyfriend and I enjoyed this movie as part of a nice quiet relaxing evening at home.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most enjoyable yet...
Review: This is a story of a couple young male college students and how they find love in the midst of homophobia with the help of a very close friend and the fight for survival after one is gay- bashed. A very fun and hart felt story. A must for any collection.

Rating:
Summary: Good films do not need big budgets
Review: This is a simple yet beautiful film. I think that it says a lot about human nature and our ability to triumph over fears. I was not expecting much; and I love it when I am pleasantly suprised.
This film has heart.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Eye Candy, Not Much Else
Review: There are some good looking fellows in this movie--it makes me wonder why all fraternities aren't blessed with the gorgeous bodies of the guys that inhabit the one in which the action takes place at in this film. Unfortunately, though, that's really all this film has to offer.

There were a few fine performances by the secondary characters, but ultimately the blame has to be placed upon the lead in this film, Daniel Chilson. His acting style would not even be acceptable in a community theatre production, let alone on film. He has some moments where he seems to genuinely reach a moment that is real and accessible, but for the most part his entire performance is play-acting...reading the lines with what inflections he think might work, instead of delving further into the character.

The dialogue in this film is passable at best--definitely not it's strongest point and becomes painfully obvious through the halted and stilted acting of Chilson. The only reason this film receives two stars is based on some of the pretty men that grace our screens between the constant choice of fade-outs from each scene.

The story was fairly predictable and rather than being a journey of coming to terms with oneself, it ended up looking as though it were a made for TV movie--without Judith Light to make it appealing.

Rating:
Summary: OH MY LORD ! ! !
Review: If a person cannot have an appreciation for this movie then I really dont think they should be allowed to view movies at all. This movie has completely changed my life and the way I look at things. I am totally moved by the touching story of the NIGHTMARE it can be to come to terms with who you are and do that on your own grounds. You will be able to appreciate the struggles "Griff" goes through even if you arent gay or have never been through a struggle so intense because its about people and what relationships with other people have to endure and how they grow into reality. I recommend all people buy this movie to learn about people and appreciate what it takes to put yourself on the line and be with someone. A+++++