The Sum of Us

Rating:
Summary: "nice" film
Review: No, it's not about a "son and daddy" relationship (you know what I mean). It's about a single father and his (real) son - and the amazingly supportive relationship they have! This movie was fun to watch (you'll figure out the part I didn't like involving the father). I remember being charmed by the love displayed between the two men, and the humerous "prodding" the father does to try and get his son a nice boyfriend. Fun movie.

Rating:
Summary: "nice" film
Review: No, it's not about a "son and daddy" relationship (you know what I mean). It's about a single father and his (real) son - and the amazingly supportive relationship they have! This movie was fun to watch (you'll figure out the part I didn't like involving the father). I remember being charmed by the love displayed between the two men, and the humerous "prodding" the father does to try and get his son a nice boyfriend. Fun movie.

Rating:
Summary: A VERY "CHEERFUL" EXPERIENCE
Review: Stop what you are doing and try to purchase, borrow, beg or steal this movie. It is one of the best Russell Crowe has done to date. This movie is sensitive, funny, sad and heartwarming. By the end of this movie you are crying and laughing. Crowe's portrayal of a young gay man is outstanding. His father is so kind and tolerant of his sons paramour. The relationship between father and son is a joy to see. I had a hard time locating this movie, but surf and you will find.

Rating:
Summary: Upbeat and enjoyable
Review: The films quality is good and the story enjoyable. The acting is great and it leaves you feeling good. I feel this is a good film for any open minded person who wants light hearted entertainment. A good addition to my collection.

Rating:
Summary: Adds up nicely
Review: THE SUM OF US, a warm and deeply affecting comedy-drama from down under, centers on the unconventional relationship between widower Harry Mitchell (Jack Thompson), a ferry captain, and his 24-year-old son Jeff (Russell Crowe), a plumber. The twist on this father-and-son tale is that Jeff is openly gay and Harry is boisterously supportive.

When Jeff brings home his date, a handsome gardener named Greg (John Polson), Harry keeps interrupting at inopportune moments. He offers his son's suitor romantic advice, asks how he takes his tea in the morning, and discusses safe sex. Over beers in the backyard, Harry also gets Greg to open up about his feelings and dreams. Greg, who hides his sexual preference from his homophobic parents, cannot adjust to the cozy domesticity at the Mitchells'. Just when Harry finally leaves the lovers alone, Greg leaves. Jeff, who thought he had finally found someone special, is inconsolable and lashes out at his well-intentioned father.

Harry is also looking for love and finds it with Joyce (Deborah Kennedy), an attractive divorcee whom he meets through a dating service. The relationship proceeds swimmingly, and they are soon discussing marriage. Then Joyce learns, to her horror, that Jeff is gay and Harry is not ashamed but proud. She breaks off the relationship, and moments later heartbroken Harry suffers a stroke.

Jeff assumes the responsibility of caring for his father, who, paralyzed and unable to speak, communicates with Jeff using a buzzer rigged to his wheelchair. Harry's spirit and verve have not diminished despite his physical limitations, and he still manages to play matchmaker for his son and Greg. Disowned by his parents after they discover he is gay, Greg becomes more appreciative of Jeff's relationship with his father. As Jeff and Greg resume their romance, no one is happier than dear old Dad.

David Stevens wrote the screenplay based on his award-winning stage play, which enjoyed a successful off-Broadway run in 1990. The film version racked up a slew of awards in Australia, including the best feature award at the 1994 Sydney Film Festival and top honors for the screenplay and star Thompson from the Film Critics Circle of Australia. In adapting the stage play for the screen, Stevens' only blunder was retaining the theatrical device of having the characters speak directly to the audience. A common practice in the theater, this seldom works in film and is a distraction here, especially when a post-stroke Harry delivers speeches about his frustrations at being unable to speak. Kevin Dowling, who directed the stage play, was reenlisted to helm the film version, codirecting with cinematographer Geoff Burton, whose camera is most effective in a series of evanescent black-and-white flashbacks that convey the anguish of Jeff's elderly grandmother and her lesbian lover, who are forced to separate.

Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson are perfectly cast as the devoted father and son. From their "Odd Couple" banter to their wrenching heart-to-hearts, they complement each other in timing, style and temperament. Veteran character actor Thompson (BREAKER MORANT, MAD DOG MORGAN), gives one of his best portrayals here, and Crowe put's in a decidely layered performance.

THE SUM OF US received limited release in the U.S., its modest box office receipts attributable to its foreign origin and lack of domestic star power. Its subject matter may have also kept mainstream audiences away, and more is the pity. The fact that a father who openly supports his son's homosexuality is still considered aberrant is a distressing notion. After all, as Harry says, our children are only the sum of us.

Rating:
Summary: One of Russell Crowe's Best
Review: The Sum of Us, Proof, Romper Stomper and Hammers Over the Anvil are in my opinion the best of Russell Crowe's earlier works. Which is pretty funny since they aren't that old. In four years he managed to span the range that most actors strive for in a lifetime.

The Sum of Us is a love story at heart. It doesn't matter if you're gay. It deals with what eveyone feels inside. Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe have that special chemistry that endears these characters to you as father and son. True, for a change this father is accepting and that's where the humor lies. John Polson is great as the love interest.

This film is heartfelt and heartwarming and one of the reason's I have come to appreciate Mr. Crowe's work. He is believable. These small little films really focused on characters and had directors who really put their hearts out there as much as the actors.

Rating:
Summary: Really good film
Review: There aren't many movies that focus on fathers and sons who get along (I can't think if any others, actually)--so, the fact that the son in this movie (played by a young and adorable Russell Crowe) is gay makes the premise even more original. And Crowe's budding relationship with a possible love interest is also handled very well.

I especially like the fact that the two men are very sexual, yet also have things such as love and romance on their minds. (most gays in movies are either all about sex, or are nice and funny--but seem asexual) The father also is a well-developed character who embarks on a relationship of his own.

I'm not wild, though, about the talking to the camera bits--especially in a couple of instances when one character physically can't speak at all. That might work on stage (the film was adapted from a play) but it doesn't quite here. Still, if two of the scenes at the end--while not sad in tearjerker way--don't bring a tear to your eye, then your heart is made of stone!

Rating:
Summary: Bitter Sweet.
Review: This is a credible, humorous film that provides a bitter-sweet portrait of a father and son who wrestle with a) their respective senses of loneliness and b) the son's homosexuality. As the film ended, I was happy--indeed, I was downright thankful for he film's portrait of human foibles. HOwever, the movie also left me saddened. It was perhaps too accurate in showing how happiness can be fragile, and how life and love will invariably involve compromises and missteps.

All of the actors are engaging, and the script is full of chuckles and warmth.

Rating:
Summary: Utterly Fantastic
Review: This is a great movie. This movie is a simple story of a gay man living together with his totally accepting father. The relationship between the two is amazing. After watching this movie, i called my dad, just to let him know i love him.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful Story of Love on all Levels
Review: This is a movie that once seen you will truly treasure.The acting is supreme, the kind that doesn't scream out "ACTING" but takes you inside real warm living beings, their thoughts, actions and feelings.This movie shows family life as it could (should) be...a genuine acceptance of each other's foibles,feelings,thoughts and lifestyle. Crowe's performance as a painfully shy young gay man looking for a REAL relationship,is at the same time, joyous and sad, but always eye opening and thought provoking.His ease in bringing this man to life is the reason I remain a fan of this actor. He brings so much to every character he plays, breathing life into small moments that send us home with little treasures to remember, maybe just a glance, a movement,a passing thought that flits across his eyes. He and the other main actor have a wonderful raport. I enjoyed tremendously the humorous asides of the father. I heartfully reccommend this movie, it is truly a keeper, one to watch again and again. I thought so much of this film and the performances I set up a day at home with a movie for a few friends, deli sandwiches,sodas, popcorn and this film. I love "small" films that tell human stories, and this is one for sure!