Rating: 
Summary: More than meets the eye
Review: The film itself I quite enjoyed; however, I can't give this DVD more than three stars for technical and feature reasons.First, the film. On the surface, it is generic Hollywood pap... the obligatory hospital and funeral scenes, the on-cue "life altering moments", the traditional narrative devices that shorthand much of real life into a format that presents well on screen. This movie is more subversive than that, though, as all of the traditional roles (Leading Man, Fragile Flower, Neurotic Wreck, Cynic, Ingenue, Playboy, Tragic Figure and Grande Dame) are filled from the same gender, the statement made being: We are not just everywhere, we are everyone. I think Berlanti makes this point a little too bluntly by introducing a scene in the coffeehouse where the boys lament that Gays in movies are always confidants, AIDS patients or lovers of same when the rest of the movie says quite loudly merely by being that gay men can be just about anything. There are some really funny moments that I really am not sure straight people who don't live in or near a major gay area would get, but Berlanti does try to explain at least some of these through the use of dictionary-style definitions as introductions to certain scenes. As to the billing of "a romantic comedy", that again I think was meant to state that this is "just another Hollywood story" (although in this case West Hollywood). Now, on to the DVD itself. First off, the transfer could have been better... the clarity of picture is not quite up to the standards I expect. The "special features", which basically consist of seven deleted scenes and some incoherent commentaries, are not even worth bothering about with one exception: The deleted scene that really showcases Jack (Frasier's John Mahoney) and Kevin's (Andrew Keegan) characters and acting ability (number 6, if I remember right). So, four stars for the film and two for the disc itself average to three. This one is worth your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Pure Saccharine
Review: Any movie that uses The Carpenters' songs extensively throughout the soundtrack is going to annoy a certain segment of the population. It's not just the songs, it's the idea that The Carpenters (*qua* cultural phenomenon), admittedly second- or even third-string, represent a haven for our own comfortable mediocrity. I don't know, but movies about mediocrity, whether in art or in love, leave me with the feeling that I've just eaten a cinematic Pop Tart. This movie, that not-so-secretly wants to be a queer Sex In the City, is the hopefully heartwarming story of a gaggle of gay (male) friends, all searching for Mr. Right. These boys are all, ostensibly, second-string. But of course, even the second string is uniformly cute and buff. There is no obesity in this movie's world, no buck-teeth, no bad skin. And Frasier's Dad in drag is as funny as this movie gets. They laugh, they cry, they kiss, and they cuddle. The meaning of life is coded by hapless drug overdose (but don't stress out too much: he's too cute to die). In short, it's light; it's fluffy, it's predictable; it's a Lie. So why two stars instead of, say, none? Well, Pop Tarts have their place. I mean, no one really likes them, but there they are: we eat them by default. The cast in this movie is the gooey filling. Timothy Olyphant, Dean Cain, Andrew Keegan, and Ben Weber are all talented actors and fun too watch even here. All three lead a cast that gives the trite screenplay of this movie more lustre than it deserves. Plus, there's the eye candy that's supposed to make us feel (I guess) that nothing really too intense is going to happen to us, and if it does (a la Karen Carpenter) somebody whose life is even more boring than our own, might be playing our records, misty-eyed, decades hence.
Rating: 
Summary: The Broken Hearts Club
Review: What a fab movie. One of the best portrayals of gay life I have seen in ages. I related to quite a few of the charaters in the movie, they reminded me of my own friends and the kind of life that we have with one another. Dean Cain was great in this film. We need more like it!!
Rating:
Summary: Amusing twist on an old formula
Review: About ten minutes into "Broken Hearts Club," you will probably realize that you have seen this movie before; a strictly formulaic, paint-by-the-numbers "buddy film." All the classic stereotypes are here: The Neurotic Geek (Howie), Mr. Smooth (Cole), Mr. Ordinary (Patrick), the Token Minority (Tracy), The Artist (Dennis), held together by a crusty older mentor (Jack). The twist on this is that all the men are gay, and, as Howie observes in one of the most self-referential pieces in any movie, the gay men are finally being shown as something other than dying of AIDS, companions to people dying of AIDS, or confidants to love-lorn straight females. Unfortunately, that's the best thing you can say about most of these characters, as the film almost studiously avoids developing any kind of depth or plot, while detailing the group's fabulous and not-so-fabulous urban lifestyle. This is not to say that there isn't what to enjoy in the film. The dialogue includes some clever one-liners ("I am so Demi Moore..."), a couple of good running gags ("He's not gay; he's married"), and some genuinely touching moments (Jack's "Some of us are just average, and I think we're the strongest" scene is possibly the best in the film). John Mahoney cuts a fine figure as the Shakespeare-spewing, restaurant-owning patriarch of the group, while Ben Weber's Patrick masterfully avoids letting his character slip into annoying self-pity. Dean Cain somehow lets Cole remain likeable, a herculean task, given the character's "if it moves, hit on it" attitude. The rest of the cast seems quite talented, but are often quite hampered by their material (Mat McGrath's Howie, in particular, seems to constantly border on actually breaking loose of his lines, but never consistently makes it). Other than the lack of development (Andrew Keegan's Kevin is the only character who seems the slightest bit changed between the opening and closing credits), I have one minor complaint about the misuse of one of the movie's prime assets. Billy Porter has one of the most glorious singing voices I've ever heard; would it be too hard to let him use it at least ONCE in the movie? Even if he covered one of the interminable Carpenter's songs which pop up throughout the film, I'd be a happier camper. A regular smile, an occasional laugh, and a bit of eye-watering: not a horrible total for a "romantic comedy" type movie, but I think it should have been a bit more.
Rating:
Summary: A Witty, Compassionate & Entertaining Portrait of Friendship
Review: Set in contemporary Los Angeles, this Greg Berlanti character portrait deals exclusively with gay men and gay relationships. But the appeal of the story lies in its frank, often witty look at friendships, relationsips, community, fate and survival - not homosexuality. Anyone who sees it will be able to identify with some of the plotlines regardless of sexual preference or background. The acting is straight from the hip (in particular, Dean Cain, John Mahoney, Timothy Olyphant, Matt McGrath), but never gay-in-your face. Some of the dialogue during the first half is a bit much ("Gay men in L.A. are a bunch of 10's looking for an eleven; "I keep forgetting your name because my friends and I keep referring to you as the J Crew guy"). But as the story progresses, Berlanti opts for plenty of warmth and compassion. "Baywatch's" Michael Bergin, who hails from Connecticut, pops up in the second half of the film as Kip Rogers, a married film star forced to hide his homosexuality from the moviegoing public. 1960's film star Diane McBain of "Parrish" also makes an appearance as a tacky hairdresser more concerned with her cutting shears than the remarks of her huge gay clientele.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish this group of guys were here
Review: Other than the Birdcage, I've never seen a gay movie before. This was a great movie with its moments of humor here and there. What was nice were the brief moments where they would give you the definition of a word in gay terminology. The actor that played Dennis was good, but I think the character of Dennis would have been better played by Matt Damon.
Rating:
Summary: Predictable but endearing
Review: Yes, it was predictable -- but it was nice to see a "gay" film that wasn't campy or tragic. No finger-snapping, sass-talking drag queens and no AIDS or gay bashing victims. In fact, its realities were much closer to my reality (e.g., jealous, insecure friends who want to undermine your chance at happiness with their "advice," everyone piling into the restroom for a hit of whatever drug everyone's doing, etc.) than many other gay films I've seen. The characters were generally likeable -- especially John Mahoney. The men were a bit too pretty -- despite their whining how everyone was so much better looking than they were. Even so, I liked it, and I'd watch it again.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful surprise (buy this now -- really) ......
Review: ....is The Broken Hearts Club. I had rented the DVD of TBHC fairly perfunctorily, expecting just another arch, overly camp saga of gay men in the big city. What a wonderful surprise is this film debut by Greg Berlanti. Never has there been a film which better depicts what it's like to be an urban gay man with a group of friends running just short of the super fast lane. The film doesn't flinch when addressing all of the good/bad aspects of being a gay man in the big city (the sex, the drugs, the coffee consumption, the gyms, the interior decorating) but especially what it's like to be a member of a pack of friends, who laugh alike, talk alike, at times they even look alike (uh, wait, that's the Patty Duke Show, I think). And any film which openly discusses the brilliance of Karen Carpenter, and a gay man's relationship thereto, is bound to be a favorite (of mine, at least). In particular, there's a beautiful, heartfelt montage sequence, set to the song "Close to You", that will move you to tears within seconds. So, laughs, tears, handsome/quirky/funny men, it's all here with a real wit and style. Plus this film, shot on a $1 mil budget, looks more like $25 million. I'm buying my permanent copy today; so should you.
Rating:
Summary: Felt The Void
Review: There I was prepared for an evening of cinematic viewing with my better half sitting next to me. All systems were go, sodas, popcorn, hard candy, silence in the house. The cast seemed great, the context hit the spot, and so we pressed the button: "PLAY" - - - quick quips, one liners, boom, boom, boom - then came the story. In a word 'weak'. The comparison to 'Steel Magnolias' isn't remotely possible in a sain world. One never sees a true bond, a complete character, or any of that glue that would hold this bunch together. Something went 'amiss'. Everyone one did his best with what he got to do, there just wasn't enough there. When it ended, I was left wanting all the story I never got. Bummer!
Rating:
Summary: 10 STARS!!! A GREAT MOVIE
Review: Finally a "gay" movie that isn't 100% Stereotypical! A great film about friendship and love.
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