Rating: 
Summary: Boring Fluff
Review: I recently gave this movie another shot, at the request of a friend. I was impressed, this time, with the beauty and consistency of the cinematography. It's as if every scene could be a postcard, and the use of color and characters and costumes makes for decent viewing. And the songs are great, if a little "forced" into the movie.
Unfortunately, that's all there is, except beautiful Brad Rowe, totally wasted here in this nothing piece about self-indulgence and galling disregard for everyone that loves you (while pining away for what you obviously can't have.) Add to that a generous splash of feigned concern for others (Sean P. Hayes' character) while simply pursuing your own desires. ("I want to be there for him.") Right. It's so artificial, it's about as convincing as plastic palm trees.
There are a few funny lines and nice dance numbers, but not enough to cover up the gaping holes and long, heart-felt pauses of nothing.
Someone made this picture to fulfill their dream, and did a fine job of casting and cinematography. There is little else to see here. Even as a fluff piece, it's barely worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet, touching and very funny.
Review: You could say it's all about Sean Hayes. That man is both talented and damn fine, so any film with him headlining is worth watching. But this film is about so much more than that, for it's actually one of the sweetest films I've seen in a long while. It also happens to be one of the saddest, but that easy blend of comedy and drama is one of it's better qualities, and any film willing to call itself a "comedy-drama" should view this film and take notes.
The film basically centres on Billy (Hayes), a photographer who just happens to be a hopeless romantic. One day he stumbles across Gabriel (the equally cute Brad Rowe) and he's instantly smitten. However, Gabriel is seemingly straight, yet that doesn't stop Billy from dreaming of the perfect relationship with him. So, to stay close, Billy offers him a job as a model for a new shoot he's working on, but Gabriel falls into the modelling world big time, and also finds himself in a compromising situation with Billy one night. Gabriel travels to Catalina for a shoot, but Billy can't let go, and follows him, with sarcastic best friend George in tow, to tell Gabriel his true feelings. But, of course, things don't exactly go to plan.
One of the main reasons I loved this film was because it was realistic. Even though Billy is a true romantic, what he wishes doesn't necessarily come true and things don't always go to plan. It presents a person's hopes and dreams and shows that just because you want them that bad, you won't always get them. Instead, it shows you that you can get things that are equally as good but just not expected. The film is also full of nice little touches, such as Billy's dream sequences (so cute!), the drag queens and their little musical excursions, and Billy's rather heart-breaking story of how his mother realised he was gay. The supporting cast, especially Meredith Scott Lynn and Richard Ganoung, are fantastic, but this is definitely Sean Hayes' film. This man deserves to be a superstar. Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss is without a doubt an excellent film, one that provokes many emotions whilst watching it. Enjoyment is the one that comes out on top.
Rating: 
Summary: Inoffensive fluff, no more or less
Review: BILLY'S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS (USA 1998): An LA photographer (Sean Hayes) falls madly in lust with an aspiring model (Brad Rowe) who's been hired to pose in a series of pictures inspired by old-time Hollywood movies. But Hayes receives mixed signals from the object of his desire - is he gay, or isn't he? - which leads to complications of the heart...
Described during the closing credits as a 'trifle' by writer-director Tommy O'Haver (ELLA ENCHANTED), this unassuming confection asks little more of its audience than to enjoy the scenery (both geographical and human!) and to pine along with its luckless protagonist as he pursues the hunk of his dreams. Those familiar with Hayes' outrageous turn in TV's "Will & Grace" may be disappointed by his restraint as a bland, scatterbrained idealist who learns the hard way that the course of true love never ran smoothly, especially in LA. Spiced with dream sequences that recreate moments from Hollywood's 'golden age' (most impressively, an Astaire-Rogers dance routine between Hayes and Rowe to the strains of Petula Clark, with drag queens on backing vocals!), the film pays affectionate tribute to the movies of a bygone era, movies which inspire the leading character on his never-ending quest for perfect happiness. Watch out for the magical scene in which Hayes and Rowe share a bed for purely platonic reasons, only to end up touching each other by 'accident'...
Though fluffy and inconsequential, the film is rescued from anonymity by an excellent supporting cast, including Meredith Scott Lynn (STANDING ON FISHES) and Richard Ganoung (PARTING GLANCES) as Hayes' best friends, Paul Bartel (EATING RAOUL) as a veteran photographer who lures Rowe into his professional circle, Carmine D. Giovinazzo (IN ENEMY HANDS) as a stoner who offers Hayes and Lynn a place to stay on his yacht after they pursue Rowe to Bartel's photo-shoot in Catalina (Giovinazzo's rear-view nude scene is funny and sexy, all at the same time!), and Warhol 'superstar' Holly Woodlawn (WOMEN IN REVOLT) as a musical attraction at the gayest party in town! Filmed in vivid color and widescreen Panavision, cinematographer Mark Mervis (HELLBENT) uses every inch of the scope frame in a painterly fashion, though his beautiful panoramic compositions were resisted by the film's nervous backers, according to O'Haver's fascinating DVD audio commentary. Sadly, for his next film (GET OVER IT), the director opted for Super 35, which isn't the same thing at all...
Aside from the aforementioned commentary, Trimark's unambitious DVD offers animated menus and a heavily cropped trailer, and that's it. The main feature's lack of anamorphic encoding is a drawback, but otherwise, picture quality is OK, and the soundtrack serves its purpose.
92m 24s
2.39:1 (Panavision) / Letterboxed, without 16:9 enhancement
DVD soundtrack: Dolby Surround 2.0
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Stereo
Closed captions
All regions
Rating: 
Summary: billy's hollywood screen kiss
Review: A very enjoyable film--my husband and I loved it. Well acted, well written, great soundtrack. Great date movie boys, enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A Big, Technicolor Tease
Review: This film is funny, touching, well-written, well-acted and simply one of the best gay films made. In fact, one of the better films anywhere. The tone is light and it doesn't get all bogged down in itself and angsty. Sean Hayes is splendid as Billy and shows his skill as an actor beyond his new persona as "Just Jack".
If you have a library of gay cinema - this is a must have. If you have a library of cinema, this should be there as well.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, Funny Movie
Review: Billy?s Hollywood Screen Kiss is an enjoyable, fluffy romp through the perils of gay relationships. Aspiring photographer Billy (Sean Hayes) has big ideas but lacks the necessary ingredients to bring his ideas to life: namely funding and models. With the help and encouragement of his roommate Georgina and his friend Perry, he decides to pursue his dreams. His model comes in the form of Gabriel, an appropriately named aspiring-actor, table-waiting hunk. Billy manages to persuade Gabriel to model for his latest project, a series of remakes of famous Hollywood screen kisses, featuring male couples, but Billy is after more than just a great shot. He?d also like to win Gabriel?s heart. Only one problem, Gabriel is straight.The writing is solid and features some great dialogue. The cast was well chosen and some of the actors, particularly Richard Ganoung as Perry, bring a depth to their supporting character role that adds another dimension to the movie. Of course, Sean Hayes is better known for playing Jack on Will & Grace. His performance in Billy is excellent and surprisingly restrained. While the movie isn't spectacularly groundbreaking, it is a good movie. It's a little darker than many gay romantic comedies, no easy happy endings here, but it still leaves you satisfied and hopeful. Recommended.
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