AndyMangels.com: JUST OUT Information

The Broken Hearts Club      The Broken Hearts Club is a vivacious movie that stands head and shoulders above most gay romantic comedies.

     This isn't the kind of humor about closeted antics causing faux pas reactions nor about how silly gay people look in drag. Put simply, it's a film about gay male friendship.

     "Can you imagine if they made a film about us? About our group of friends?" asks one of the lead characters.

     The group is a West Hollywood softball team composed of housemates and co-workers at a gay restaurant. Dennis (Timothy Olyphant) is a photographer who is tired of meaningless trysts and longs for the perfect mate; Cole (ex-Superman Dean Cain) is the gorgeous housemate, a struggling actor who casually loves and leaves a string of men in his wake; Howie (Matt McGrath) is a psych student who's hung up on his ex but unable to express his affection; Benji (Zach Braff) is a spiky-haired kid who wants a gym-bunny boyfriend no matter what the cost; Taylor (Billy Porter) is the African American drama queen who comes to live with Dennis after his bragged-about long-term relationship ends; and Patrick (Ben Weber) is a less-attractive gay man who is trying not to let bitterness invade his life.

     The group is bookended by patriarch/restaurateur/coach Jack (John Mahoney of Frasier), who's been gay since time began, and "newbie" Kevin (Andrew Keegan), who is pulled into the group by Cole and Dennis, even though he hasn't yet admitted he's gay.

     This is an ensemble film, and the plot ambles from one character to another, following the changes and growth each makes in his life. Each man is on a path of continued discovery about himself; the humor-and some sadness-comes from the situations in which they find themselves.

     Openly gay writer/director Greg Berlanti makes his feature film debut here (he's been toiling on the small screen's Dawson's Creek), and he shows an incredibly deft hand for showcasing humanity. More importantly, he makes a film that almost every gay man should be able to identify with. Issues of love, lust, friendship, betrayal, body consciousness, self-worth and more are dealt with in the script, woven in between biting and funny gay banter that sounds like any number of witty gay conversations I've had or heard.

     Across the board, the acting is top-rate. Keegan is wonderfully conflicted as the newbie, and Weber's Patrick is allowed to be both unlikable and the character most men will identify with at the same time.

     In the same way some African American-themed films are too "urban" for white folks, I have a feeling The Broken Hearts Club might be just too gay for hets, but that's a shame, because it is a funny, warm film.

     Andy Mangels is a longtime Portland entertainment writer with three books and hundreds of comic books and magazine articles to his credit. You can write him at andy@andymangles.com.