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Amos Lassen wrote on 03/29/2011:

“Eighteen” directed by Richard Bell is a small gem of a movie in which the viewer is a voyeur and gets to look at the inner workings of a family in which something terrible has happened.
Pip is a street kind who meets life in the big city. In his eighteenth birthday, he receives his grandfather’s memoirs from the Second World War on an audio cassette and discovers the remnants of a lost world. His grandfather relates what happened on the day he turned eighteen. He was running from German troops through the woods of France with a dying comrade who was hanging onto his last shred of life. Upon hearing this, Pip begins to live a parallel life of his grandfather’s. Both were lost in their environments and in their generations. Pip meets Clark, a street hustler, and Jenny, a young girl hoping to be a social worker who in her own way tempts Pip with feelings of domesticity and love. He also comes to know a parish priest and confides in him his secrets about the death of his brother and a terrible and heinous act that was committed against him by his father before he died.
The introduction of the movie sets the tone for that which is to follow. We watch a family dinner in which something happens which causes the father and two sons to flee in the family car and having an accident in which Pip’s brother is killed. Pip, in turn, leaves his family and decides to live on the streets. His father manages to trace him down so that he can send him his grandfather’s tape on his eighteenth birthday.
Pip’s grandfather, Jason (the voice of Ian McKellen), tells of his experience with a wounded medic named Macauley, who only wanted something to live for and Jason tries to comfort the man as he passes away. This is a gorgeous scene as we see shades of redemption as it is lyrical. Pip’s listening to the tape changes the way he looks at life and love.
The movie is polished and beautifully photographed and the characters are developed with great style. The two simultaneous stories come together and I felt as I had witnesses an experience that was tender and beautiful. Even though the subject being dealt with was quite ugly, the performances, the story line and the cinematography combined to give a wonderful viewing experience.

chromo_man wrote on 01/29/2011:

This is a rich, diverse tapestry of intertwined stories, all well told, well acted, well filmed. The wide array of characters is brought to life by a splendidly gifted cast, in the hands of a very capable director. There are many rewarding surprises to be found here, both story-wise and performance-wise. (I would particularly single out David Beazely's winning performance in a small role as a revelation: we'll be watching for more from him in the future.) Highly recommended!

Barry wrote on 11/28/2009:

My main reason for adding praise to this film is the exceptional and beautiful Brendan Fletcher who has played so many wonderful gay roles and other characters. I wish I had more than 7 DVDs of him in my collection. He is the youthful incarnation of the voice of the great Ian McKellen who is heard on tape. There are more familiar faces like the lovely Thea Gill (Queer as Folk etc. and the adorable gay actor Alan Cumming whom I had the pleasure of seeing recently in an outrageous and oh so gay one man show here in Australia. Back and forth in time and skipping from character to character it is an agile and brilliantly exposed review of many characters and the mix of humanity that surrounds us all. A film of love, gay, straight and chaste.

bearpig wrote on 06/02/2007:

I saw this at last year's Inside Out festival and was blown away. Well written, well acted. I'm So glad to see it out on DVD, cause it's a film worth watching over and over.

From Dallas wrote on 08/04/2006:

Eighteen is a great movie with superb acting. Although sometimes melodramatic the story is endearing. Pip's grandfather tells via an audiotape (Ian McKellen) a touching story of how he tried to save an injured fellow soldier and how he grew up in the process. This helps to change the direction of Pip's life. It didn't make a lot of sense when Pip imagines himself on the battlefield with his grandfather and saves his grandfather's life, but it seemed to serve the drama. Thea Gill as always gave a convincing performance as a chanteuse who befriends and "marries" Jason Anders (the grandfather). Alan Cumming also was superb as Father Chris, a priest who befriends Pip and essentially hears his "confession" about the troubling facts surrounding his older brother's death in an MVA. And no, Father Chris does not turn out to be a predator. Pip and Jenny (Pope-- also superb) find a way to make their relationship work. Pip then helps his gay friend Clark (Sponagle), a callboy, connect with Jeff, a sweet guy who initially is just a client, but truly loves Clark. There are enough twists and turns in this movie to make for an enjoyable evening.