Review by Scott Cranin
By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Dec 15 2011
Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a gay boy stranded in a private boys school obsessed with rugby. There's just one thing about rugby he's obsessed with, the über-hot Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker). Both boys are students in Ms. Tebbit's (Wendy Robie, who...
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Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a gay boy stranded in a private boys school obsessed with rugby. There's just one thing about rugby he's obsessed with, the über-hot Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker). Both boys are students in Ms. Tebbit's (Wendy Robie, who "Twin Peaks" fans will recognize as Nadine) English class. She's a teacher with a mission: to excite her students with the literature of the ages. When she decides to cast these two boys as the romantic leads in her production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and to cast boys in girl's roles, you know she's just as mischievous as Puck himself. The rugby Coach and townspeople are up in arms, and Timothy sends himself off into musical gay fantasies that look as if they're designed by Pierre et Gilles. But Timothy just can't get the language right and Ms. Tebbit advises the boy to let the words work their magic. They do just that as Timothy finds in the script the recipe for a potion to make people gay! One spritz from Timothy's magic pansy and the person goes totally queer. The entire town (filled with Christian fundamentalists) is whipped into frenzy as the glorious production night approaches.
This deliciously surreal confection of a film is steered by first-time co-writer/director Thomas Gustafson, whose 2003 short Fairies inspired this bit of magic. The musical numbers are over-the-top, production values first-rate and the acting is as flawlessly beautiful as the boys. We know the Bard would appreciate this totally queer take on his immortal tale of mayhem, "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended."
Review by gbelly
By: gbelly
An amazing achievement for a low-budget movie.
Review by robbo93
By: robbo93
I loved this movie...it is truly mesmerizing. The acting, singing, music, and general storyline are terrific. I have watched this movie several times since getting it just last week. Tanner Cohen and Nathaniel David Becker (my standout favorite) a...
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I loved this movie...it is truly mesmerizing. The acting, singing, music, and general storyline are terrific. I have watched this movie several times since getting it just last week. Tanner Cohen and Nathaniel David Becker (my standout favorite) are as talented as they are gorgeous. It has quickly become one of my Top 5 Favorite movies. HIGHLY recommend it. Start to finish a beautiful movie.
Review by rdean
By: rdean
Not your typical badly acted or directed gay film, excellent acting, coreography, marvelous cinematography and the overall "feel" of this movie is leaps & bounds past most typical gay fare. Feels like a true Hollywood production, and should appeal to...
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Not your typical badly acted or directed gay film, excellent acting, coreography, marvelous cinematography and the overall "feel" of this movie is leaps & bounds past most typical gay fare. Feels like a true Hollywood production, and should appeal to a much larger audience. I love the soundtrack, and find the songs & singing really superb. It is not just a movie for Lovers or Teens, it is a movie that should be on everyones Top Ten Favorites, it is a top one of mine.
I love the premise of the movie and how they did not over think it, it has star crossed lovers, and many other magical moments, that make this movie both enjoyable to hear and captivating to watch. It is still Shakespearean, without drowning in being overdone. No, there is no sex scene, but that is not a basis for a well produced movie, gay or straight. There are planty of bare chested scenes to keep most captivated, and the lead actors are both very easy on the eyes.
It is what it is, and I think it is a Truly Excellent movie if you get it. The underlying "Sweetness" in this film is palpable and what Shakespeare is all about.
Review by Daniel
By: Daniel
It seems to me that many people have been unhappy about this film for many reasons ranging from it's lack of overt sex to the "immaturity" of it's characters.
But I think that is rather the point. What intrigued me here is that this is a f...
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It seems to me that many people have been unhappy about this film for many reasons ranging from it's lack of overt sex to the "immaturity" of it's characters.
But I think that is rather the point. What intrigued me here is that this is a film that depicts high school kids as high school kids. The pettiness of many of the characters, including to some extent the lead Timothy himself, are perfectly within character for teenagers. This is not the usual overwritten tripe wherein teenagers think and act like 40 year-olds and every word and deed has some deeper motive behind it. This is a teenage story and a teenage fantasy.
Which is perhaps why I like it. It's not trying to be pretentious and pretend that it's something it isn't. It's message is very simple and direct and the characters are not buried in layers of irrelevant subtext to create the illusion of depth.
The singing was actually quite spectacular and I love listening to the songs over and over.
Another interesting note is that this is a good movie for teenage audiences, since it isn't doubling as softcore porn as so many gay movies do. If one is looking for a good film for a GSA group to watch then this is it.
Contrary to popular belief Shakespeare didn't set out to create high art for the intellectual elite. He set out to entertain people with situations they could imagine and get into. The same is true of this movie. It's entertaining, but don't expect deep philosophical insights, nor expect a full and faithful reenactment of A Midsummer Night's Dream. But that's okay, this has it's own magic.
Review by Vernon
By: Vernon
This is a Movie for Lovers
This is not a great movie, it's not a terrible movie either.
This is a movie, that you and your lover, with your arms around each other, sit back and enjoy a love story.
The moon is out you and yo...
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This is a Movie for Lovers
This is not a great movie, it's not a terrible movie either.
This is a movie, that you and your lover, with your arms around each other, sit back and enjoy a love story.
The moon is out you and your lover are feeling at ease, with great bottle of .
In morning you will think back on this delightful little film and you will laugh.
You will laugh at the gay boys , playing straight boys turning into gay boys.
You will laugh at the acting and the plot and the fact the set look like a Pierre et Gilles photo.
Who could not smile at the use of the word faerie or the use of Shakespear's midsummer nights dream.
Watch it love it, don't hate it, because it does not deserve it.
This is a Movie for Lovers.
Review by Franklin Hummel
By: Franklin Hummel
There has been much praise for WERE THE WORLD MINE and it is deserved.
However, I personally was very disappointed in certain elements of the film which I think weakened it greatly. For me, WERE THE WORLD MINE is a good movie that could h...
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There has been much praise for WERE THE WORLD MINE and it is deserved.
However, I personally was very disappointed in certain elements of the film which I think weakened it greatly. For me, WERE THE WORLD MINE is a good movie that could have been a great film.
There are three aspects in particular that hurt this film musical: 1) the song lyrics, 2) the choreography, and 3) the behavior of the main character, Timmy.
1) The song lyrics are based in part on the poetry of "A Midnight Summer's Dream". In their adaptation to WERE THE WORLD MINE, I found them to often be, sadly, a cheapening of not only the words, but the meaning of Shakespeare's humorous and romantic play. I often thought of them on a level of what I feel might better be found in an Illustrated Classics Comic Book.
2) The choreography (and its photography) throughout the film was often too jerky and quick for what should have been a more *dream-like* gracefulness nature reflective of romance and love. This quickness would certainly fit if lust were the only emotion being portrayed in this movie, but WERE THE WORLD MINE wanted to be more than that -- and the choreography and its editing failed this.
3) Finally, there was the too often callousness of Timmy, the main character. Certainly such behavior is proper for Ms. Tebbit, who many be the Queen fairy herself. Titania, as Shakespeare named her in his play. [A side note: Her callous treatment for amusement of human is much more accurate to the original mythology of fairies, the Shide, then the current sweetness-and-light as shown today. The original fairies were vicious, sadistic bastards.]
However, Timmy is *human* and his behavior throughout is often pointlessly cruel and hateful. The first thing he does is accidentally make his best male friend helplessly love him -- and then he abandons him, even allowing him to be bloodily beaten by Jonathan (the young man who Timmy "loves" and who Timmy has also caused to love him). Why didn't Timmy even try to reuse the "love juice" on his friend, so he might "fall in love" with the young women he did love?
Later on, Timmy causes a homophobic woman to fall in love with his mother, without the slightest thought of how his mother would feel and react to have a stalker after her.
Even the question of someone to "love" you, something done by the inhuman fairies for their amusement, is just
Timmy's utter insensitivity for those who he supposedly cares about is shown repeatedly throughout the film. Timmy is a teenager and is so not fully emotionally mature. but he also acts and feels far more immaturely than a teenager of his age should. He acts as if he were 8-years old -- not 18.
When Timmy is finally to face his ethically, emotional mistakes, it comes across as a slap on the wrist and not as any gain of maturity or wisdom.
"A Midsummer's Night Dream" is a romantic comedy, but there is within a depth of understanding of love and, especially, unrequited love. WERE THE WORLD MINE is a romantic comedy, but its understanding and presentation of the hurt and pain that comes with both unrequited love *and* love is very shallow.
In the end, the depth of human nature that can be found in great films -- and very rarely found in a gay film that is great, like LATTER DAYS -- is absent from WERE THE WORLD MINE. The movie is only cotton candy, and nothing more -- where as LATTER DAYS, a romantic comedy/drama is food for the soul.
For me, WERE THE WORLD MINE will be a movie I watch a second and maybe a year or two from now, a third time -- whereas I watch LATTER DAYS, a film also of growing in and with love, at least once or twice every year.
Cotton candy is fun to eat, but it leaves me empty after an hour or two; After watching WERE THE WORLD MINE, I felt emotionally empty after a few hours.
Review by Lucas
By: Lucas
I absolutely love this movie. I've seen it at least ten times in the past two months and I listen to the soundtrack all the time. Tanner Cohen is an amazing talent. His voice is captivating and he's absolutely adorable. Nathaniel David Becker is just...
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I absolutely love this movie. I've seen it at least ten times in the past two months and I listen to the soundtrack all the time. Tanner Cohen is an amazing talent. His voice is captivating and he's absolutely adorable. Nathaniel David Becker is just as amazing. This movie is a gem and deserves more exposure. One of the best indie films I've seen in a very long time.
Review by Woody
By: Woody
A friend brought this movie over for one of our Men's Movies Night and we finished watching Slumdog Millionaire. Then I showed everyone there the movie and they said put it in. I was captivated my the movie and loved it.................. I would re...
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A friend brought this movie over for one of our Men's Movies Night and we finished watching Slumdog Millionaire. Then I showed everyone there the movie and they said put it in. I was captivated my the movie and loved it.................. I would recmmened this movie........................... 4 stars
Review by JANORM
By: JANORM
This one film I had to watch at least 4(four) times! I can identify with the main character so very completely that Deja Vu becomes a very mundance subject! I think that so many of us have suffered through High School for being so different and que...
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This one film I had to watch at least 4(four) times! I can identify with the main character so very completely that Deja Vu becomes a very mundance subject! I think that so many of us have suffered through High School for being so different and queer. Enough of the soap box speeches. This film so reminded me of Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, so very apropos!! The musical rendition of Shakespear's prose was nothing short of pure inspiration. As tied into the scenes, this only magnified the entire glorious effect. Tanner and Beckman played their parts like that of very seasoned vetern actors. This was done so well that one has to wonder if maybe something was afoot between the takes!?!? These two(2) really carried the effect off very grandly indeed! What a delightful and wonderfully romatic love story!! I shoud like to see more if not the entire Midsommer's Night Dream prose put to appropriate Elizabethean Music. This with the capabilty of special effects, could produce another Romeo And Juliet. This film is destined to become a classic and should be added to your collection by all means! TRUE LOVE CAN CONQUER ALL!! NJMJr.
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
"Were the World Mine"
The New Gay Mega-Hit
Amos Lassen
By now most of you have heard about the new gay musical movie that is making waves everywhere. It seems that "Were the World Mine" is the movie of this year and f...
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"Were the World Mine"
The New Gay Mega-Hit
Amos Lassen
By now most of you have heard about the new gay musical movie that is making waves everywhere. It seems that "Were the World Mine" is the movie of this year and from what I hear for years to come. Thomas Gustafson has directed a beautiful modern day and gay version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" replete with great music, beautiful cinematography, a wonderful cast and lots of homoeroticism.
Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a gay boy who is a student in a private boys' school and he is secretly in love with super rugby jock, Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker). Both boys are students in Ms. Tebbit's English class and she is a teacher who is determined to excite her students with literature. She decides to cast the two boys as the romantic leads in her summer production of the Shakespeare classic. She does as was done in Shakespearean times when males were cast in even the female roles and this riles the town people as well as the rugby coach. Timothy goes off into his gay fantasies but he can't seem to get the language of Shakespeare right and his teacher tells him to let the words work their magic on him and as he does this, he discovers a magic potion in the script that makes people gay. All it takes is one spritz of the potion to make a person utterly gay. The town where the school is located is populated by Christian fundamentalists and as opening night for the play grows closer, everyone becomes increasingly more nervous. Timothy uses his potion to make most of the town gay but first he begins with the object of his youthful lust, Jonathan. We see as Shakespeare said that "the course of true love never runs smooth".
What makes this film so interesting is that the director is relatively new but somehow everything comes together. Wendy Robie as the English teacher is every gay boy's dream of a high school instructor for one thing. Something else is the wonderful music and thirdly the homophobia we see is amazingly real. Even though there are elements that this is a fantasy, everything comes together. The acting is uniformly excellent and the direction is artful. The music and creative music combine to create a magical quality and the characterization, the plot twists and the story all contribute to the "what if" idea that the film presents. Even though the film is low budget, it exudes high quality. It is stylish and graceful, moving and poignant.
"Were the World Mine" is not a perfect film but it inspires with a wonderful concept with material that could have been quite heavy. It is the cast, above all else, that makes this film so memorable and the music is original and excellent. Even the ending which could use a little more explanation doesn't deter from the overall effect of "WTWM". The film was undoubtedly somewhat of a risk and Tom Gustafson met that risk with great aplomb and is to be commended for giving us a wonderful experience that will not be forgotten quickly. If there is a word that describes the film, it is "personality" of which it has plenty. There is energy galore and it makes a person feel good. I laughed, I was stunned visually and I was moved to tears by this film, The few flaws are overpowered by the creativity and "WTWM" moves gay cinema ahead to a place where it truly deserves to be as of late.
Review by kirkboi
By: kirkboi
Tanner Cohen and crew are cute in this movie all I can say is WOOF