4th Man Out

By: chromoman

"4th Man Out" is a light, feel-good story about 4 very likeable "bro"s who have been constant companions for so long that the sudden announcement that one of them is gay throws all of them for a loop. Is their -drinking sports-loving car mechanic buddy suddenly a different person? No; yet it's going to require a bit of adjustment to get over their self-consciousness about the new elephant-in-the-room. While part of the film is a presentation of fairly standard coming-out story vignettes of awkward confessions and miserable blind dates ? and, yes, some of these involve stereotypes which might be considered borderline offensive, albeit for comedic purposes ? still, overall there is a sense of a true community spirit and a warmly authentic feel to the comraderie of this group of friends and familes, which goes a long way in allowing us to overlook the film's few missteps. Towards the end of the film, when a mixed-signals incident seems about to put a long-standing friendship in jeopardy, we root for these characters as they find their way through their confusion.
I particularly liked the "down-home" feel of the setting for this film -- filmed in Albany, NY ? and the richly heartfelt performances of the entire cast. A few real lookers here, too.

By: Amos Lassen

Adam (Evan Todd) is a twenty-something-year-old mechanic who loves and hockey and his friends but unlike his friends, Adam is gay. He lives in a blue-collar small town world and when he decides to share his sexuality with his friends, they try to help him find a boyfriend.
Most nights Adam hangs out with his friends and they play cards or watch sports, get and talk about big-breasted women and all is fine. Even when Adam shares that he prefers men to women, the group is okay with that. At first his friends are confused and shocked about what he says especially his best friend Chris (Parker Young) with whom he has been having a "bromance" for years. Chris does not take the news so well but his girlfriend lets him have it by telling him that he is selfish and that he does not recognize the courage and how difficult it was for Adam to come-out to him. It is this guilt feeling that gets Chris, Ortu (John Gabrus) and Nick (Chord Overstreet) to do "research" into what it is like being gay and they feel that have it down so well that they are perfectly at ease with expressions such as "power-bottom". Yes, my friends, this is a comedy. The guys really try to understand how different Adam is and they try, they think., to help him by finding him a boyfriend. At first the men they choose are all wrong and Adam even double dates with Chris and his girlfriend with disastrous results. Once back at home and , Adam and Chris have a misunderstanding that leads to their falling out with each other.

This is director Andrew Nackman's first feature film and he has set it up to be "a straight man's guide on how to cope when your best friend 'comes out' as gay". The film relies on clichés as if it is meant for a straight audience but there are also some very funny gay moments. Because the film seems to have been made to target a straight audience, it tends to insult the intelligence of those who are not straight and even some who are. Adam's first date (found on the Internet) is an offensive stereotype of a screaming Nelly queen and I found this to be demeaning. In fact, other than Adam, every other gay character was a stereotype and not a nice one at that.
All four of the friends are in need of growing up. When Adam comes out to the them, we get those stereotypical gay jokes but they soon realize that they do not want to lose a friend and they become experts and expounders on what is gay and they mean well.

If you are looking for a sophisticated comedy, this is not it. But it does have heart and that counts for a lot in my book. We all know how difficult it is to come to terms with being gay and then being able to tell your friends that you are. It was even more difficult for Adam because he lives in a small town where people have no idea of what any of this means. What this film looks at is how one begins to find his authentic self and then transition into adulthood. Adam struggles and his friends are supportive.
If only this film had been a bit more original, it could have been a wonderful (instead of a just fair) introduce to the canon of LGBT film. Besides the dialogue is often stiff, causing us to see cold performances and the entire film is filled with too many stereotypes. There are moments when the film shines and one of these is the performance that Evan Todd gives. We occasionally see his reflective and multi-layered approach to Adam and at those times he is a quiet, sympathetic character who comes to life and adds depth to the film.
We see something else here and that is a different kind of gay man and different kind of coming-out. The film reinforces that there are many types of gay men and each has a journey unique to him. Many in our community do not fit the stereotypes as evidenced by the fact that Adam is a humble, working class kind of man. For those out there who might be struggling with their sexuality, it is important to see someone who may be more like them and that is empowering. Just for that, this is a worthwhile film.