Review by Scott Cranin
By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Nov 16 2012
Todd (Jonathan Bray), a straight guy, goes to work every day and then comes home with nary a date on the horizon. That is, until his goofy brother, Barry (Jonathan Silverman), sets him up on his very first internet get-together, a coffee date with a ...
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Todd (Jonathan Bray), a straight guy, goes to work every day and then comes home with nary a date on the horizon. That is, until his goofy brother, Barry (Jonathan Silverman), sets him up on his very first internet get-together, a coffee date with a hottie named Kelly. Todd gets to the café and the only unattached person there is a gay guy... guess what: his name is Kelly (Wilson Cruz).
After a brief, clumsy realization that a straight guy has been set up with a gay guy, the two men hit it off as friends. To get retaliation against his brother, Todd and Kelly head back to the house and hold hands in front of the mystified brother. Their joke works as Barry summons Mom (Sally Kirkland) in for the new family crisis. Mom decides that she loves her gay son and joins PFLAG. Most amused is Todd's gay co-worker Clayton (Jason Stuart) who has fianlly got his evidence that Todd is officially gay. As word spreads that he is "openly gay" and has a nice gay lover, the situation spins hilariously out of control and nothing Todd says can convince people otherwise. Yet he prefers his new best friend Kelly's company; maybe he is gay after all?
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
"Coffee Date"
Oops!!!
Amos Lassen
A hit at GLBT festivals, "Coffee Date" is still going strong. It's a very funny and touching look at the nature of friendship and sexual preference. Within it are some of the best performances and go...
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"Coffee Date"
Oops!!!
Amos Lassen
A hit at GLBT festivals, "Coffee Date" is still going strong. It's a very funny and touching look at the nature of friendship and sexual preference. Within it are some of the best performances and good writing that we have had in independent gay cinema in quite some time
The beginning of the film is about an internet date that goes all wrong. That very same date ends up being the start of a beautiful friendship. The director, Steward Wade, expanded what was originally a short film to a full length movie by having the friendship between the two main characters, Todd and Kelly, develop in many different directions.
There is a lot to admire here. For a low budget film it has a lot to say about sexual identity as it looks carefully at hetero-homo angst. Here it is what would happen to a straight man if everyone he knew thought he was gay.
Jonathan Bray is Todd, the straight man in the film. He is not just straight but he thinks himself to be the epitome of straightness. Having been a "frat" boy, he aspires to the world of the yuppies but looking for something more than dates of one night. When he goes on a blind date arranged by his brother, he is surprised that his date, Kelly (Wilson Cruz) is a man. What surprises him more that despite their sexual differences, they have a great deal in common.
Todd, in retaliation against his brother, plays a joke by pretending that he and Kelly together. Todd could have never expected what was to follow. His mother adores gay men and fees as if she has a new lease on life with a gay son while, at the same time, Kelly is grappling with feelings that he has for his new straight friend.
What makes the entire situation even more interesting is that is something that, indeed, could happen. We have seen that in our struggle for acceptance and equality, many straight men have aligned themselves with us. Even the most self-secure heterosexuals can possibly doubt themselves when they are faced with complete disbelief. With that, "Coffee Date" falls into all the areas associated with the premise. Masquerading as comedy are the old, tired ideas of both homo- and hetero- sexual behavior and the real laughs are few and far between because the entire situation is plausible.
However, "Coffee Date" does play with stereotypical notions which meant as comedy do not amuse. When Kelly shakes hands with Todd, Todd, who realizes that Kelly is gay, wipes his hand on his shirt and I found this to be somewhat insulting. I also found Todd's reaction to a gay man standing next to him at a urinal to be insulting as well as the standard gay palaver about Streisand and Garland.
With that said, the movie is by and large entertaining. All of us, at one time or another, have been labeled as what we are not. Some of us have fallen for straight guys as well even though we know that affection will never be returned. I am sure that all of us have had blind dates and they were not always what we expected. If you focus on the plot which is somewhat shallow and superficial, you won't get much from the movie. However, if you sit back and relax, you will not only have some great laughs but a story that is easy to identify with. Even with the laughs, the film is quite sensitive and touching.
Review by Gaelan
By: Gaelan
This film is a light, comic stroll with good acting. Just go with it and enjoy! I will probably watch it again and chuckle again and be glad I bought it. Light, clever, zany... great with red .
Review by Buddhaman
By: Buddhaman
Coffee Date is one of those light fluffy affairs that has aired endlessly on LOGO. That being said, there's something charming about this film. Does it employ trite and overused cliche's? Absolutely! Is the ending somewhat implausible? Absolutely! ...
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Coffee Date is one of those light fluffy affairs that has aired endlessly on LOGO. That being said, there's something charming about this film. Does it employ trite and overused cliche's? Absolutely! Is the ending somewhat implausible? Absolutely! Still, the opportunity to see the leads Jonathan Bray and Wilson Cruz in the buff is not to be missed.I didn't feel as if I had 93 minutes of my life viewing this. Add to your video collection only if your aim is increasing your catalog of gay cinema.
Review by gengida
By: gengida
Okay, this was was "okay". The actors are attractive, and their acting isn't THAT bad, but the supporting cast jumps on one's nerves. Everyone else is semi-okay, the storyline kills me at the end, and I hate when a weak story "wraps up nicely" at t...
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Okay, this was was "okay". The actors are attractive, and their acting isn't THAT bad, but the supporting cast jumps on one's nerves. Everyone else is semi-okay, the storyline kills me at the end, and I hate when a weak story "wraps up nicely" at the very end. That's even more depressing than when the main character dies at the end. Pass this one by....
Review by Toby Ross
By: Toby Ross
Well, it looks like there are two kinds of gay films emerging from the celluloid culture explosion of the late 90's early 2000. The first one is the culturally inbred gay film with it's own humor, slang, actor types and plot, not unlike the Yiddish t...
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Well, it looks like there are two kinds of gay films emerging from the celluloid culture explosion of the late 90's early 2000. The first one is the culturally inbred gay film with it's own humor, slang, actor types and plot, not unlike the Yiddish theatre of years gone by or the black slice of cultural endeavors that stretch from the wonderful Cotton Club of years gone by to the blackxploitation films of the late 60's early 70's. The jokes dialog and plot are private and mainly understood only by the audience it might aim to entertain. TLA seems to be the leader of this group and the list is endless. The second type of film are the films with gay motifs that are aimed at the general population but exploit gay or (mainly) closeted relationships... such as in the films of Todd Verow, the director who did "Hard" John Huckert and some Europeans whose films filtered to the US through distributor such as Water Bearer Films (Mandragora) and Strand (The Bubble) People who know me, know I am a student of the second group and shy away politely from the first one, which Coffee Date is a strong (I mean "very") ambassador of. Not a bad film, however the straight/gay relationship seemed a bit boring and left me ice cold wishing for more, I also found the role Wilson Cruz character played a bit too affected for my taste and this film does have the feeling of a "stretched" short , hey everybody wants to make money :)
Review by jaybanx
By: jaybanx
From the beginning of this low budget film to the end, this comedy certainly delivers on the wit. If you can handle some badly delivered lines and screwing lighting, you'll find this movie much more charming and much funnier than some of the mainstre...
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From the beginning of this low budget film to the end, this comedy certainly delivers on the wit. If you can handle some badly delivered lines and screwing lighting, you'll find this movie much more charming and much funnier than some of the mainstream movies in theatres today. Better than anything Adam Sandler is shovelling out.
Review by Luis Rolando
By: Luis Rolando
If I could ask writer/director Stewart Wade one thing, it'd be: What were you smoking when you thought it'd be a good idea to cast this person as the lead of your movie? Mr. Bray bears the same facial expression on the DVD cover that he does in the e...
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If I could ask writer/director Stewart Wade one thing, it'd be: What were you smoking when you thought it'd be a good idea to cast this person as the lead of your movie? Mr. Bray bears the same facial expression on the DVD cover that he does in the entire movie. He lacks both screen presence and charisma, which is a shame when you're sharing screen time with the delightful Wilson Cruz. Jonathan Silverman echoes bad memories of his Weekend At Bernie's days, while the fabulous Elaine Hendrix wastes her talents. This is one coffee date you can add to your "stood up" pile.
Review by Musss7
By: Musss7
This movie actually reminds me of Eating Out. The story and the jokes in both of the movies are somehow just like the same. But don't worry because Coffee Date has its own way of presenting the story. And the actors also are not the same. But both f...
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This movie actually reminds me of Eating Out. The story and the jokes in both of the movies are somehow just like the same. But don't worry because Coffee Date has its own way of presenting the story. And the actors also are not the same. But both films are really really funny... and sometimes touching too. This one is a good entertainment for the weekend!
Review by gayplaywright
By: gayplaywright
I bought COFFEE DATE because a year or so ago I saw a 15 minute film short on which this full length treatment was based. The idea worked well as a short but - except for Wilson Cruz's performance - I felt really let down by the extra 78 minutes wort...
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I bought COFFEE DATE because a year or so ago I saw a 15 minute film short on which this full length treatment was based. The idea worked well as a short but - except for Wilson Cruz's performance - I felt really let down by the extra 78 minutes worth of "padding" added to what had been a cute story. The "straight" protagonist isn't believable and lacks any sense of humor, his brother is rather over-the-top and their icky mother exemplifies obtuseness in the guise of being "lovable."
Wilson Cruz fans will like this - he's the saving grace. Otherwise find the short film and watch that instead. It actually "works."
Review by Madrigaal
By: Madrigaal
I got to see this one at my local art house. I really enjoyed this film, primarily because it struck so close to home for my best friend.
He's straight, but not according to his Mother. Having me for a best friend and moving in with me pro...
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I got to see this one at my local art house. I really enjoyed this film, primarily because it struck so close to home for my best friend.
He's straight, but not according to his Mother. Having me for a best friend and moving in with me probably doesn't help, nor does the crud he says to her (to provoke her and push her buttons).
The thing is, he never lies. He just tells her true stuff that she then takes to its illogical extreme which is her want and lets her spin. But he's really used to folks assuming he's my boyfriend.
This film really loves to play against expectations. But in the final analysis it is what it is. A character study and a buddy flick.
Really fun.
Wilson Cruz is so hott he blots out any memory of My So-Called Life. I would have liked a guy in the lead role who was a bit more believable as someone who might be gay. But he did a great job of portraying the conflicting emotions.
Worth a purchase.