I Do

By: Carol Coombes
In-House Review - Jul 10 2013

Seven years after the tragic death of his brother, Jack (David W. Ross) has been consumed with raising his young niece with his sister-in-law Mya (indie actress Alicia Witt). When the renewal of his work visa is denied, deportation to his native England seems imminent.

The quick solution is a duplicitous marriage to his best friend Ali (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) to secure his green card. Mindful of immigration and custom enforcement (ICE) questioning, Ali moves into Jack's apartment. When he falls head-over-heels in love with Mano (Maurice Compte), a sexy Latino-American architect, tensions bubble to the surface between Ali and Jack.

Prodded by her ex-girlfriend, Ali grows increasingly bitter about the arrangement she has entered into with Jack. She has every right to be mindful of the discriminatory laws when ICE officials storm into their apartment and Jack is nowhere to be found. Tough grilling by federal authorities settles it for Ali. She's had enough and soon files for divorce from Jack.

As Jack searches for a new wife, the situation becomes even more challenging when Mano must return to Spain for a family crisis and Jack is to make a heart-breaking choice in order to live his life.

Timely and complex, this brilliantly structured family drama from director Glenn Gaylord cleverly dramatizes the choices same-sex bi-national couples have to make. In the absence of federally recognized marriage equality for LGBT people living in America, how far would you go for love?

By: NightTim

I don't know how anyone can be a talented screenwriter, producer, and actor, and also be handsome and have a hot body (which we get to enjoy in plenty of shirtless and nude scenes) - seems like some people get more than their share when the chits are - but David W. Ross scored big with this project. This is a real family and love story drama that is so fraught with difficulty that it's uncomfortable to watch, although there is a good balance of tension and comedic and touching moments. It might get a teeny bit preachy (and we're the choir) in the scenes when Jack is being counseled, but otherwise, no complaints. The acting is solid on every character's part, the story line is filled with real-life complications, the complex relationships are believable, the production values are high. We even get a bittersweet ending. This is a very good film that brings to life a very current and real issue. Three and a half (out of four) stars.

By: gayfilmboi

the film starts off with the usual tragic ending of someone within the lead characters life like so many films have before and then fast forwards time to where the story is centred. This story is so much more about love and family but is about the troubles of same sex love and the difficulties in being counted as equal when the law tries to stop you living happily ever after. When I brought this film I didn't have much hope like I usually don't with a lot of other gay films due to their amateurish styles in storytelling but this film and story goes so far beyond that and had me engrossed from the first scene. This film should be in everyone's film collection and I cant wait to see more from David W. Ross

By: Grady

It is refreshing to discover a little film that deals with important issues and respects those issues to the point of avoiding cliché and parody. I DO was written, produced and stars the very talented (and handsome and hunky) David W. Ross who has composed a story that deals with the now newsworthy attention on Proposition 8, the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), immigration issues, and the spectrum of the gay community, and from these poignant issues he delivers a touching, humorous, tart, and ultimately deeply moving film.

Jack Edwards (David W. Ross) was born in England but came to America to study Photography and is successful in his art but lacks a significant other: we get the message that he has transient affairs with men who disappoint him. We meet Jack in a restaurant where he is joining his brother Peter (Grant Bowler) and his wife Mya (Alicia Witt) to hear that Mya is expecting. The happy trio leaves the restaurant and in hailing a cab, Jack drops his wallet and when Peter attempts to find it Peter is killed by an oncoming car. Devastated, Jack assumes Peter's role with Mya and when her daughter Tara (Jessica Tyler Brown) is born, Uncle Jack helps Mya raise her (Mya is in Nursing School and needs supportive assistance). The relationship is warm and each of the three enjoys each other's presence - young Tara is utterly accepting of Uncle Jack's being gay - a fine lesson for all adults...

Jack is notified that his Visa is expiring and he must return to England unless he can find a way to attain a Green Card. A very fine councilor, Gloria (Patricia Belcher) is strict and warns Jack that unless he finds a way to stay he will be deported. The idea of getting married as a means of obtaining a Green Card is raised and Jack's close friend, the lesbian Ali Federman (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) has just been dumped by her lover Christina (Ashleigh Sumner), and agrees to marry Jack to support his staying in the US. Meanwhile Jack, who usually has one night stands with such hunks as young Craig (Mike C. Manning), meets an architect from Spain, Mano Alfaro (Maurice Compte) and the two share many traits and philosophies as well as a powerful physical attraction and they become a couple. Feeling abandoned by her soul mate, Ali decides to ask for a divorce and this creates a real crisis that must be solved. But in the end the need for real love and for family and for meaning brings this beautiful story to a meaningful end.
The cast is exceptionally fine - without exception (little Jessica Tyler Brown at times steals the show but that is due to the brilliant lines Ross has given her) - and the cameo role by Mickey Cottrell as Sam, Jack's mentor in Photography and dear friend, is particularly meaningful to the story. But one of the most important aspects of the film is the very positive light that it sheds on equality of people - gay and straight - and how that honest depiction of people of all sexual persuasions can and do live bonded by the importance of the family of man. Highly recommended.

By: Amos Lassen

Jack Edwards (David W. Ross) is British and he lives in New York City as does his brother, Peter and wife, Mya (Alicia Witt). On the night that he meets Peter and Mya for dinner, he learns that they are going to be parents soon and Jack will be the "gay uncle". That same night as they prepare to go home from dinner, Peter is killed by a passing automobile and the characters' world immediately changes. Glenn Gaylord skillfully mixes tragedy, comedy, drama and intimacy to bring us a film filled with complications which cause people to act in ways they may never have considered. It is also a look at marriage equality which affects not only gay couples who wish to marry but everyone in the film to some degree. What I think is the beauty of this film is that it is not just about Jack and what he faces when his work visa expires but the anxieties many of us face almost daily. We could have had a very heavy movie about the lack of marriage equality in this country but instead we see how one man trying to figure his future out and how that concerns almost everyone in the film.
When Jack is told that his visa will not be renewed, he marries his lesbian best friend so that he can stay in America. It doesn't quite work out to the way he had things planned and when he meets the guy who is the love of his life, he is into making some very difficult choices. The film is wonderfully balanced between politics and humanity. The director's own feelings about the policies of our government regarding same-sex marriage can be seen by the way Jack, the gay Brit, explores the possibilities of how to stay in America and so we also get a look at our government's policy on immigration, to a degree.
Jack has stayed around to help his sister-in-law raise Tara, his niece and I think it is fair to say that he was suffering from a sense of guilt. After all, he was there the night his brother was killed and to understand what I mean when I say a sense of guilt, you will understand once you see the film.
When his visa is not renewed, Jack marries his best friend, a lesbian named Ali (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) so that he can stay in this country with the only family he has now that his brother has joined his parents in death. Ali is what many refer to as a "lipstick lesbian" or as we learn in the film, a "gold star lesbian" and everything was going fine until we meet Mano Alfaro (Maurice Compte), a good looking and intelligent Spaniard who steals Jack's heart. As he pursued Mano, Jack neglected his responsibilities to Ali and she gets a visit from Immigration when Jack is at Mano's place. Of course it is only right to ask why did Jack not marry Mano from the get-go since same-sex marriage is legal in New York State.
Gaylord shows us the complications that are caused by the lack of equality at the same time as we enjoy a well made film. We allow our emotions to be played with and we really have no idea how everything will end up. This is a strong film that while is about an issue of importance to the LGBT community, it can certainly cross over to all kinds of audiences. While much of the film is simple, it is not the kind of film that is easily forgotten.

Jack's story pulls us in and we feel as if we are standing beside him as he tries to find happiness and love. The screenplay was also written by David Ross and it is passionate and important as it deals with love and its equality. While the overall premise is a justification for same-sex marriage, this is not handled as an issue to be shoved down our throats. Even though the film is pro gay marriage, we still are free to arrive at our own conclusions about it. I first saw it at the Boston LGBT Film Festival this year and was very impressed. Then I received a screener for review and was able to watch it slowly and replay parts and I am totally impressed by it. This is one film that will sit on my "Best" list for a very long time.