From Zero To I Love You

By: TKNJ

By: Amos Lassen

"FROM ZERO TO I LOVE YOU"

Loving Married Men

Amos Lassen

Pete (Daryl Stephens) is a successful copywriter in Philadelphia who loves dating married men. who happen to be married to women. His latest love affair is with Jack Dickinson (Scott Bailey) who has a successful marriage with a big house in the country, an art gallery-owning wife (Keili Lefkovitz), and two adorable children but he still enjoys an occasional visit to a gay bar to look for a man.

When he met Pete, he thought it would be just about sex but something inside of both men clicked and they found themselves wanting more. Jack is both conflicted and closeted and this latest meeting sends him to see a therapist where he insists that he is not gay (or bisexual) and he loves his wife and family and the second part of this is quite probably true but like Jack, we are not convinced that he is not gay. Pete gets strong talk from his father who accepts his sexuality but not his son being a homewrecker (once again).

Jack announces that he will now leave his wife and Pete confesses that he has started seeing someone else and that he wants to give the new man a chance to see where their relationship is heading. Neither man argues with the other, and they go their separate ways. Jack goes back to his wife who he gets pregnant again, and Pete moves in with his wealthy trust fund new boyfriend and their very gayly furnished apartment. They have made their beds and now they must in them, which they do for a while until they change course again.

Doug Spearman's script and direction allows the men's relationships to develop naturally without a hint of melodrama. There are no moral judgements here in the witnessing of these two men falling in love despite the upsetting effects this may have on others. The lack of demons in the whole piece makes for a refreshing change. Jack's conflict about coming to terms with his sexuality quite late in life is intelligently, honestly and authentically handled. Why this film work so well, I believe is because of the chemistry of the actors who are really excellent as they sizzle together.

By: Timpee