arizona-philm-phan I'll admit that on first watching I was mightily disappointed, particularly in view of what I consider C. Jay Cox's much better, gay-related work, "Latter Days." However, repeat viewings of "Bride" have resulted in my initial impression taking on a somewhat more positive spin, as you may gather from other of my comments, below. In this work it seems the director and writer are trying to tell.....no, make that show.....us that sexual preference (if not also orientation), is not just a black or white, a yes or no thing; rather it's a continuum and can change over time. Still, even if you consider that theme to be well handled, in no way does this production come close to achieving/maintaining the high interest levels being attained by that other recent gay film, "Shelter" directed by newcomer Jonah Markowitz.}If by now you're wondering, this movie......if it's anything......is a "seriocomedy." It is NOT a gay romance (although at an earlier, teenage time in our two male leads' lives, there might have been the beginning spark of romance----no, come to think of it, even then it was more likely to have been just youthful lust). So, with that out of the way, you might ask how this production works as a semi-serious comedy. On this, all I can say is that in such a genre, comic timing is everything, and I suspect that comedy performance has not been the background of either of our male leads (but older, supporting cast members Tess Harper and Robert Foxworth keep the chuckles coming fairly reliably). Karner / O'Shea almost get it on the button at times.......but a successful comedy needs more than "almost" when it comes to timing. Still, what Philipp Karner (Matt) does do well is deliver sincerity---and you're going to like him for that. And then there's James O'Shea (Ryan), who effectively gives us a "confused sweetness"---you'll fall for that as well. Oh, yes, and he also "puts out" for us in the form of a good looking face and an excellent body (and er, ahem, that includes a great ass and a nice package---more than enough there to have shared with a Karner, who could stand a "boost" in those departments). As for Spelling, I'm not a "Tori-fan," but she does come across as miles better here than she was in another gay film, "Trick." Along with secondary character actress Amber Benson, we also have Steve Sandvoss, and both are "carryovers" from "Latter Days." Sandvoss' character and a "buddy," played by Michael Medico, are given fairly frightful parts in the opinion of this viewer. Even so, it's too bad that whoever put together/approved the Cast List for the film's Closing Credits didn't know enough to realize they'd gotten these two player's character names reversed (that must make one feel good as an actor).One last point, for those of you who might keep up with such things: Karner does get from O'Shea a lot better lip-locks (both in quality and number) than does Spelling. How about them apples?PS--This DVD won't get tossed out in the trash (as some have been)----but it's hardly likely to make it onto this viewer's "Addictive" list*** either.***Other films which are habit formers: "Just a Question of Love" / "Brokeback Mountain" / "Boy Culture" / "All Over the Guy" / "Second Skin (Unrated Version)" / "The Man I Love" / "The Man of My Life" (maybe for older viewers) / "Oh Happy Day" (you just gotta take in this one) / "Fashion Victims" (only if you've got a Region 2 DVD player)****

suavejock2 What can I say? This was one awful movie to watch. I am normally not very critical of gay cinema in general, due to the fact that most are usually low-budget, but this really pushed me up the wall. I mean, is this was has happened to gay cinema? Haven't gay producers and directors learned anything from Gus Van Saints and Ang Lee's films?. Just having to sit through the entire movie was like being in a dentist's chair and having my wisdom teeth extracted. I kept on praying for moments where I would feel any sort of connection with any of the characters, but that never happened. Most of the characters performances were just not very convincing. It was like watching one of those badly produced made-for-TV movie specials on a local access TV stations. I cannot tell u how greatly disappointed It was seeing this film after being a big fan of Tori Spellings other works and the directors last work on "Latter day saints." It was definitely not worth the wait. Definitely, a few hours of my life I will never get back and will certainly not be purchasing it on DVD.

JakeWestern This was enjoyable, if not exactly a "feature" - it looked like it was shot for TV (especially the toaster graphics for the opening credits!). I thought the script was good, but the direction was very uninteresting and static (C. Jay Cox, whose script for "Latter Days" wasn't this strong but who did well with "Sweet Home Alabama", fumbled the ball behind the camera). The acting was uniformly strong among the supporting cast and two of the three leads were quite good. Pleasant surprise? Tori Spelling was among those two. She didn't play too broad and achieved some real moments of emotional connection to her character that made you feel for Alex.In the end, it's the small things that work best in this movie - the little human moments between characters outside of the craziness a romantic comedies conventions demand. The script could have used a polish, but overall this is an enjoyable movie that I'd be happy to catch on cable again in the future.

blackheart-3 so i watched this last night at a film festival and i wasn't quite sure what to expect. i've never been wowed by anything Here! network so i had my reservations. and the plot early off sounds like a "my best friends wedding" remake, and while the similarities are striking, there is such a twist to the story.the actors work well with each other, especially amber benson and jane cho who both have small but memorable characters.what most impressed me was how the plot would so often veer towards a predictable movie moment, and either a twist was put in, or a re-interpretation of the situation that kept it fresh. (like when alex finally finds out...). while a few critics have written it off as too light and unbelievable, i really think this is one of the better gay movies i have seen recently.