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Film
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Coffee Date
Fleshed out from a 2001 short about a disastrous Internet date, this charming comedy heralds a happy new day in the world indie gay cinema.
Friday, November 10, 2006 at 4:30 PM
By Anderson Jones
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Rebecca Sapp/WireImage.com
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Writer-director Stewart Wade at the most recent Outfest
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Coffee Date could be the country's next pop culture sensation. It won't be easy. It'll take a lot of work. But Date might usher in a whole new cinema trend: the gay romantic comedy.
It’s ultra low-budget, a little kitschy (Sally Kirkland has a big supporting role) and mixes in a credible actor or two (My So-Called Life's Wilson Cruz and the reliable Jonathan Silverman), all which should appeal to both cinephiles and gay movie fans. I mean, even Deborah Gibson shows up.
Still, Coffee Date probably won't be seen by very many people this weekend. It’s an art house release, in the shadow of Borat and Bond, but its life on DVD could be epic.
I know what you're thinking… Wasn't In & Out a romantic comedy? And what about that cowboy movie? Well, although lots of real-life cowboys are queer, most romantic comedies with gay characters are straight love stories with a mistaken identity twist, big reveal (the main's character's not gay, after all!), or they're just sucky (see Adam & Steve; no, on second though, don't).
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Rebecca Sapp/WireImage.com
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Co-stars Silverman, Kirkland
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Coffee Date has a chance to seep into the American consciousness because of writer-director Stewart Wade's accessible and familiar story. Todd (Jonathan Bray) is a tall, thirtysomething, decent-looking successful metrosexual, who lives with his brother Barry (Silverman). The only reason we know he's a metrosexual is because this is L.A., where he keeps his apartment neat and is desperately single.
His brother's a freeloader and kind of mean. Barry knows Todd's using the Internet to date, so he lists Todd's profile on a gay-dating site and gets a bite. Todd begins emailing with Kelly (Cruz) and the pair set a date. It's a risky prank that really wouldn't work if Kelly was named, say, Bob, or if this weren't a movie. Usually, once the guy finds out he's on a gay dating site, the comedy stops. Here, it, well, ensues.
When Kelly and Todd meet, it's not love but it is something. Both guys have a lot in common and after a bumpy introduction they decide to chuck their romantic notions and see a movie. Soon, they're hanging out and emailing every single day. Kelly and his roommate, the terrifically bitchy Elaine Hendrix, think they know what this means: Todd's looking for an opportunity to come out.
Todd's boss, the nosy and dependably funny and subtle Jason Stuart, also decides that this is at the root of Todd’s strange behavior. It's obvious… Todd has a secret. But what is it?
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Rebecca Sapp/WireImage.com
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Cutie Wilson Cruz
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Others notice as well. Todd's brother knows he's been hanging out with this Kelly person he met online. And because Barry knows it's a man, he calls in reinforcements - their mother (Kirkland). She's, um, from a Red State.
Then there's the hot girl in the office (Gibson), the one with the inappropriate skirts, who also picks up on Todd's newly revealed confidence while he's spending time with Kelly. Like a shark sniffing blood in the water, she knows somebody's happy with Todd and she must destroy it.
Male friendship is a funny thing. It's easy when you're meeting friends in school or on the football team, but it gets considerably harder (no pun intended) in college and beyond, because there's no infrastructure for it in our culture. If you're not at war with a fellow GI in a foxhole, then you're supposed to be at war with him at the office angling for a promotion, a raise or the hot girl with the inappropriate skirts.
Men aren't supposed to want friends, court friends or even return phone calls. But, obviously, there's emptiness there. Coffee Date's really an examination of that, which should resonate beyond the few urban centers where the movie will play.
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Barry King/WireImage.com
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Chanteuse Deborah Gibson
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Or, put another way, go to any straight dude's apartment and check out his DVD collection (ladies, this is an excellent way to determine ambiguous sexuality). Almost always you'll find The Shawshank Redemption, the ultimate story about friendship. If he's straight, you'll also find Braveheart, but that's another thing altogether.
Men crave a connection to men in their lives and particularly enjoy hearty, heterosexual partners, hence Shawshank and genres like westerns, war movies, the Lethal Weapon series and perhaps even Bobby's Song. The only thing Todd needs in his life is a best friend.
He doesn't really need a girlfriend or boyfriend, just somebody to see movies with on occasion besides his blockhead brother.
Because he's never had a really good friend before, he mistakes his rising serotonin levels for love, which leads him into ridiculous situations. After hanging out with the girls at work, Todd finds himself in an intense make-out session with Gibson, but she wants to go all the way with a gay guy or at least someone who has layers.
This leads Todd to Kelly's bed, a half bottle of Jack Daniels and some sort of "experience." I would have preferred a long talk into the night on top of the covers - not under. Seducing vulnerable, drunk, straight guys isn't the best PR for gays.
Guys who seek emotional, substantial relationships with other dudes aren't all metrosexual, bi, or just gay enough. They’re a diverse bunch who make up half the moviegoing audience.
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