those men in "Friends With Money" (questions..)

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/18/06 at 12:14pm

SPOILER: Anyone else see the charming "Friends with Money" --mostly about the great quartet of gals -- and come away with a few questions about the fascinating friendship that develops (and gets separate screen time) between the McDormand husband, Simon McBurney, and the other LA married, uh, metrosexual? On the way out, at the AMC complex on 42nd st, a group of gay college-aged men were argued vociferously about whether the husband's new pal was gay. Most said they assumed he was, therein lay the tale and the character's tail, but the McBurney character was not. It got heated. It got almost political. I just listened on that long escalator ride down to the rainy street.

This tiny little subplot in this film really does bring up many fascinating questions about men, the current obsession with gay/straight overlap in social habits, etc. Even the McBurney character's interestingt comfort zones about his own pansexual demeanor struck me as a worthy topic.

And now that Jack and Ennis are so last year, let the dialogue begin. The movie opens wider on Friday.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 4/18/06 at 3:39pm

Both characters are gay.

I work with a married gay man, and he can't deal with being gay so he married a (kind of butchy) woman and had a son. But he will talk to me about Rita Hayworth's hair and dresses in Gilda. Hello? Talk about a tree growing out of his head.

By the way, "Other Aaron" is played by Ty Burrell who is currently the lead in Show People at Second Stage, NYC. He needs to lose his clothes...and often.

And this 'metrosexual' fad? Here's how I figure that. If the guy doesn't wear a Speedo he's not a metro no matter how cool he thinks he is. If he's not comfortable with his own body, what is he comfortable with?

But no, I never have strong opinions about anything....

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/18/06 at 10:23pm

I'm with you on this one. Had the same reaction and obviously here sought validation, vendication. I'm intrigued that the film presents the men -- at least to some women in the audience -- as if they are 100% straight. "Sensitive."

And not a single reviewer has noted the irony of this film's release in post-BROKEBACK America.

It opens wide Friday -- like Simon McBurney must have after the "movie date." (What about that whole sequence)

[WOSQ]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 9:31am

Let's bump this up since it breaks wide today.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 8:02pm

I went again today, with two friends, and the same conversation engaged us for 30 minutes. Posters, take it away.

A 2nd viewing only gave me more investment in this film. It's really lovely, almost Woody Allen at his best.