Is It Just Me? (2010)

Look, this isn't a terrible film by any means. It has a few comedic and touching moments and if eye candy is your thing then it definitely delivers in that respect. But it offers nothing that anyone, whatever their orientation, hasn't seen before. It's packed to the brim with stereotypes and you see every single one of them coming from a mile away.Blaine - the nice, attractive, intelligent guy next door that no one in over-sexed, superficial L.A seems to want - falls for Xander, the new-in-town country cutie. As with all rom-coms a misunderstanding occurs, in this case Xander thinks that Blaine is really Cameron, Blaine's promiscuous go-go boy roommate, because when they met online there was a mix-up with the pictures, yadda yadda. Instead of doing what both his hag bestie and somehow-smarter-than-the-smartest-guy-in-the-room roommate advise, Blaine decides to pretend to be Cameron when he finally meets Xander in person and thus ensues what's supposed to be a comedy of errors but lacks any of the charm or actual humor of such. Throw in the old queen, complete with tiny toy dog, and the mildly homophobic "you people" boss and that's the film.I can't say what makes this film watchable. It's unremarkable and I'm going to forget it as soon as I post this review. But I suppose the fact that no one truly got on my nerves and I merely wanted to shake some sense into Blaine instead of the more volatile reactions films/characters like this usually stir within me means that it was at least tolerable. It's definitely not the worst of its kind out there.

After seeing only a few brief clips of this movie last month, I managed to obtain the DVD. Once I sat down, I found that I could not take a break even to use the bathroom. I was afraid I'd miss something in the dialogue. All three of the lead characters had his own positives and negatives (as we all do!). All of them were very handsome, articulate and each actor brought something different to the party depending on their filtered perspective on gay life. For the physique worshipers there is plenty of beefcake in various stages of being clothed (or unclothed). I was laughing out loud (and at one point almost fell out of my chair) at some of the lines that Ernie (Bruce Gray) delivered in his typical deadpan manner. He was so refreshing with his direct, yet politically correct honesty, such as his line: "the walk of shame". In some respects, he kind of "stole the scene" he was in at the moment. It was also an interesting twist that Blaine was confiding in a young female. Most gay men have a male buddy whom they confide in, but this added a feminine touch which tended to balance out all of that male testosterone. J. C. Calciano has come up with a very touching, sensitive and good "fuzzy feeling" movie. Nicely done!This film is most definitely on my short list of great gay movies! The "tear-jerk" ending made it all worth while.

I was really rooting for this one--the "gay rom-com" can be a wonderful thing that indulges one's fantasies and even conveys a truth or two. There is still much territory to be mined in stories about dating in the digital age, life in big cities, coming of age as a gay man in a more tolerant society, the relationships between gay men and women and young gay men and their elders, but I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for those stories. Here we have a fantasy that is so far from reality that it's not fun for the viewer, shaking his head in disbelief. It's as if the author of the film wants to have his cake and eat it without so much as a glance into a cookbook to see how much actual work cake-baking requires to get such pleasant results.First the "one note joke" of the film, that two people who have had at least 2 nights of intimate phone calls (although, other than phone sex, it appears all they do is say, "I like that TOO!") would not pick up right away that a mistake has been made when they meet, just doesn't work. This concept would be perfect for a short film or sitcom (specifically Three's Company) but is a tough one to sustain for 90 minutes. Because all it would take is one or two sentences to clear up the whole mess (and end the movie), and because no one SAYS those sentences, we are left believing our protagonists are stupid people, and it's difficult to enjoy the process of their discovery or even like them (despite being portrayed by guys who are handsome and not bad actors--you can't blame them for some of the wince-inducing dialog). I looked at my watch halfway through the film with disbelief...the "reveal" (that even a 4 year old could see coming--would anyone rent a movie like this to NOT see the heros get together eventually?) was going to be delayed for another 45 minutes? Yes.Second, the world of this film is curious to the point of drawing one out of the movie. I know the coffee shop where some of the action takes place, and the magazine that is highlighted, which would seem to indicate the film takes place in West Hollywood...if so, it's an alternate universe where everyone is white, under 30, gay or gay-friendly. One of the bars looks suspiciously like a set built in someone's garage (we only see 2 walls of it). No one really seems to work...do these people have hobbies? What do they do all day when they aren't involved in our protagonist finding or not finding the man of his dreams? How do they know each other? Why do they CARE about each other? The women we encounter are by and large fag hags who exist only to comfort or antagonize their gay companions (the one whose only personality trait is having sex with a riding crop in particular). There is one man who appears to be (gasp!) over 50 and he is treated, as is often the case in films but not real life, like some wise sage, a knowing gay Gandalf who again exists for no other purpose than to support the young heroes. Meanwhile, his sudden, and constant, intrusions into his hot young ward's life are creepy and borderline criminal. Bruce Gray delivers some fun quips but was clearly not "directed," though he seems to do his best. Meanwhile--what if the old man and the young kid had found something in common? Or if Xander had turned out to be ugly or of some ethnic persuasion Blaine found initially distasteful? Now there are some challenges. Well he SAID he was in love with the PERSON didn't he? But mostly I found the central conceit of the film the hardest to swallow...Blaine, like most love-sick protagonists in rom-com films, is supposed to be a sort of undiscovered Cinderella: if only a guy would show up in his life everything would be better. This fallacy is the essence of good rom-coms of course, but ignores the truth, which is that a "good" relationship is born out of trust and develops gradually over time. In the same way that a person with little experience would see older gay men only as quippy, neutered fairies, gal-pals as emotional tampons and go-go boys as hot-pantsed (it's not a "g-string" btw) older brothers, one might look at a "good relationship" between two people as something built on a couple great phone calls and attractive looks. Oh, if only.What has Blaine offered? What has changed about him by the end of the film? He got everything he wanted and didn't have to do anything but admit he made a mistake that was so foolish and ill-conceived it would be a deal-breaker even for someone desperate, let alone a perfect knight in shining cowboy suit (at least until he sneaks into Blaine's apartment to "sing"...well, to each his own--frankly I might have called the cops). People who say they want to take long walks on the beach with someone should try taking one themselves first--it can be really nice, and then when you do have someone you can share your location with them. People who say they want to cuddle in bed on Sunday with someone ought to be made aware that sometimes people don't smell that good first thing in the morning, but if you care about them you get over it.Well, again--this isn't reality, it's fantasy, and for all its faults the film looked pretty good for a micro-budget, had many cute moments, and I thought about it enough to warrant writing something on IMDb about it. I hope for many more films that try to tackle the issues of this one, and I hope they succeed in the attempt where this one failed.

This one pleasantly surprised me. I am a sucker for the romance films especially when the characters are honest, capable of showing true tenderness, even though they are acting. And this film did not disappoint. Along the lines and similar to the 'Eating Out' series of films, with the sweetness of 'Latter- Days', this film was fun and a pleasant treat.I really liked how Blaine (Nicholas Downs) played his role. His acting was amazing and refreshing. Full of heart and soul I fell in love with him at the start of the film and he carried me through to the end.And then there was Xander (David Loren) This is the first time I have seen him on camera and he captured my heart as well. Besides being incredibly cute with the sexiest accent, this kid can act! Wow, he really played his character with such honesty.These two were truly exceptional and amazing actors. Not discounting the other characters. This film had just the right amount of sexy and sweet. Blaine's roommate is gorgeous!If you are into romance with a comical edge, you must see this film!And if you happen to be alone single dreamer, hoping, wishing for that first or next love, may this film help you see that true love is not about who you are, what you look like, but what's inside that counts.