Partner(s) (2005)

Dave (Jay Harrington) and Katherine (Julie Bowen) are rivals for the one partner opening at a successful law firm. Dave is smart and scrupulous while Katherine is as despicable and conniving as they make them. One day, Dave is specifically asked to handle a discrimination case and he jumps at the chance. With such a high profile, the case will surely enhance his chances to make partner. He is beaming until he learns why he was selected! It seems the client believes him to be gay and, thus, best suited to handle the suit in question, a gay, work-related discrimination case. But, Dave is straight, having eyes only for women. Yet, if he refuses the assignment, Katherine is certain to take over. Therefore, Dave decides to play the role of a gay man. Things get complicated when a beautiful woman named Lucy (Brooke Langton), the defendant's daughter, garners Dave's affections. Can Dave win the case quickly, so he can declare his love for Lucy? This is a funny and romantic film but its gay themes make it a touchy one for some viewers. How does one "act gay" without playing a stereotype, for starters. And, is the resulting depiction something to be laughed over, at all? Everyone loves a case of mistaken identity, its true, but this plot seems guaranteed to offend the audience at some point. On the other hand, Harrington is really quite wonderful as the sensitive lawyer and Bowen has her she-devil role down pat. Langton and the other cast members give nice performances, too. Then, too, the costumes are very fine, as are the settings and production values. If you adore funny tales of love, you should probably take a chance with this one, as Hollywood can not seem to churn them out fast enough for the true romcom fan. But, if you are looking for a movie that will suit a wider audience, you might want to try While You Were Sleeping or Return to Me instead.

The thing that struck me most about Partner(s), aside from the fact that it's funny and romantic and features a talented and attractive cast, is "how far we've come." By this I mean that only a few years ago one would have expected a film about a straight man who (for various plot reasons) must pretend to be gay, to have featured offensive gay stereotypes and homophobic comments/reactions by at least some of the characters, none of which is present in this delightful and charming film. Dave's roommate and best friend is a gay man; when Dave "comes out," he is accepted by co-workers and family; he doesn't try to or feel the need to "act" gay; and finally, Dave himself seems to feel no embarrassment or shame in telling people he's gay. In fact, the only reason he wants to come out as straight is because he's falling in love with a woman and pretending to be gay gets in the way. There's a funny subplot involving two male co-workers that plays with straight males' discomfort with "gay stuff," and hints that these two supposedly straight guys may be protesting a bit too much. Though at heart a boy-girl romance, Partner(s) does deal intelligently with issues of coming out to parents, gay sex roles, gay men involved in dishonest relationships with women, etc. The cast is made up of very talented and photogenic mostly TV actors, and though most likely low budget, has very much a big movie feel. If I have one complaint, it's that this is one movie which would have worked better with openly gay actors cast in the gay roles. Since Partner(s) is about a straight man pretending to be gay, the film loses some effectiveness because (with the exception of out actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, who has only a bit part) *all* the actors in gay roles seem to be straight men pretending to be gay, and to tell the truth, I didn't buy any of them as gay (especially Sean McGowan and Bru Miller as Michael Ian Black's gay friends, who registered zero on my gaydar). But other than that, a film which straight and gay people can enjoy equally, and a must see for straight men who could do with a bit more contact with "the gays."

I rented this film at a friend's suggestion and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I was anticipating a variation on the "fake gay-fish-out-of-water" theme where a character has to (allegedly hilariously) pretend to be gay for some reason. That is not at all what this film is about. Yes, the lead is mistaken as gay, but he does not suddenly change and act differently, it is the views of others around him that change, which makes the film much more interesting. Not to say that the film makes any huge social commentary, but it also does not portray gays as "others" which was refreshing. At its heart, this simply a well made, funny, heterosexual romantic comedy which has a gay plot which is respectful to people of all sexual orientations. Some may find it a bit light in tone and heft, but I found it exactly correct for a romantic comedy. And best of all, it was actually both funny and romantic.

Just watched this again, I liked it even better this time. I am a lawyer and that subplot was portrayed correctly, but this was really just a standard romantic comedy, although funnier than most. The acting was excellent, including the supporting characters. I don't think this was ever released in theaters but I see it was on TV, it looks a lot more professionally made than many other independent films I have seen and in some places is quite beautiful. There are some really funny moments that are unrelated to the love story, and there are some tender moments that were well-written and well-acted. The movie seems a bit short at 90 minutes, but I prefer that to a movie that is padded or has a lot of boring exposition.