Directed by Jim Fall
Written by Jason Schafer
Starring Christian Campbell, J.P. Pitoc, Tori Spelling,
Steve Hayes, Clinton Leupp
Rated R, 89 minutes. (1999)
While it's becoming less astonishing to see a movie where
a character's homosexuality is a matter of course instead
of a PROBLEM to be dealt with, it is a pleasant surprise to
find one that replaces angst with so much fun, affection and
humor. Trick manages this with charm to spare, and
in ways that consistently upend the audience's expectations
about roles, situations and stereotypes, sexual and otherwise.
Trick is the story of Gabriel (Christian Campbell),
an aspiring musical theater composer and nice, but lonely,
guy. The film follows his frustrated attempts to find a place,
and a little time, so he and the hunky go-go boy he's just
met (J.P. Pitoc) can let lust have its holiday. The stuff
of countless teen flicks, albeit with the sexuality slightly
altered, you might fear. But the film's balancing act is to
make the situation more touching, and more revealing, even
as the comedy, with its farcical roadblocks to satisfaction,
gets wilder.
These roadblocks include Christian's straight, womanizing
roommate (Brad Beyer), who demands their tiny shared apartment
for his own fun and games; Christian's friend Perry (Steve
Hayes), a middle-aged gay man masking the pain of a recent
breakup with the cocktail of cabaret singing; and a bitter
drag queen (Clinton Leupp) who sows the seeds of doubt in
Christian about Mark's true nature.
Funniest and most frustrating of all is Christian's friend
Katharine, played by "Beverly Hills 90210"'s Tori
Spelling. Who knew she could be so un-self-consciously funny
as a woman who tries just a little too hard at everything,
from her acting to her friendships to the way she eats a french
fry?
While the characters might sound stereotypical, the cast,
and director Jim Fall, let us see more about these people
than they may even be aware of themselves. Most important,
love is given its due in a way that many mainstream, heterosexual
romances seem to have abandoned.
In addition, Campbell and Pitoc are both finds as the central
couple. Campbell makes Gabriel's embarrassment and annoyance
lovable instead of whiny, while Pitoc seems to shed his character's
masks as easily as the clothes he shucks as a go-go boy. Go
ahead, treat yourself to a Trick.
(This article originally appeared in Films in Review, www.filmsinreview.com)
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