RyothChatty ridiculous rating

Micransix Crappy film

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

johnyoungda Having dated a conflicted Christian like Brady, this film hits all the right notes for me. It's a very realistic portrayal of a very real problem for many gay people. The film could easily have collapsed into a preachy mode but, instead, the writer exhibits remarkable restraint and just lets the facts speak for themselves. Some have commented they wanted a different ending, but I think this one is more credible than changing either Brady or his mom. These people are who they are. Additional kudos for being highly cinematic -- a rarity in indie films, which tend to have more dialog than a radio drama. The score is hauntingly beautiful and appropriately romantic -- a nice compliment to the setting. In retrospect, there were a lot of waves, flowers and beach scenes, but on my first viewing of the film, it never seemed like padding to me. Brady had some heavy thinking to do at those moments, and the film needed to pause to let the audience think as well. I also compliment the good taste of the romantic scenes. The main characters were wonderfully consistent and three-dimensional. The leads seemed to have a lot of chemistry and the acting was very good. My only minor complaint might be Director David Lewis casting himself as the reverend. His performance was a bit wooden. If this had been a bigger budget film, I would have wished for Act 3 to begin with him actually going to the ex-gay camp, showing his growing rejection of the hypocrisy. But, I'm OK with this lighter treatment, so I'm giving the film a top score overall. Highly recommended.

Vanyel This is a good movie for the conservative religious to see, in hopes that it might show them the harm their narrow-minded views have, and how unchristian they are, but it's only mediocre at that.The best part of it is that you really feel the love Clifford feels for Brady, and you really do see how conflicted Brady is over his feelings. Having grown up in rural America, though fortunately not in such a strongly religious household, the fear and denial are *very* real, and the two actors did a good job in their roles.I also commend the movie for not artificially contriving to hide body parts. When the clothes come off, they come off just like they would for real, so what if you can see what you know is there? Lastly, though like all the messages this was relatively understated, they did hint at the fact that Brady was basically going through "coming out" as religious, though it would have been pretty obvious. Denial goes both ways, and it's a good thing for those of us non-religious sorts to be reminded to treat those we disagree with with the same respect we expect and deserve.The main problems with the movie are:1. It's too painful to watch the train wreck for someone who cares about the couple, and I don't think the message is strong enough to hit home the people who need it.2. The long drawn out "time passing" scenes feel like they're there to make the movie full length without having to write real dialog. The short snippets that comprise scenes are marginal enough that this is probably a good thing.It wants to be "Latter Days" for mainstream Christians, but falls fairly short, unfortunately.

pogostiks I gave this film a 5 - but really don't know WHAT to give it. I think the problem is with the director/writer, in that I don't think he ever really knew what he wanted to do here. The opening lines were so trite I found myself talking back to the screen... Then the two boys meet and I began to wonder if it was just bad acting/directing, or whether somewhere between the lines the director was hoping for parody... at times it was so embarrassing that I thought he HAD to be attempting comedy. The overlong pauses made me wonder if it was bad acting - or bad editing - or both. The lead character , Brady, played by Sean Hoagland, was filmed almost always in close-up - where he seemed to think that he had to project at least three different emotions all at the same time... He seemed to be twitching through his role too much of the time. And his mother seemed to be channeling some very uptight drag queen...All of this was my first impression.Somewhere about halfway through though, I actually found myself enjoying the film - mainly, I think, because, despite a certain amateurish quality to the acting, the two boys really did have a sweetness to them that was almost impossible not to like. And they both have charm - so it made it easier to let myself get drawn into it. Although most of the script seemed ineffective, there were a few lines that did ring true and make some sense. Oh, and Owen Alabado, who plays Clifford, is definitely worth watching - he has a screen presence and a hot quality to him that is very promising. In fact, under the right director, I think both of these boys could end up making waves.But then, near the end, suddenly it all came apart. First of all, two lines from the Bible are not enough to find a solution to such existential questions as those presented by the situation; Second - the priest - played by the director - reintroduced a fuzzy unfocused dissonance to the proceedings - which is why I think most of the blame for what doesn't work in this film comes directly from him. As the priest - he comes across as a very possible gay priest who can barely control his desire for his young charge, and can't seem to keep his paws off him, caressing his shoulder as if he were touching Christ himself. His performance (if you can call it that) adds an entire subtext to the film that never gets resolved, and only manages to complicate things without adding anything worthwhile. And it doesn't really make sense that if the priest was that positive and tolerant towards the boy, how come he didn't take any time to try and help the mother?The only part of the movie that truly worked well for me was the scene where they make love for the first (and only) time. They both seemed mesmerized, so lost in each other's eyes that as they strip off they don't even take a moment to appreciate each other's bodies (but the audience does, I'm sure!) Someone will certainly write that it wasn't necessary to show full-frontal nudity, but I think this was the most honest thing in the film; the two boys were finally letting down all the barriers between them and offering themselves up to each other without the slightest artifice. There is an innocence to this scene that makes it truly beautiful... and the nudity only underlines the sincerity that the two boys bring to it. So there it is - a mishmash of a film which shouldn't be totally dismissed, even though there are many things that could have been done better. Worth seeing, nevertheless, for the moments of un-jaded sincerity and sweetness.

reeves2002 I also agree with what another person wrote saying,I wish I was younger viewing this movie because in my teens there wasn't any movies like this and I wish there were because it also would have been useful.It's a nice drama and also has a good message attached to it whether the director intended it or not.It gives gay Christians some kind of hope.Unfortunately I am sure there will still be some who will be brainwashed by fanatics thinking it's a sin to be gay and all that other stuff. The movie was realistic, simple and sort of believable and very scenic.The beach and other shots where the film was made were very breathtaking.It makes you want to visit or vacation there.It was also extremely funny and the humor had me laughing, especially in some of the scenes where the characters felt awkward around each other.One scene in particular had me roaring with laughter.The scene where Brady(Sean Hoagland) and Clifford(Owen Alabado) had their first close encounter in Cliff's bedroom and Brady unintentionally got aroused and then embarrassed and stormed out.This movie was nicely acted by everyone and it was good to see talented newcomers. I think my only complaint about this movie was seeing all the deleted scenes afterwords.I thoroughly enjoyed them and strongly felt most of them would have added to the story and needed to be in the film.I really don't know why they were deleted.It can't be because the movie was too long,hell it could have been longer! A few of the extended/deleted scenes made more sense and explained stuff better. In a way I wish I never saw these deleted scenes because then I wouldn't be thinking the movie was missing something. This is why I gave it an 8 out of 10.