Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss film review

›› Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss ‹‹

a film by Tommy O'Haver.

1998 | 92 mins | US.

a comical take on a gay photographer's quest to find Mr Right.

Dave says:

From writer and director Tommy O'Haver comes this comical take on a gay photographer's quest to find Mr Right.

For and as the title implies, this is the story of Billy (Sean Hayes); namely an openly gay Los Angeles based amateur photographer with a liking for Polaroid cameras and a gaydar that's having an off day. For in undertaking a series of photographs based on the legendary screen kisses from Hollywood's golden era, he's found himself falling in love with former coffee house waiter, now turned aspiring model Gabriel (Brad Rowe). And therein lies the crux of the matter, given Billy cannot tell if Gabriel is gay, bi or straight?

No wonder then that his gay best friend Perry (Richard Ganoung) and straight best friend Georgiana (Meredith Scott Lynn) aka George to her friends are worried, knowing of Billy's history of projecting his affection onto straight men who delight in the attention, but fail to give any sexual favours back in return. Only with Gabriel seemingly enjoying his bromance with Billy just a shade too much, in spite of allegedly having a girlfriend back in San Francisco, could Billy's gaydar be proved right and that true love is but a snapshot away?

Based on his 1994 five minute short film Catalina, this ode to love has a lot going for it. Notably the screen presence of Sean Hayes who before giving the world the OTT caricature that was Just Jack, here excels is a far more measured performance as the central gay boy of the piece, along the way getting down to some manly hanky panky. Yet such scenes are far from sexually explicit, including Billy's relationship with his on / off partner Fernando (Armando Valdes-Kennedy), given everything is done in the best possible taste, so as to bring us "a little closer to understanding the words Straight and Gay."

Whether such a directorial objective is achieved is another issue. But you certainly cannot help but admire O'Haver for trying, courtesy of a good old-fashioned love story. To that end, Brad Rowe of Shelter credit shines as Billy's object of desire, even if he's somewhat restrained by his characters' uncertainty on where he lies on the Kinsey scale of sexuality. Thankfully on fine form throughout are both Meredith Scott Lynn and Richard Ganoung of Parting Glances fame, who together with a spirited cameo from Paul Bartel as professional photographer and all-round flirt Rex Webster bring their vibrant personalities to the screen.

Yet for all that's going for this work, the narrative is laden with too many oddball characters that frankly add nothing to the film and if anything, distract from the love theme of the story. Indeed for a romantic comedy it faces the same problem as many a film of this genre does, in that and whilst big on charm, it lacks the hilarious one-liners of Will & Grace at its peak, or even when it was starting to fade.

That said and in spite of its flaws, this is still an entertaining ride, with Hayes in particular delivering a touching, amusing, yet equally poignant performance in a work that's but a play on the "is he OR isn't he gay?" scenario. Sure it's lightweight by design and overly romantic by nature, but it's also complete with a wondrous soundtrack including two Petula Clark songs including the classic Happy Heart and the use, perhaps the overuse for some, of a chorus of lip-syncing drag queens and here cue Chad Boardman, Rodney Chester and Eric Davenport are the fabulous trio.

Moreover, it's possibly the sole modern-day gay feature presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1, thanks to the splendid widescreen work of cinematographer Mark Mervis. That said, in the end the film is probably best known for being the launching pad that would propel Sean Hayes to fame and fortune and for that alone it's well worth a look, mixing as it does Billy's fantasy world of Gabriel and him making out on a beach From Here to Eternity fashion, to the pair dancing in true Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style to Charlie Chaplin's beautiful This Is My Song, only for the close-of-play to reveal whether or not Billy's gaydar was right all along over his infatuation with the man of his dreams? And for once, I'm not saying.

Quote: "Do you think it would be alright if I stayed here tonight?"

›› available as part of the TARTAN FILMS catalogue: 16th July, 2007 / UK.

›› title still does not represent the true aspect ratio of the film.

›› revised: Sunday, 4th May, 2025.

Gay Visibility - overt | Nudity - bare-arsed cheek | Overall - file under ... 3+ stars

›› archive reference #109 - revised ‹‹

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