Love is Strange Review

RYAN: John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as gay lovers? Yes, please.  Or maybe, “Sure, why not?”  I like both actors and it’s certainly a modern premise what with marriage equality sweeping the nation.

CAROLINE: Totally.  We got marriage equality in NY in 2011 and this film takes place there.  I missed the screening.  Did you love it?

RYAN: I liked it very much.  It’s really cool to see a married gay couple on the big screen and I really like the small but heavy themes dealt with in this film.  It’s rare to see authentic and sensitive depictions of gay people in cinema.  There are plenty of films out there but few get decent distribution.

CAROLINE: Too true.  How are these guys as gays?

RYAN: They’re excellent.  I really watch closely whenever straight actors play gay.  I look for a “tell” or something that gives away either that they’re trying too hard to convey their gayness or a shred of inauthenticity for the characters but John and Alfred were both completely natural and real. I believed their characters the entire time.  They succeeded with great chemistry as a couple in love.

CAROLINE: That’s amazing.

RYAN: It’s one of the greatest strengths of the film.

CAROLINE: How’s Marisa Tomei in it?  And any other noteworthy supporting cast?

RYAN: She’s soo good always, isn’t she?  And Broadway’s Cheyenne Jackson is in it so that was cool.  I’d have actually liked to see more of him.  Marisa has a great role and shows range, as often she does.  I like how this movie isn’t all about the couple. It’s primarily about them but it’s also about how the people around them deal with the main circumstances of the film.

CAROLINE: What’s basically going on here?

RYAN: They get married and then because of it, one loses his job at the Church and they can’t afford their apartment.

CAROLINE: Ah yes… wasn’t it Benjamin Franklin who said, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”

RYAN: (laughs) Yes!  That’s the major theme of the film.  It’s next to impossible to live in NYC without good money and health insurance.  But it is also a love story and deals with family relationships.  Alfred uses his original English accent, so that’s fun.

CAROLINE: Right, he is a Brit.  Sounds like a winner of an indie.

RYAN: Well yes, until two thirds of the way through when the film literally starts to stall.  It slows down completely and I was so thrown by that.  It fizzles out of energy as it goes, even while events still occur.

CAROLINE: Oh that sounds like the kiss of death!

RYAN: Not really.  It’s still a good film.  It just requires patience.

Thanks For Viewing The Love is Strange Review