Behind the zipper
Is it Just Me? / The gay indie romantic comedy genre is relatively young, but in addition to neu-classics such as Trick, Eating Out and Latter Days, we now have Is it Just Me? The film follows Blaine, a young Los Angeles columnist for an alternative publication named USA ToGay, who wonders in print if he’ll ever find a true, unshallow love in the decidedly shallow Hollywood scene. As he writes in his article, “Am I the only gay man looking for more than what’s behind the zipper?” And find a connection he does. Online. He meets the budding musician Xander, the man of his dreams, in an Internet chatroom. In true screwball fashion though, he doesn’t realize that he logged into the site under the profile of Cameron, his thick-skulled but hotly muscled, go-go dancer roommate. Thinking that Xander won’t be attracted to him, Blaine forces Cameron to meet his object of affection in his stead–and Cyrano-like hidden identity wackiness ensues. What will win Xander’s heart–brawn or brains?
All the usual elements of the genre are there, like the brashy, sarcastic hag-best friend and the queeny older gay man as mentor (played by Bruce Gray from Queer as Folk); but also added to the mix is the backdrop of Internet social media sites, which are so essential to gay socialization, and ultimately, gay culture.
The actors inhabit their roles so well that the predictable story-line works and charms. David Loren as the good ole boy Texan has an easy going, aww-shucks drawl and a believable measure of naiveté appropriate for his startlingly sincere character. Nicholas Downs plays Blaine with a pleasant squareness and a wide selection of buttoned-up polo shirts. As he puts it: “Being average in a world of physical perfection is the worst kind of gay purgatory.” But Downs is a bit too handsome; we don’t believe for a second that he’d have trouble finding someone. The ending, while it could have been played up more, is satisfyingly happy. More importantly, the film earns it and the two lovebirds are such winning, appealing characters that we want to see them together.
Is it Just Me? doesn’t re-invent the rainbow wheel, but that’s not what it’s for. It’s a refreshing, contemporary, and altogether hopeful look at hunting for a husband in the 2010s.
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