Top Gay Themed Movies of All Time
My not so humble opinion of the "Must See" movies every gay male needs to watch. Some are recent. Some are ancient. And some are just plain vintage classics.
List activity
648 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
16 titles
- DirectorPaul BogartStarsAnne BancroftMatthew BroderickHarvey FiersteinArnold is a gay man working as drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.One of the best gay-themed films of all time. Touches every emotion possible so be prepared to laugh hysterically sometimes, on your feet cheering at others, and be reaching for the Kleenex too. Brilliantly written and portrayed by the stars. You don't fully qualify for a pink card unless you've seen this one! ;)
- DirectorKen OlinStarsJames SikkingBibi BeschWilliam McNamaraA young college student, his family's "golden child," brings his fiancee home to meet them.Quite arguably the best coming-of-age and coming out movie of all time. Delves into the angst and confusion of being young, gay, and so deeply in the closet that getting married for appearance sake and suicide are the only options to being ostracized by family. Superb performances by a great cast including a side of Jim Carey's acting abilities you won't believe.
- DirectorJohn ErmanStarsGena RowlandsBen GazzaraSylvia SidneyA young lawyer hasn't told his parents about his homosexuality. Now he must tell them--at a time when the diagnosis was still a death sentence--that he has AIDS.The movie that finally put a face on the AIDS crisis and began breaking the stereotypes and calming the fears of a country grappling with something they not only didn't understand but didn't really want to either. Thirty years later, this *IS* the movie you must watch to comprehend what it was like in those early years.
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsMichael OntkeanKate JacksonHarry HamlinA successful young L.A. doctor and his equally successful television-producer wife find their happily-ever-after life torn assunder when he suddenly confronts his long-repressed attraction for other men. Zach and Claire live a comfortable life secure in their love for one another when Bart, a swinging L.A. novelist, walks into Zach's office and awakens unfamiliar feelings in him. In a move which leaves him wracked with guilt, Zach cancels dinner with his wife in order to go out with Bart. He is inexplicably drawn to this man who seems intent on keeping him at arms distance. Why can't Bart allow their relationship to grow? he wonders. Exasperated, he asks Bart, "Do you snore? Does anybody ever get a chance to find out?" As Zach's absences become more and more frequent, Claire's concern manifests itself in the suspicion that he is having an affair with another woman. Jilted by Bart and feeling alone for the first time in his married life, Zach resolves to tell Claire the truth about himself. Predictably, Claire is shocked that she could have known so little about the man she has loved for so many years and accuses him of deceiving her from the very start.Credited as being the first big screen production made for commercial release that was completely gay themed. Based around a married man finally dealing with feelings he always had and venturing into various situations from casual hook-ups to telling the wife. Another brilliantly written film with a tremendously strong cast able to make it come to life.
- DirectorLamont JohnsonStarsHal HolbrookMartin SheenJoe Don BakerTeenager Nick Salter visits his divorced father Doug and meets Dad's new friend Gary McLain. But Doug enjoys Gary's company more than the company of women. Nick must then learn to deal with Doug's homosexuality.Often said to be the first full-length film dealing with the topic of homosexuality in a fair light. Run nationwide in prime time just three short years after Stonewall, and with two well-known stars as the lead characters (Hal Holbrook & Martin Sheen) and an equally strong supporting cast (Hope Lange, Joe Don Baker, & a young Scott Jacoby), you need to see this one just to be able to say you have.
- DirectorPaul ShapiroStarsScott BaioPeter SpenceJessica SteenAlex admits to his best friend Brad that he is gay.A made-for-television short film that played as an Afterschool Special was a major event in gay history as it became the first movie to address the topic of being a high school student and captain of the championship football team that suddenly discovers his best friend is gay. Brilliantly acted by Scott Baio and Peter Spence. Another one you must see just to be able to say you have!
- CreatorDavid LloydGreg AntonacciStarsRobert WaldenPaul ReginaBrandon MaggartWhen their youngest brother comes out as gay, two conservative men support him and help him navigate being openly gay in 1980s Philadelphia.
- DirectorChristopher AshleyStarsSteven WeberMichael T. WeissPeter JacobsonA poignant romantic comedy about the quest for love and intimacy in the age of AIDS. A story of a thirtyish gay actor/waiter who decides to become celibate...the risk of AIDS has taken all the joy from sex.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRiver PhoenixKeanu ReevesJames RussoTwo best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsKevin KlineJoan CusackTom SelleckA midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsSean PennJosh BrolinEmile HirschThe story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsJake GyllenhaalHeath LedgerMichelle WilliamsEnnis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.
- DirectorCameron ThrowerStarsNick EversmanRebekah TrippJon BriddellSean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality.
- StarsJames CromwellRichard MasurConchata FerrellSomewhat steamy/racy (for the time) carryings-on in a ruined old hotel; the "E" burned out some time ago and was never repaired.Although it only lasted one season, this was a groundbreaking television show with the first regular recurring gay characters. (I'm in search of anyone with copies of this series)
- CreatorEsther ShapiroRichard Alan ShapiroStarsJohn ForsytheLinda EvansJoan CollinsThe trials and tribulations of two feuding families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, both oil rich families in Denver, Colorado.Another groundbreaker with a strong and masculine gay male character in a leading role.
- CreatorSusan HarrisStarsKatherine HelmondRod RoddyRichard MulliganThe soap-operish antics of two families: the Campbells and the Tates.Possibly one of the most irreverant television series ever on network TV. No one and nothing was off limits to get a laugh. Add in a total campy leading role gay character played by the incomparable Billy Crystal, makes this a must see for this outrageously funny series.