I enjoyed this film. A lot. Granted, it's not perfect - there is a lot of room for development and fine-tuning, but its a pleasant diversion - and one that would be a wonderful launchpad for many things, most feasibly a weekly one hour television drama series.
I also enjoyed seeing such normal people on screen. Normal people, doing the things that normal people do today: talking, laughing, crying, reminiscing.... Sure, writer-director Greg Berlanti remains within a defined zone in terms of his representation of homosexuality and homosexuals, but the group of men he explores are presented comfortably and confidently. They become our friends, because they are like people we know. We see ourselves in them. And we have to face the similarities between their stories and ours - and there are parallels for everyone, whethere hetero-, homo- or somewhere in between.
A minor quibble - I think that the score would have been so much stronger had at least one of the Carpenters' classics been an original. Maybe "We've Only Just Begun", since that is part what lies at the heart of this film.
Jaded film buffs will not like THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB. But so what? I don't think its targeted at that market anyway. BHC is a reminder that homosexuals are more than just 'gay' - there are people behind the labels - behind any label - and the challenge is for all of us to find that grain of self which is at the core of each individual's existence.
I also enjoyed seeing such normal people on screen. Normal people, doing the things that normal people do today: talking, laughing, crying, reminiscing.... Sure, writer-director Greg Berlanti remains within a defined zone in terms of his representation of homosexuality and homosexuals, but the group of men he explores are presented comfortably and confidently. They become our friends, because they are like people we know. We see ourselves in them. And we have to face the similarities between their stories and ours - and there are parallels for everyone, whethere hetero-, homo- or somewhere in between.
A minor quibble - I think that the score would have been so much stronger had at least one of the Carpenters' classics been an original. Maybe "We've Only Just Begun", since that is part what lies at the heart of this film.
Jaded film buffs will not like THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB. But so what? I don't think its targeted at that market anyway. BHC is a reminder that homosexuals are more than just 'gay' - there are people behind the labels - behind any label - and the challenge is for all of us to find that grain of self which is at the core of each individual's existence.