Mr. Right #VQFF @queerfilmfest
My schedule in August has been nothing short of insane, thus despite having media accreditation for the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, I really hadn’t had the opportunity to view any of the VQFF films. Until this past Sunday, when I watched “Mr. Right”, a British dramedy that focuses on the eternal quest for “Mr. Right”. The VQFF description below summarizes part, but not all of what Mr. Right is.
Mr Right features a cast of the “usual suspects” seen in gay romantic films: the perfect boyfriend, the artsy queen, the hunky and arrogant slut, etc. Similarly, the central plotline is familiar: boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy wins boy back. While this classic rom com is easy to sit back and enjoy, there are also many things that set it apart. The actors are an attractive bunch (with adorable Brit accents to boot), however, Mr Right does not rely on glistening abs and bubble butts to win over audiences. Instead, the brother/sister filmmaking team—Jacqueline and David Morris—have made a refreshingly authentic script and a cast of talented actors the film’s strengths. The quintessential question “Is Mr Right really out there?” is explored in depth without sugar-coating or cheesy happy endings. Set in London’s gay SoHo neighbourhood, Mr Right is a real slice of gay life.
While I enjoyed the film, and it made me laugh in so many ways, it left me with a weird mouth aftertaste. The movie does a good job of exploring a number of gay clichés and stereotypes, from women being fag hags who fear that their boyfriend will end up being gay to the perceived apparent belief that gay men can’t be monogamous. And that stereotype, I find in particular quite annoying. But what left me quite saddened was the losses that just about everyone experienced throughout the movie.
The thick London accents were really hard on me as far as the dialogue goes, and many of the jokes flew (not surprisingly) well over my head. Despite having lived in England, I don’t get British humour, let alone gay British humour. The acting is really solid, and in particular, the actor who plays Lawrence (Leon Ockenden) was incredibly charming in his role of a relatively famous actor who is in love with an antique dealer (Rocky Marshall) who is struggling to raise a disapproving 9 year old daughter.
The first half of the movie felt to me slow, and at times I felt as though story lines resolved themselves over and over and over again. The ending is surprising, in some ways! I won’t reveal what happens, though. I would recommend you go and see it, it’s playing again on August 19th.
