Main cast: Jack Thompson (Harry Mitchell), Russell Crowe (Jeff Mitchell), John Polson (Greg), and Deborah Kennedy (Joyce Johnson)
Directors: Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling
Spoilers present! Spoilers present! Spoilers present!
The Sumtin Sumtin of Us
I must be a glutton for punishment. I mean, I go on year after year looking for a few nice gay films that speak from a far more blue collar, or well, more realistic (to me anyway) day to day frame of reference about REAL gay relationships with REAL gay people who are not in some type of messed up self realization quandary.
The thing I have about gay comedy films that comes to my mind often is, can there be films out there that do not depend solely on the main characters homosexuality or inability to accept their homosexuality or maybe the added bonus inability to hook up with other homosexuals being the whole reason for the “COMEDY” scenes we are watching in any given film? Can there be gay movies that do not end up looking like a Woody Allen “analysis and self realization as comedy shtick”?
Don’t get me wrong, there have been numerous over-the-top way gay plays made into films that I have loved like Torch Song Trilogy or The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. They are not extremely realistic, but at least they have heart and something to say. Unfortunately as it usually happens when I sit down to watch gay comedy flicks I find I end up seeing crap pandering to the lowest common denominator BLAH!
In 1994, Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling got the funds together to put out what I consider to be a close-to-perfectly honest gay comedy film. The Sum of Us features excellent performances of both a young Russell Crowe (two years after he had sizzled in Romper Stomper) as Jeff Mitchell, the very normal gay son of Jack Thompson playing his father Harry Mitchell. Damn it all if they ain’t the butchest pair of manly Australian blokes I have ever seen on film together. The testosterone generated by the young Russell Crowe in a pair of rugby shorts is enough to make the most jaded queen in the room swoon.
The Story
Harry and Jeff both start off the movie unattached. Jeff comes across as a likable but insecure and young Gay man who is desperately looking for Mr. Right. His father Harry is all to happy in supporting him on this mission of love. Harry mentions more than a few times about how much he hopes Jeff will find the right guy and settle down. Harry in the mean time has snuck over to a computer dating service to look for a new girlfriend.
The story plays out and it becomes apparent that they have a very unique and close friendship with each other. You have to do some translation of the Australian lingo that pops up again and again in the conversations. It adds to the uniqueness of the film, but the reoccurring colloquialisms can leave you scratching your head on some of the joking around that goes on. I might be a little off here, but since this is filmed in Australia, a lot of the touchy-feel things that came off a bit quirky in my opinion between a father and his son (well, hell, let’s face it between a straight guy and a gay guy) might just be more of a cultural thing and maybe should be considered acceptable in that context. I don’t know, that’s just what I picked up.
But, I have got to say this, Harry, the father, unfortunately comes across as not only supportive but also down right over enthusiastic. Jeff brings home a date and Harry all but gets into bed with them. This over enthusiasm really comes across in an almost creepy way. At first I thought it was just me but others here have mentioned the same reaction to his behavior. I began wondering if Harry was over compensating for what happened to his own mother that we learn about as the film goes on.
Oh yeah, the back story. This film has more to it besides Jeff and Harry separately searching for true love and happiness. There is the flashback story of Harry’s mother, and how they broke up her 40 year lesbian relationship with another woman to ship her off to an old-folks home to die. If there is anything emotionally lacking in the film, it is more than made up for with this particular moment when Harry recounts his thoughts on their last bit of time together before they were forced to live apart. Very touching and very topical subject matter in this day and age with all the discussions about gay marriage and all that.
The Good & the Bad
Russell Crowe as Jeff Mitchell does a beautiful job as a young, gay plumber with the typical issues of youth and none of the affectations of some wanna-be drag queen. He’s a blue-collar worker, he plays rugby, he gets depressed, he drinks, he smokes pot, he yells at his father about the lack of clean clothes, and looks for love in the wrong places. He even wears cologne to impress some prissy queen he decides to date. None of the issues he faces come about simply because he is gay, they happen because he is growing up. Excellent and touching, through and through, Crowe comes across as a wonderful actor and more importantly as a character you would like to have as a friend—even if you were straight and could care less what he looks like in rugby shorts.
Jack Thompson playing the father Harry Mitchell is a bit more than I could handle. I mean he is obviously a loving father, but… gawd blimey! I would have some serious issues with his behavior. As far as acting goes he comes across realistic and likable, these guys are two really fair dinkum blokes.
I can’t blame any of them for the writing.
Now for the writing… The third act of The Sum of Us sucks BIG WIND. With all the other characters that start showing up, with all the potential conflicts they bring to the life of Jeff and Harry, you would think the writer would have kept it going. He creates a perfect realistic setup and then, AND THEN he craps out. The whole back-story gave allot more interesting possibilities for where the movie could have gone.
There was just no need for what David Stevens went and did to force the BIG DRAMATIC finale, taking the easiest way out in a in-your-face bid to stir up the emotions of the viewers. Remember how I hate gay AIDS flicks trying to milk soppy melodrama?
The final part of the movie leaves me cold; it is here that the whole thing starts to look like a poorly thought out play instead of a damn good movie it started as. Unrealistic situations start creeping in and take a turn for the worst in a offbeat film I was surprised to find myself rooting for from the start.
In Summary
Oh hell, I guess ya can’t have everything. Subtle acting and realistic situations which obviously did not come from Hollywood in this Australian gem. Make a point and buy it!
Did I mention a young Russell Crowe in a towel? Uh huh!
