As a gay man, I am obviously drawn to gay-themed movies. All I ask of them is to show me gay characters that are believable. I don't need to see them have sex; I only want to believe in their relationship. This was denied to me in "Surprise, Surprise." We are supposed to believe that Den and Colin have been together for six years. I understand that this is not the first week in the relationship and that they are not expected to French kiss every time they meet. But when Den comes back from a working session outside of the country, and he's been gone for days if not for a couple of weeks, upon his return he finds nothing more loving to do than to give a peck on his boyfriend's forehead. You know the kind one gives to his grandmother? That is the extension of their affection. As far as I'm concerned, they may has well have given each other a handshake. Those guys are not lovers: they are roommates. Lips will never touch. I am reminded of other "gay" couples (gay on paper only) in movies like "Friends and Family" or "Advice from a Caterpillar", where the couple is known to be gay and yet the characters never show it.
"Surprise, Surprise" is certainly not a bad movie. It was obviously a theatre play at first, which is fine because we are assured of decent dialogues. The characters don't have a lot of depth, and young David is certainly one of the most obnoxious characters I have seen in quite a while. Such people do exist; but why one would want to be around them remains a complete mystery to me, family ties or not. Then again, I am not family-oriented.
The actors are good, especially Luke Eberl as David. He certainly gives an energetic performance. But the character remains extremely unpleasant.
I think I would have liked it better had we had spent more time with Den and Colin, instead of Den and Junie (no reflection on the actress' work). What was their life like before David shows up? What is their interaction? Are they the least bit in love and was there a time they showed some affection? When did they both become straight? :-)
But that is another movie I guess.
