Fun Down There

An old story: boy leaves stifling place he grew up and goes to the big city. In "Fun Down There" the boy is gay, but more curious than tortured, and his innate gentleness (and exoticism: he appears to be the only person in New York City who knows anything about dairy farming) quickly attracts new friends and lovers. Although self-conscious in its fixed-camera style and long shots of urban landscape, the movie succeeds in entertaining primarily through its nuanced portrait of Buddy, the playful post-adolescent country mouse from upstate New York. Some of the acting here is not good enough to sustain the very long takes, but co-writer Michael Waite as Buddy manages to develop the viewer's sympathy for a character who is, in the end, fairly ordinary. That very ordinariness was quite a statement about a young gay person in 1988, and it is still too unusual in American films. How refreshing to see a character who in the context of his world is more unusual for knowing about milking cows than for being attracted to people of the same sex. The movie is also notable for the portrayal of Buddy's parents (played by Waite's parents) who are not ignorant bigots, but lovin g if confused and provincial. Stick with the final credits for the father's comment on his son's new life in New York. Despite some amateurish aspects, the humor and sweetness of script and characterizations more than sustain this film for its brief running time.