User reviews

I'm a bit confounded as to why this movie has such high ratings on Netflix. Yes, it is intelligently acted by an attractive and watchable cast, but that's where my recommendation ends. The script is a slobbering sentimental mess from the first five minutes till the very end. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind seeing grown men cry - but this is ridiculous! This film is like a 'very special episode' of a gay "Party of Five" (or is that an oxymoron?). Unrequited love, mentally retardation, dead parents, war injuries, blindness - no tear is left un-shed. In the end, the characters come off as a bit naive, despite the fine performances. The plot lines are under-developed with details omitted if they didn't contribute to the bawling. There's a chaste kiss or two but little display of affection between the two characters. After all that time pining for one another, you'd think they'd do more than hold hands (they don't). This film is like a homo Hallmark Card, all sentiment, no substance.

This is one of those films that make you feel it might have been best suited for daytime television. Unfortunately, this film could probably not be shown on daytime television just yet. The film deals honestly with a developing longtime friendship between Billy & Dean; and it is as sweet as a movie can be. However, what comes next in every scene is all too predictable; and all the characters are just a little too emotional every minute of every day. Life just isn't like that. Even those of us who are emotional most of the time try to hide it now and then. You grow to love every one of these characters and want to hold them near. However, in the end, they just don't seem real.

It's a well intentioned film, probably about making the best of bad situations. However, I just can't recommend buying it. Certainly it's worth the hour and a half viewing investment when you are in the mood to feel good about your fellow man ... every minute while watching the film.

Not really sure how much more needs to be said here. Since there are only a grand total of three characters in this entire film, it's pretty much a given the two love interests (who are 30 years older than the roles they are playing) will eventually hook up...you just have to wait through monologue after monologue and pointless build-up. Imagine two very boring friends come over to visit in your living room and spend 90 minutes talking about a game of checkers they played 30 years ago. That pretty much sums this up.

I applaud Jeff London for trying to make a film about gay men who are actually human beings with feelings above the waist. The premise of this small-town story is quite good. People's lives are affected by economics, death, family needs and so on. The characters are real people with real, if not mundane, lives. I also make allowances for a low budget, which seems evident. However, the budget does not totally absolve bad dialogue, worse pacing, horrible music, bad lighting, poor set design, uninspired cinematography, poor casting and high-school-quality acting. It seemed to me that the story challenged the cast and crew beyond their capabilities. Having said all that, this film may some day be shown to church youth groups after bean suppers on Saturday nights in Wyoming. While they may scream at the kissing they will not be tempted into evil by the sexuality, which is entirely lacking.

Bland acting and a dull script make this 80 minute film feel like it shambles on for decades. The characters are one-note cardboard cutouts lacking any depth of emotion or personality. It has the over-sentimentality of a Hallmark movie without any of the heart.

This is a Hallmark Channel wholesome style movie. Yes it is a bit slow. But it is still sweet.

Ugh, another mediocre gay love story. It's not the worst way to spend 90 minutes if you literally have nothing else to do, but there's a reason you've never heard of any of these actors. Then again, they can be partially forgiven because the writing is frequently clumsy and the dialogue painful. But c'mon, the lead can't even read "T'was the Night Before Christmas" very well. It's kind of pitiful that the actors are much more engaging in the "end-credit outtakes" than the movie itself.

I've been watching a fair number of independent gay-themed films over the past few months (those with a very low---or NO---budget), just to see what all is out there. Quite honestly, a lot of them really are not very good. But I have to say that I enjoyed "Regarding Billy" more so than about 80% of the similarly-themed independent films I've seen.

Oh, no doubt about it, this is a sentimental tear-jerker sort of story. Think of a very small-scale Lifetime made-for-television film, with a gay twist. But hey, I tend to be a sentimental kind of guy, and sometimes I really am in the mood for just such a picture. And this one fit the bill admirably. It's not perfect, but it really did engage me on an emotional level.

I do wish that the relationship between the two leads was explored in more depth; they were an appealing couple and had great chemistry together, and I simply wanted to see more interaction between them. Perhaps that is the greatest drawback of this film; with its modest running time, it seems more like a sketch of a story, waiting to be made into a two-hour feature. There are a lot of interesting ideas here waiting to be more thoroughly explored. But taken on its own modest terms, I can say that I really did enjoy this picture. (I would REALLY have liked to see a bit more snogging between the two leads, however, that is certain! As I said, they were an appealing pair.) The DVD contains a handful of outtakes, a couple of which are quite funny. And the commentary track, with the director and three actors, is a lot of fun (despite a couple of silent spots early on). It's just those four guys in a room, laughing around and joking and having a good time while talking about the film. I recommend this one.

This was the slowest movie I have ever seen. The acting was carried by the main character, but the rest were terrible! The action is very slow and all the time you think something is going to happen! It never does... The sound is no better than a middle school project in television production and the set is limited.

The production was limited and this was part of the problem with this movie. It simply lacked a good story and the characters were often looking for something to say. When it came to the "point", it was all rushed which led to credibility problems with the story.

I would not recommend this movie.

I was deeply moved by this great little gem of a movie. The acting, the story and the intention are brilliant. It's strange to me how little in modern film-making we have yet to really see how hard it can be to attempt to manage the coming of adulthood, deal with being gay and coming out, and still find relationships that matter to us. This film manages to address all of these in a gentle and approachable manner.

I could wish for another notch up on the film-making scale (whatever that is!) - the filming itself is fine, but it feels awkward and a little rough at points. I don't think it gets in the way of the story. Just would be nice if it was stronger.

I'm glad Mr. London made this film - a definite feather in his cap. And I'm glad I own it.

A mindless, boring, plodding, laborious movie that has the thinnest of plots and the weak acting to complement the boredom involved in watching it. If this had been a 10-minute short it would have been pushing its envelope. You might expect this was the the directors first movie from its lacks. Yes, as a direct to video independent film you can expect it to be produced on a low budget, but you should not have to find yourself wishing it over early on in the film. Even when it did end there was no satisfaction as I found myself then wondering, "Is that it?" Even the "extras" were bad... I can do without a reading of the full text of "The Night Before Christmas" which mercifully was cut to a shorter edition in the actual movie.

Problem is the script is dreadfully lengthy, the acting is weak, and the direction is poor so walk away from this film before wishing for your time and your money back.

It's difficult to know what's worse: the sappy script, the wooden acting, or the cheap cinematography (or the cheap sentiment). The gay relationship has more in common with weepies from the 40s than any kind of contemporary version of gayness. My guess is that London is the love child of Douglas Sirk and Ed Wood--so much seriousness, so much bad acting and such sentimental sappiness. there's no real dramatic tension in the previously unrequited relationship between the leads and the younger brother is the kind of idealized kid with problems who only exists in sentimental TV news pieces. The guys also seem to live quite well on very little. Yes, it's a movie, but having take place on Mars would give it more realism.

I too got suckered into this movie by its high Netflix rating. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to fast forward after the first ten minutes but resisted. After 20 minutes, I couldn't stand it anymore and began fast-forwarding once I got the gist of a scene.

Scenes that go on way too long are a big problem with this picture. The content of each scene is discussed repeatedly. Once the point is made, it's made again and again and again. I wouldn't mind, but it's done in exactly the same flat monotone style with no variation of dialog. The dialog has no zing, no sparkle, no flash. If there is one interesting word available to describe something, the author used two dull ones instead. I had the impression these actors might be improvising and had limited vocabularies.

There is no dramatic tension of any kind. I don't mind if a plot is secondary to characters when a film has interesting characters. There is absolutely nothing interesting about these characters. The younger brother is always referenced as someone who has "special needs", but it's not clear what his problem is. Sometimes he talks baby talk and sometimes he sounds completely normal. It doesn't add up. The two friends are in love with each other but not out to each other (or anyone). They spend so much time looking longingly and lovingly and deeply into each others eyes that you wonder how on earth they could possibly be missing the signals. That's just it--they couldn't. It's just not plausible.

Almost the entire movie is shot in close ups. We rarely see any background, so we know next to nothing about the characters from their environment. We do know they live in a fishing village, probably in the Northeast. I guess. Maybe not, because at Christmas time the trio cavort on a sand dune and the beach grass is bright green.

I tried to keep an open mind throughout the picture. But midway through, there is a musical interlude as the lead walks home from work. The music sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. Then I realized it was the cheesy generic orchestral music that was used in travelogues when I was a kid. You know, the kind with the peppy, pompous voice-over . . . "and now we leave our lovely Bavarian cottage to wander the daffodil-strewn goat paths . . . etc." Oh brother. I laughed out loud.

Only 71 minutes long, this sweet little film has an engaging ensemble of three actors and a sympathetic musical score. Ronnie Kerr is perfect as Billy. He is genuine, childlike, honest, handsome, wistful, and well-built, with remarkably expressive eyes. Dean, his long-time best friend, announces unexpectedly that he has enlisted, and abruptly leaves home. Jason Van Eman plays Dean in a warm, forthright manner, and the two good-looking leads have a nice, playful – but very frustrating – friendship. Incapable of articulating their feelings, Dean departs with much left unsaid. By the time the injured Dean returns, Billy is caring for his learning-disabled younger brother, and the story really begins. The three young men learn to become a family and, though each has a handicap to deal with, their unerring love pre-ordains the powerful and intimate conclusion.

The film has its faults, to be sure, which would be more bothersome in a less engaging film. There is a lot of crying, for example, but the actors themselves laugh about this excess in the commentary track. On a purely physical level, one could wish for Billy to take his shirt off at least once, considering the look of his arms and chest in his tight T-shirt!

But the sincerity, skill, and earnestness of the actors overrides any flaws. This is a highly personal statement by writer/director Jeff London and his quietly seductive cast.

Jeff London (The Last Year, And Then Came Summer) is a writer and director who takes on some tough subject matter about the ordinary men in gay life and fashions simple stories that, while not earth shattering, are delicate reminders of the non-sensational aspects of coming to grips with sexuality. In REGARDING BILLY, his best film to date, he has assembled a small cast of fine young actors (only three), and offers a film that for a $20,000. budget and two weeks of shooting time shows how sensitive little movies can be.

Opening inside a tent on a camping trip, we meet Billy (Ronnie Kerr) and Dean (Jason Van Eman) who have been best friends since childhood. Dean announces he has joined the military to address his life stance (his parents are long gone) and will be going to Iraq. Billy is obviously sad and both young men begin to tell each other something...'but it can wait until morning'. In the next scene Billy is seen with his mentally challenged sweet kid brother Johnny (Jack Sway) as they have returned from the funeral of their parents who have died in an accident. Billy comforts Johnny and moves back to the home he had left to care for his brother. While Dean is in Iraq he writes Billy and Billy fantasizes about Dean's returning home. When indeed Dean does come back from his tour of duty, injured irreparably in the war, Billy insists that Dean move in with the brothers. Despite the obvious new happiness of the three young men living together, there remains an underlying tension between Billy and Dean, a tension broken only by a moment of confession regarding feelings that is one of the more tender 'coming out' scenes yet filmed. The film ends as quietly as it begins with the power of love and extended family as the theme.

All three of the actors perform well despite a script that calls for excessive crying. Kerr and Van Eman are understated hunks that make the attraction and resolution of the plot completely credible. Yes, there are some awkward lines and shaky moments in the film, but the overall effect is one of a loving product that dares to be sentimental in the face of criticism because the creators obviously believe in the story. REGARDING BILLY is a refreshing change from the usual over the top gay films, a film more about core people than the peripheral characters usually in focus. Recommended. Grady Harp, February 06

I can't stop barfing long enough to type! This story is another example of the exploitation of gay men to get a film made. It isn't a gay story. Gay themed is trendy way to get $$$$$. Substitute either character for a woman and you have funding rejected by any thinking producer. I did wonder if this was some attempted sequel to Ole Yella - without the dog. OR was the initial script called Retarding Billy and the bad acting missed the humour - leading to Regarding Billy. *ponder* All the expositional lines certainly implied retardation. *ponder* That could have been quite entertaining! But - if this is a coming out movie - could you please go back in?

This movie will leave you wondering what was the point of making it all. It starts off slowly and you watch it thinking it'll get better.....but it doesn't. The background for the characters is confusing as the events are not that well explained. The dialog is empty and meaningless, then the movie suddenly ends with nothing much to show for 90 minutes. It's like an idea that never really comes to fruition but instead is simply wasted! Could have been so much more if a little effort was put into making it an actual story.

The movie, Regarding Billy, is a quiet, sweet, coming-out tale with tragedy underlying each scene.

Although I thought writing needed more sophistication, the music scenes without dialogue gave the film a sort of magical, romantic feel. Playing on na beach, walking on b the socks, just simple and beautifully wistful.

The acting by Ronnie Kerr and Jason van Eman was essentially understated and yet at times their sutble moments worked. Unfortunately, I felt bad for Johnny, played by Jack Saalfied (listed as Jack Sway). His was the toughest acting job and he was miscast in my book. The actor was just too old and playing mentally handicapped with feeling realistic just didn't play right. I'm not saying anything bad happened actingwise in the film, but he didn't manage to pull off his disability with accuracy. It felt wrong.

I like the movie overall. It is a kind film about loss, lo e, responsibility , and friendship.

Nothing is perfect (except maybe Jason Van Eman) so I can't rate 10 stars. A very sweet film. Warm, touching, real. There was a little awkwardness here and there, some of the scenes went a little too long with no real reason...there was maybe too much emotion at times, but all in all, a good little movie to watch with your special someone, gay or straight.

One of the better gay oriented indie films that I've seen. And no swearing, drug use, alcoholism or sex. A rare thing in almost any movie these days, but very rare for a movie with a gay male couple as the lead characters. For a change, two gay men are portrayed without the "always having sex" angle. Seems that Hollywood has to propagate that stereotype; if there's gay, there's immediately clothes coming off and gratuitous sex going on. Not here.

Thanks Jeff London, for showing a couple of gay men as just that. Men. Leading everyday lives with everyday worries and trials. Everyday happiness and love. Many could learn a lot by watching this movie. Give it a shot. It's a very short film and leaves you wanting more, but just suffice it to say, I ended it with all three of them living happily ever after.

*another gay feelgood movie with similar undertones as Regarding Billy, but with a little sex thrown in: "Get Your Stuff" Give it a look too.