Love! Valour! Compassion!

Mart Crowley's 1968 play "The Boys in the Band" focuses on a group of gay friends getting together in a New York apartment. It addressed the internalized homophobia of the preceding decades. Therefore, one might think of Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion" as a follow-up. This one depicts eight gay men getting together at a country estate. The year is not identified, but AIDS gets mentioned, so it's probably mid-'80s at the earliest.

Joe Mantello's* big-screen adaptation of the play is a fine piece of work. I should admit that I've never seen a stage production, but it's clear that a lot of passion went into this movie. The characters muse on the issues affecting their lives, as well as the popular culture from which they've taken inspiration (with one man positing that the US produced as many gays in 250 years as England did in 2,000).

All in all, the movie has its flaws, but the assets outweigh those. I recommend it.

So is Glenda Jackson really the British version of machismo?

*Joe Mantello more recently directed a Netflix adaptation of "The Boys in the Band" starring Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. He also appeared on the Netflix miniseries "Hollywood" as a 1940s executive.

I had the good fortune to see the play in New York, with it's almost original cast; many of the actors who appear in the film were still in the roles on stage when I saw it. This leads to the film's only (in my opinion) flaw...it's not the play. The theatre creates an intimacy that is perfect for the issues and performances in this piece. However, we allow ourselves a detachment when seeing it as a film that really doesn't mix with the story. Here's the thing for those who have a problem with either the overt homosexual themes, or the stereotypical characters...imagine if half the cast were women and the other half were heterosexual men...would you feel different about the piece if Arthur and Perry were a hetero couple? If Ramon was a female dancer instead of a male? The thing is, the piece is not primarily about the fact that the men are gay, or about how gay they are. It's a love story, a story of friendship, and a story of loss. The fact that all of them are homosexual is simply a backdrop to everything else going on. Excellent performances by John Glover, Jason Alexander and Steven Bogardus. I see what everyone is saying about not being able to get Seinfeld out of their heads, but I didn't have that problem. The rest of the cast is only adequate, but no one lets the ensemble down.

There is a trend of making filmed versions of stage performances available to the public...this would be the perfect piece with which to do that. The movie is good, and I very much enjoyed it...it just doesn't have the vibrancy and immediacy of seeing these characters live.

I have to wholehearted disagree that this film is disappointing. I found the characters interesting and deep. Yes - the gay men approach stereotypical roles in some instances, but they are developed over the course of the summer in a manner that mimics the boys in "Stand by Me". We see the changes in the relationships between nearly every pairing of the eight men. Some are in relationships; some were. Some hate each other; but they nearly all care about one another. This is the kind of movie that makes you reflect on your own human interactions. You don't have to be HIV+, a choreographer, a yuppie, a broadway queen, or even gay to see yourself in these characters. This is a fine exhibition of love, lust, friendship, and life.

I am saddened by the number of negative comments about this movie. Love! Valor! Compassion! is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not every movie has to be full of action and deep thinking to be good entertainment.

What makes this movie so enjoyable is the chance to see a gay men, who lead very different lives, interact with one another to build and maintain their friendships through good times and bad. I hope that I, too, will someday have a group of friends like that.

Jason Alexander is fantastic as the stereotypical Broadway play lover and his developing relationship with John Glover's English twin brother is precious. The characters of Perry and Arthur show a "normal", boring gay couple just going through life with each other enjoying growing old together -- a lifestyle many of us aspire to. And, Randy Becker isn't too difficult to look at, either!

Granted, there are places where the writing is uneven at best (the death of Bobby's sister, the hiding in the closet scene, for example), but viewers who enjoy a good story about friends who love and support each other without the expectation deep plot twists will enjoy this screenplay for what it is -- relaxing entertainment. Enjoy!

I would die to see the play. I didn't want to see it at first because I'm not a fan of Jason Alexander but I must admit he did surprise me, who knew he could act (although he was trying a little hard to BE Nathan Lane). I cried through most or it and I'm not much of a crier so BE WARNED! IT IS A CHICK FLICK! but a damned good one.