Bedrooms and Hallways

OK, I don't kid myself that this is the typical gay love life but since when are straight romances in real life as they are on the screen? This movie is well-balanced with comedy and drama and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a riot to see Hugo Weaving play a sex-obsessed gay real estate salesman who uses his clients' houses for his trysts with the flaming Darren (Tom Hollander). And having seen him in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert only the day before, he is probably one of the most secure-in-their-masculinity actors around. :) Anyway, the plot flowed smoothly and the male-bonding scenes were a hoot. Thumbs up! 8/10

I found this film to be immensely enjoyable and entertaining until the last 20 minutes or so. At that point, it ran out of gas. The ending reminded me of awards show speeches in which the recipient is urged to "wrap it up" as the music swells behind him/her. The sudden pairing off of all the characters feels forced and lacks credibility. I felt quite let down.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-acted film. It is funny and sometimes hilarious. The finale is a bit disappointing, since it tries to wrap everything up into too neat a package. The film is better remembered for its priceless vignettes: the Jane Austen staging, the camping trip as examples. B & H does not attempt to mirror the predominant attitudes toward homosexuality and bisexuality. Most of the characters are quite accepting of sexual diversity. In that sense it is a joyous vacation from homophobic society. And it is a celebration of a flexibility, a loosening of rigid sexual categories--perhaps a happy harbinger of things to come.

Rose Troche introduced herself to us in 1994 with the small budget, pleasant lesbian love story called Go Fish which was set in the United States.

Her very assured Bedrooms And Hallways moves its locale to urban England and follows the will I, won't I musings of Leo (Kevin McKidd).

He's fallen for five o'clock shadowed Irishman Brendan (James Purefoy) but Leo fears he might have got himself into trouble. He's terrified of falling in love with a straight man.

But is Brendan straight or gay or both? He's just come out of a long standing relationship with a woman.

The two men meet at a men's s group run by a serious eyed and voiced Keith (Four Weddings and a Funeral's Simon Callow).

It would seem that Rose Troche and her team find a lot that goes on at these groups to be pretty funny. There's much clasping of the "honesty rock" and a particularly apt solution to catering.

Meanwhile the sexually unambiguous characters get their fair shake. The flag is flown strongly for all sexual inclinations.

Very camp Darren (Tom Hollander) knows what he wants. He's having a great time with Jeremy a real estate agent played with terrific intensity by Australian actor Hugo Weaving. They sneak into people's houses which are on the market to have sex.

Leo is wavering, he's showing some interest in women as well as in Brendan and Darren is incensed, expecting calls from the sex police. Meanwhile Angie and Sybil have no qualms about being happily heterosexual. But all remains fluid.

Bedrooms and Hallways is a cheerful comedy romance with a homosexual bent. It gathers pace in its final third when, as in nearly all comedy romances, everyone finds a mate and/or a lover. There are plenty of laughs in what is a smart, impressive new movie from Rose Troche.

Things have changed over the years in films. The boys and girls used to be nearly ten years younger in these sorts of comedies and we were used to them finding a life long, heterosexual partner in the final reel, to then live happily ever after.

These days a three night trial liaison is probably more than can be expected, a situation which more suitably fits the thirty somethings these films are about.

This is a gentle romantic comedy about the diversity of human sexuality and in some ways not unlike an Ealing comedy with its friendly pokes at New Agers and estate agents.

It was very well worth it alone though for the Jane Austen send up scene - handsome James Purefoy striding about in breeches saying 'I've been out all day whipping stable boys - would you like a whipping, boy' to footman Kevin McKidd who nearly orgasms on the spot. This is a bit of a cinematic in joke anyway as several of the cast (Purefoy, Ehle and Walter) have all starred in recent Austen adapataions.

There are several belly laughs too - this is one for curling up with someone of the same or opposite sex, and having a cuddle and glass of wine whilst you enjoy it.