The Trip

A captivating small film dealing with the relationship of two gay men over many years and the surrounding upheaval of the gay movement. Many wonderful supporting performances contribute to the overall goodwill of the film. Sirena Irwin is a sketch as Beverly the trend jumping Greek chorus and Jill St. John an absolute scene stealer as Alan's boozy wise mom but the entire cast even in the smallest roles are splendid. The musical score is also loaded with excellent choices which really set the right tone for each scene. It all boils down however to the chemistry and performances of the two lead actors which are strong and makes you really like and root for the characters throughout their journey.

I have no doubt that this film would not have been shown at my local cinema which is why I have only just seen it. This is a shame because I thought that this was a very good film.

It is both a very touching film and also a very funny film with some very sensitive acting from Larry Sullivan and Steve Braun who receive some very good support, most notably from Sirena Irwin and Jill St John, but also from Alexis Arquette, Ray Baker and Dennis Bailey.

It was also both interesting and a very elucidating idea to show the various stages of the life of their relationship against a backdrop of the (gay) politics of the time.

I think that it was a shame that I missed it but a much bigger shame that my local cinema would not have run this type of film as it was of a much higher caliber than some of the pulp that they do show (and I don't refer here to the type or genre of the film but to the acting and production values).

This movie presents the zeitgeist of gay history post-Hippie through the early-AIDS era. It pans this period in a Forrest Gump-esque fashion: intermixing the romantic plot between the main characters with brief moments from the national plight of gays & lesbians (like the Anita Bryant crusade, Harvey Milk's assassination, losing loved ones to AIDS). As a GenX'er I found this to help personalize something which I have only read about in GLBT history classes. I'm sure it will be "the trip" down memory lane for those guys 40-something and older. Brilliantly written script, excellent acting. If you're looking for a good snuggle movie to watch with your next boy friend, partner, trick, whomever -- this is a must see.

Considering the tremendous challenges which face today's independent film company, it's always encouraging when one comes along that manages to make a some sort of statement. "The Trip" offers two attractive leads (Larry Sullivan and Steve Braun) and supports, along with some nice scenery and photography.

While the actual road trip doesn't occur until well over half of the film's running time, the title may also suggest the lengthy relationship of the two leads.

Even so, there's something which seems slightly off-balance in the way of formal structure and focus to the proceedings. So much action takes place--even by years --before the actual road trip begins, that its theme becomes a bit vague.

One part of the difficulty may be the lack of close perspectives of the two leads to set them apart from all the other action. We're kept at such a distance that it's hard to really get into their relationship and fathom it as a true focal point of this comedy-drama. In a way it reminds me of another "road" film, "Y Tu Mama Tambien," and the black comedy, "In the Company of Men," in which the camera likewise remains at a distance.

Still, there are engaging moments in "The Trip," allowing one to feel for the leading pair by the end. Writer-director Mike Swain obviously gave it good effort on limited budget and succeeded in making a statement that apparently touched some people.

I attended a screening in SF, but found myself unable to speak while the director and two stars were standing before me. So now that I've found my voice again, here goes: While he falls short of achieving his goals, I believe it is because he has set the bar too high for himself. It seems he wanted to do so much in this film, that it was impossible for him to say everything that he wanted to. I am sure that making a film about gay men can be difficult. We want the love story of "Beautiful Thing", the comedy of "Trick", the hunky cast of "Broken Hearts Club", and the tear-jerker sadness of "It's My Party". Mr. Swain tries to do, be, create all of these things in one package. He came respectably close to doing it.

I enjoyed the film, it felt contrived in places, which may have had as much to do with the editing as it does with the fact that this is Mr. Swain's first film. Given time, his voice and vision will mature, and I can't wait to see what happens as it does.

See this film, we need more like it.