East Side Story

This is a wonderfully fun and well-made film. For a low-budget film, this is about as good as it gets. You can tell the people involved are headed for great things. The direction was flawless. The drama was touching and the humor absolutely hilarious; the pace: perfect. The acting: engaging.

While technically a coming-out story, it doesn't feel like one. The story avoids the clichés with a refreshingly modern angle. The over-arching themes are there loud and clear, without overshadowing the personal story of the lead character.

I saw this film at Philly's gay film festival. So many of the other films either have gorgeous eye candy or good acting, not both. That was not the case with this movie. The lead actors are all incredibly hot - and you see plenty of them - yet they were great actors as well. The director was generous with the eye candy without being gratuitous. It seemed directed to appeal to a gay audience, but tastefully, in a way that won't be a turn-off to straight audiences.

Fun. Entertaining. Touching. Hilarious. Highly recommended.

This is a very technically well-made film with good pacing and overall good acting, with standout performances from the main females and most of the main male actors. The main problem with the film is the extent to which is borrows from stereotypical sitcom television conventions, down to the nicely packaged happy ending. Boy meets closeted boy, boy dumps closeted boy, boy meets new gay couple on block, one half of the gay couple cheats on partner with boy, purely dramatic devices causes a break-up (which in typical television fashion, the couple didn't actually belong together - not the like the boy and cheating partner do), till finally, again true to TV conventions, all is resolved and happily so, that by the time the end title credits roll, boy ends up with the right half of the couple.

Don't get me wrong, it's a well-made film with some excellent performances. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser and it's sure to be enjoyed by nearly any gay-identified audience member who views it. Apparently, the distributors didn't see any cross-over appeal as the movie seems to be headed to a DVD release without even a cursory theatrical release in some of the major markets where it did not make into (or which do not have) a gay and lesbian film festival.

Definitely worth renting, once the DVD is released, apparently in the next few months, and perhaps even owning. However, comparing this to Brokeback Mountain is definitely not appropriate.

East Side Love Story is about Diego Campos and his quest to get out of East L.A. and become a chef in his own restaurant. Along the way he finds that sometimes to get away from home, you just need to stay where you are.

First off, the good parts. I liked the acting and the set design. The restaurant in particular reminded me of some of the places I grew up eating in. To me, that's a bonus.

The acting, while heavy handed at times, didn't seem devoid of heart. René Alvarado (Diego) seemed to finally find his voice near the end of the movie. The rest of the cast were fun, if stereotypical, parts. Pablo, the closeted boyfriend. Wesley, the new neighbor with a problem. Bianca, the crazy aunt (or sister, depending on the writer). The understanding and wise maternal figure, Sara. All played to the fullest and farthest the actor could go.

The bad parts: The acting, while good, was deeply uneven. Most of the actors tended to "sell to the cheap seats" instead of going for smaller actions.

The writing was manic and led to uneven pacing. The whole back and forth between two characters, while building drama, was kind of tedious.

The cinematography. Again, while not terrible, shots seemed to go for more group shots than anything else. Reactions were off camera. In particular a scene between Diego and Westley left all of Diego's dialog being delivered while the back of his head was to camera.

The worst offence is the lighting. Maybe it was the copy I watched, but I couldn't see what the hell was going on some of the time. It honest to god looked like it was being lit by a flashlight ... with a dying battery.

All in all though, I would watch it again. Though, not without a glass of wine first.

'East Side Story' is a cheesy gay romantic comedy. There are some truly funny moments - mostly thanks to Bianca (wonderfully portrayed by Gladise Jiminez), who happens to by one of my favourite characters.

The story revolves around a chef, Diego (Rene Alvarado), who works for his family in their restaurant. His family doesn't know he is gay, but when he meets and falls in love with Wesley (Steve Callahan), he realizes life indeed has a deeper meaning. Only problem is, Wesley is trapped in a loveless relationship with Jonathan, and Jonathan is jealous and possessive over Wesley. (Steve Callahan is SO handsome with such a great body. He quite simply is the most delicious thing on two legs!!)

Many funny moments arise (among other things...). Bianca's relationship with Diego's ex, Pablo, is also hilarious! There's also enough eye candy here to make you drool all the way! The only downside to the movie, was the poor lighting (at times). I found many scenes way too dark. Pity.

Nevertheless, 'East Side Story' is a funny, thoroughly enjoyable comedy sure to entertain. And, if you look closely, you'll even find a few life lessons here too.

I just finished watching this movie and I have to say; I really enjoyed it. The whole cast is great. The acting from the sexy Rene Alvarado who plays Diego Campos to the crazy and lots of drama aunt Bianca Campos played by Gladise Jimernez is simply incredible. Irene De Bari who plays Sara Campos truly plays a latina grandmother. I really admire the way the Director Carlos Portugal has brought together many issues how people in our own latino community feel about outside economic infusion, minorities and gays.

I can only hope that this is not Carlos Portugal last film. I wish him luck in finding new and refreshing material to turn into great movies like this one. I want everyone can see East Side Story. It is a great film.