Any Day Now

I was lucky enough to see this film while I was on holiday in Arizona and attended some screenings at The Sedona Film Festival. I didn't know anything about the film but have always been a fan of Cumming so chose this as one of the films to see. I wasn't disappointed, in fact I think it's fair to say this film completely blew me away and I left the cinema a bit of an emotional wreck! Some of the plot points at times may feel a bit rushed or contrived but if you just go with it you can enjoy a really beautiful, moving human drama. That's exactly what I chose to do and moved I was! The performances from all the cast are top notch, but Alan Cumming really is outstanding. I've never seen him better. It's really nicely shot and scored. The costumes and hair (!)are bang on period and the film flows seamlessly from beginning to the shocking end, which I had not anticipated and left me reeling! Would I recommend this film, in a word YES!

With ample opportunity to turn heavy-handed and sappy, Any Day Now is surprisingly authentic without jerking tears about a 15 year old Down-Syndrome boy being saved from institutions by a male couple. The film does not turn on sentiment but rather on the weakness of the 1979 judicial system that might deny custody just because the parents are gay.

Rudy (Allan Cumming) is a drag queen, who wants to care for neighbor boy, Marco (Isaac Leyva), abandoned by druggie mom. Paul (Garret Dillahunt), an assistant district attorney, comes out to Rudy and falls in love with him. Both men love Marco, yet they struggle to convince the court that because a couple is gay, it should not be denied custody.

It is the '70's after all, and being gay and a drag queen can be a real drag for the authorities. To the film's credit, even the tough-minded judges can have moments of sympathy. Minor players like the prosecuting attorney go beyond stereotype, and the ending goes against expectations, a real plus for a film that could have followed the play book for tears and happiness.

An audience favorite at Tribeca and Chicago film fests and winner of the Golden Space Needle award at Seattle, Any Day Now, inspired by a true event, delivers an honest conflict with an honest conclusion. I'll take that any day now

Travis Fine's remarkable film "Any Day Now" deals with the very thorny issue of gay parenting or more specifically, gay adoption. Alan Cumming, (superb), is the drag artist who feels responsible for the mentally handicapped child next door, (a terrific Issac Leyva), after his mother is picked up by the vice squad and who decides to do something about it by legally adopting the child himself with the help of his new lover who just happens to be a lawyer, (a very good Garret Dillahunt). It's the kind of topic the movies tends to shy away from and it has all the potential for mawkishness but Fine manages to steer clear of sentimentality; the result is both intelligent and very moving, yet not without a degree of humour. Of course, it also deals with issues that many will find grim and distressing and it proves to be a challenging watch. This is one gay-themed film that lays it very much on the line and is all the more powerful for it. In an age when so many polemical films are cut and dried and conventionally on the side of the angels here is one that is content to bleed like an open wound. You won't forget it in a hurry.

I saw this movie on a whim at the Palm Springs Film Fest and I feel like I left the theater a different person. I loved this story in all its heartbreaking glory. Alan Cumming's performance was wonderful and raw and at times I felt as enraged, as hopeful, as passionate and as proud as he did. I experienced so many emotions during the film that I was spent afterward, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed many tears during and after the movie.

I didn't know what to expect going in and I am so glad I picked this film. I could say more, but I don't want to spoil anything for the next person. Love, love, love - thank you Travis Fine.

Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one. That being said, I loved this movie. Yes, due to the constraints of a 2 hour movie, the leads fall into a serious relationship quite quickly. And maybe two guys in West Hollywood circa 1979 may not have fallen in love exactly like this, but darn it, does every gay film have to depict us all as un feeling sexual beings only. What a great message for future generations, and a timely one with gay marriage at the supreme level, that some gay men actually do want love and a family. My biggest compliment to the film was that by the end I was to enraged to cry. With only 16 theaters in the country showing this, and a mere 40k weekend, I feel so fortunate to have seen it in the theater. Ignore his 4 out of 10 rating and seek this little gem out.