Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998) Sean P. Hayes, Brad Rowe, Richard Ganoung, Meredith Scott Lynn, Matthew Ashford, Armando Valdes-Kennedy, Paul Bartel, Carmine Giovinazzo, Holly Woodlawn, Mark Allen Anderson, Christopher Bradley. Written and directed by Tommy O'Haver. 89 minutes. Rated R, 3.5 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com/film/ Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott
Light as cotton candy, breezy and utterly charming, "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" is reminiscent of one of those fluffy, exuberant Rock Hudson/Doris Day romantic comedies from the 60's, except in this case Rock is out of the closet and Doris is a guy.
Despite working on a shoestring budget, Indianapolis filmmaker and I.U. grad Tommy O'Haver had the audacity to film "Billy" in a cinemascope screen ratio, and his ballsy move works. Beautifully framed and drenched in vivid colors, the wide screen production is truly handsome, enhancing the film's innocent, good-old-days feel.
O'Haver has created an unusually beguiling hybrid of 90's sensibilities and 60's panache, as he examines the intricacies, absurdities and heartbreaks of the dating ritual. Although gays will especially appreciate his romantic observations, heterosexual audiences should also be receptive to the gentle truths about the human condition presented here.
Billy Collier is an up and coming photographer in the ultra-trendy L.A. art world. While working on a new photo project, recreating great screen kisses from Hollywood's Golden Age with an all-male/drag cast, and stumbling through the dating scene, he meets Gabriel, a great-looking coffee house waiter. Billy recruits him as a model, and the two build a friendship complicated by Billy's growing infatuation for Gabriel and Gabriel's confusion over his sexual orientation. Is Gabriel straight, gay or bi? More importantly, does he care as much for Billy as Billy cares for him, or is our young hero doomed to suffer the indignities of unrequited love?
Regardless of orientation, we've all been down that road. We've all tried to take things slow, because it's the sensible thing to do, while our hearts demand that we dive in the deep end of the romantic pool. We've all spent hours waiting for a phone call from that special someone, even while knowing the foolishness of such behavior. We've all tried valiantly to let things flow naturally, fighting that insidious impulse to manipulate situations to meet our romantic agenda.
And what gay man hasn't spent a sleepless night laying by a "platonic" buddy, hoping he'll roll over and plant a big Hollywood screen kiss on his lips? "Billy" captures all of that romantic torture, without ever falling into pathos or losing its sprightly spirit.
Thank O'Haver's ingenious script for that. Crisp and clever, his dialogue has the easy wit and insight of early Woody Allen relationship comedies, without any of the creepy undertones.
The actors do justice to O'Haver's words, with Sean P. Hayes a delight as Billy, the all-American kid just looking for love. Hayes hits all the right notes, balancing puppy-dog innocence with brains and style. Billy knows that he probably will get hurt, but he just can't resist Gabriel's beauty and charm.
Brad Rowe, a Brad Pitt look-a-like who joined the cast of "NewsRadio" late last season, is very effective as Gabriel, deftly creating a character who is a bit dim and shallow, but utterly genuine. In lesser hands, Gabriel could easily have been just a himbo, but Rowe invests the character with enough substance that we understand why Billy is drawn to his spirit as well as his body.
The supporting cast is strong as well, with Meredith Scott Lynn a stand- out as George, Billy's confidant and ersatz big sister. Armando Valdes- Kennedy also scores as a Latin lover who just can't stop telling Billy how "special" he is.
With a drag trio popping up from time to time as the film's Greek chorus and several inventive dream sequences, "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" maintains a cheery, unpretentious tone, playing like a gay "Gidget" while gently dealing with the temptations and trauma of romance. The film was a big hit at last years Sundance Festival with good reason. O'Haver has spun a rich, entertaining confection, a gay film that manages to be mainstream without compromising itself. Now that's something to be out and proud about.
© Ed Johnson-Ott
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