Hard Pill (2005)

Expected more

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Sweet, well-intended comedy/drama examining sexuality and love. A company comes out with a pill to make gay men straight and Tim (a very good Jonathan Slavin) decides to try it, since there is a painful lack of romance in his life as a gay man, while a number smart women seem to like him. This leads to all sorts of complications, hurt feelings, lost friendships. Some of this is clunky, the plot relying a bit heavily on some thin ideas, cliché characters, and big coincidences. But it has a good heart, nice performances and ultimately is a real affirmation of self- acceptance, without pretending that is always an easy thing.

I'm very glad I watched this, because I had been somewhat leery due to the premise. I expected a low-budget alternative movie with strained, over-the-top comedy, and that's not what you get. This is a good-looking, sophisticated movie with an incredible depth of talent in the cast--virtually all of whom are people you've seen and enjoyed in other projects. The movie is not about the wild and wacky results of taking a "straight pill." It's a portrait of straight men and women seeking to connect and having their hearts broken. I felt most moved for our hero's straight friend. This movie still qualifies as a comedy due to the overall atmosphere, the dialogue, and the actors' comedy chops, but it's also a character study.

This movie was a free Logo offering on my Comcast On-Demand that I happened to pick at random. What a lucky choice I made. It's hard for me to convey concisely how this movie moved me. As another commenter mentioned, it is a low-budget type film but that makes this even more powerful and poignant. What is great about this film is that it pulls no punches and lays its messages out on the line. The main character is a plain but still attractive guy that is often at the mercy of the vanity and cruelty of the gay world. This movie blows the lid off the Will & Jack stereotype that all gay guys are nice, fun, and cute - the reality for many guys like myself is not always so pleasant. The main character constantly falls for the wrong (straight/confused) guys that often use him intentionally or not. It is this frustration and unhappiness that drives him to consider taking a pill that allegedly will make him straight. The great thing about this film is that none of the characters are portrayed as perfect - they're portrayed as human.A gay guy who has experienced rejection and ridicule by "his own kind" must see this movie as an epiphany of sorts. Even better, someone who may have a distorted picture of what the "gay lifestyle" is should see this movie - this IS the reality for the average gay guy. We're not all depressed like this but it blows the lid off stereotypes like nothing I've ever seen. Please, please see this jewel of a movie.

Don't let the title fool you. HARD PILL is not one of those Showtime movies that tackles a modern morality issue at the expense of character, plot and general viewer enjoyment. Yes, the underlying story is of a young gay man who joins a medical study to test a pill to turn him straight. But the premise is really just a springboard to explore relationships and the wonderful pain and joy when human beings seek to 'connect'. A variety of characters in various stages of relationships are all forced to re-assess their tenuous links to one another when our hero agrees to go on the pill. The film is full of honest, intelligent performances with room for humor, sentiment and yes - even some social commentary. HARD PILL is a prescription for a thought-provoking and entertaining 90 minutes that went down well with me.