Alex Strangelove (2018)

That was an excellent one.

So much average

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I say that because it's unavoidable: this is white bread bland. But it's done fairly well for what it is.It's honest and upfront about what we should expect: the main character talks to us, comments on his life, where it's going etc.People are right to say this is like modern John Hughes movie. Which, I hasten to add, were pretty much consider s**t when they came out except for their target audience: pre-teens and young teens. This film is for that same demographic.So I get why some people are really unhappy with it. No, of course it's not realistic. It's entertainment. And some of the entertainment is good, if stereotypical.If you been observing gay cinema as it evolved post-Stonewall--as I have and yes, I'm that old-you're more likely to give this a pass because IT IS equivalent to a John Hughes movie. Which, I will say again, adults considered s**t at the time. I think these serve the same purpose for the gay community as Hughes' movies did for straight kids in the '80s. Why shouldn't our kids get white bread formulaic rom coms too? We should. This is one, and for what it is, it's fine.

OK, so now I will get uber-flamed for daring not to fall head over heals with a film just because it is gay themed. If it were about a teenager a girlfriend who was still a virgin and conflicted about having sex with her but was determined to consummate simply because of peer pressure -- a totally real and believable scenario -- but then he realized he feels a much more powerful sexual attraction to another girl, THEN we could judge the film solely on its romantic-comedy merits. But here, because the gay conflict is throw in, everyone goes gaga over it and objectivity seems to be flying out the window. We (both straight and gay in our party) found it unfunny -- one of the most damning problems with a romantic comedy and especially our gay contingent said Alex, the closeted gay lad, was simply too clueless to be even marginally real. The pain in discovering one's alternative sexuality is almost always acute, never as benign as it is portrayed here, with the angst totally muted in the service of bad comedy. The inane banter between other characters is the kind written by 40 somethings who think they know how teens converse; here it is so absurd that it becomes annoying and distracting. The actors do an adequate job, actually they are quite good and will go on to do much better things, but the talent is mostly wasted here because the screenplay was unbelievable to all in our party -- straight, but actually the gay folks were more vocally unhappy with it. See it if you must, but don't think it will be in any real way enlightening as to the trauma that coming almost always is in a young person's life. And aside from the fact that it purports to be uplifting for gay teens, i.e., give gay youngsters a positive and uplifting insight into what's in store for them when they are confronted with this particular milestone in their young lives, most closeted gay teens will look at this and find nothing to relate to or to give them the encouragement needed to take that monumental step. Trying to make a farce about coming out is as difficult as trying to make a farce about the death of a teen's parent. Sure, perhaps SOME director out there could possibly do it; this director couldn't, and like any joke that no one laughs at, in the end it, is better if the joke weren't told at all.

Hormones are running wild at Buchanan High. Animal obsessed student body president Alex Truelove is an awkward teen looking for true love. He falls hard for Claire and they become video partner best friends. Eventually, they get into a relationship. Claire lets slip that Alex has been preventing her from devirginizing him. They decide on a hotel rendezvous to do it for the first time. Then he meets openly gay Elliott.The crass friend Dell does something crass to prove a point. My move would be less crass but still somewhat crass. Dell is more than a simplistic idiot sidekick. This is a good sexual confusion movie. I do have a presumed idea of where this movie is going but this takes a different road. I expected the hotel to be the climax. It might be better to structure that way. It may not be as sweet but it would be more dramatic. After the big emotional explosion, it can't really get that big again. Emotional tension kinda drift slowly down. Even his big reveal can't break that level again. Honestly, she has a bigger emotional arc than he does. Maybe, the coming out story is thankfully no longer shocking and this should be her story instead. Of course, there is a comparison to the other recent teen coming out movie, Love, Simon. I think they are both very compelling and slightly flawed in different ways. They could be a solid double bill.

A gem of a movie that not only accurately depicts the journeys of some LGBT+ people but also addresses ignorant world views in a comedic manner, whilst insinuating that they're not the best way to approach certain situations. It's also addressing the confusing time that many people have trying to figure out which sexuality they identify with which I adore! The performance of all actors in the film are incredible. Particularly the actors who portrayed Dell, Alex, Elliot and Claire did an exceptional job of it. The writing is also comedy driven which I adore. Really, this is just a classic RomCom, only it's really good lol.