Jeffrey

jef

source: Jeffrey

I found this movie very trite. Steve Weber was not believable. Michael Weiss was both sexy and convincing, and so were the other players, the director just needed to get a better lead. the gay scene was believable, just not the wimpiness of the main character.... and dying from aids is not so neat..... I know my brother showed me how it's done...

This is the movie that I always say is the funniest one I've ever seen. It's funny because it doesn't rely on Ashton Kutcher or bad parodies or stupid clichés -- the jokes are tight, unique and, most importantly, have meaning. Any comedy that can make us cry at the death of a Broadway extra from Cats (the poor much maligned Cats) but have us laughing at the one man's desire that he feels he can't have, gives us a depth of meaning not seen in comedic film in quite a while. We've become to dependent on having comedies without a meaning, or a point, or a way of laughing at something as terrifying as the AIDS crisis. Sometimes we want to laugh at that which scares us -- it gives us power over it.

Have to say that I felt sick after watching this film.....one big fat fluffy mess. Its just jumping on the band wagon of the caring 90's "fad" of political correctness. Not even Sigourney Weaver could save this celluloid abomination. What a waste of time. It was disturbing to see elderly parents discussing gay saunas with their son....Im not a puritan at all....but it was just stupid and not even funny. The actor playing jeffrey...whoa..... was one of the worst performance I've ever seen !....I was told by a friend who is HIV positive that he actually walked out of this film at a screening 15 minutes into it because it was so agitating. I decided to hire it and see for myself why so many people, mostly gay, say that this is the worst movie they have ever seen.....now I know. Watch "The boys in the Band" (not really AIDS related) and "The Band Played On" (AIDS related) if you want to see something thats decent and at least watchable. Avoid this one....Im sure the director gets embarrassed when he looks back and realises what a mess this stupid film was.

Things you should know about "Jeffrey"-- *The "Wings" guy sucks face with the "Pretender" guy... why would anyone suck face with the Wings guy? *The Wings guy gets totally upstaged (Eric McCormack-style) by the far more interesting characters that surround him (note to Mr. Weber: never star opposite children, animals, wallpaper or oxygen) *The Pretender guy's dance scene is performed with all the rhythm and agility of a flu-stricken Henry Rollins stuck in a k-hole. And on crutches. *The Wings guy has all the charm of a wad of wet Charmin stuck to the side of a men's room urinal *The Pretender guy finds the Wings guy attractive. This could only happen in Gay Hollywood, and it's about as believable and convincing as a Guy Ritchie plot-line or Madonna guitar riff *Olympia Dukakis is our patron saint. The pill is far less bitter when washed down with just a swallow of Olympia. The woman can spin dung into daffodils, and her Adam's apple and Swamp Thing-hands just make her all the more enchanting *Patrick Stewart totally owns this movie... and why would anyone suck face with the Wings guy?

In New York, while having sex with his partner, the condom bursts and the gay waiter and unemployed actor Jeffrey (Steven Weber), afraid of AIDS, decides to have no more sex in his life. In the gym, he meets the handsome gay Steve (Michael T. Weiss), who is HIV positive, and they fall in love for each other. However, Steve does not want to have an affair, believing that sex is dangerous. "Jeffrey" is a dramatic romantic comedy, with a very well structured screenplay, good cast and direction. However, this low budget movie is recommended for gays only. I read many good professional reviews about this film, and I decided to watch it. I recognize it is a good movie, but not for my taste. My vote is five. Title (Brazil): "Jeffrey, De Caso Com a Vida" ("Jeffrey, In an Affair With Life")

This is a very silly movie. If you don't think that a movie about AIDS can be silly, you need to see this movie. Susan Sontag would be very happy to see a movie that defies the thought that AIDS=death, and that AIDS (or the fear of it) doesn't stop love or life. Jeffrey is a gay man in New York City who suddenly decides to stop having sex. His plan goes well until he meets a gorgeous man in the gym that he can't stop thinking about. The more he tries to maintain a sex-free lifestyle, the more he thinks about this man. His feelings for the man is complicated when it it revealed to Jeffrey that the man is HIV+. It's as smart as an ironic romantic comedy can be and as funny as a movie about life can be. Personally I think that Patrick Stewart was directed to be far to gay than he needs to be (Not all gay men are limp-wristed, Patrick.) and the world doesn't need another gay priest joke, but you can't take this movie to seriously. After all it's a romantic comedy!

This is one of those movies that I confidently predict will wind up being considered much better as time goes on than the critics said at its inception. It's especially funny (and biting on occasion) if you happened to have lived through the first rush of AIDS deaths and the fear that engendered. This whole movie is a send up of that, and revels in the idea that sex and life go on even in the aftermath of terror. The Hoe-down fantasy sequence with its overtones of Busby Berkley and Oklahoma is hysterically funny. As for the acting, it's purposely broad with Patrick Steward playing against type, both in his role of Picard and in his many Shakespearean ones. Steve Weber is a hoot and there is no doubt in my mind that the other actors had a blast working in this flick. Many of them appear to have that "look" you see when actors are performing for their peers and enjoying every moment of it. The Pink Panthers moment alone lets Stewart shine. Are there flaws in the movie. Yup! The dialogue is sometimes stilted and jokes occasionally are dumped in rather than flowing from the plot, but overall it's witty, biting, and downright rapier-like on more than one occasion. All in all, Jeffrey is fun and worth an hour or so of your life.

I've noticed that many of the people who really didn't like this film were taking it way too seriously....Either that or they were expecting too much. Its a comedy, (with some serious underlying issues)...It doesn't pretend to be anything else. I found it fun, light-hearted and adorable. Michael Weiss is yummy as usual, Patrick Stewart adds flair and finesse, Nathan Lane gives yet another spunky fun performance, etc.. If you have high expectations for the film, you're going to be disappointed. If you want to have a good time and a good laugh, give it a go.