Were the World Mine

source: Were the World Mine

this film stole my heart, and the two male leads did the same. i had recently watched two rather tragic ending gay films and because of some personal things, was feeling a bit depressed, and... then i watched Were the world mine... It completely cheered me up, i mailed my l.a.t boyfriend with just rapturous remarks about this film (we're watching it together this weekend). to everyone/every gay slightly interested, Go see this film one way or the other. the singing, the acting, the cute male (lead) characters, the plot, the art direction , it all just Works! together with Beautiful Thing, these are the 2 most wonderful gay films around. (there are other good ones around, sure...) and yes, it's got a happy end. (that works for me every time!) to sum it up in one word: Wonderful!

Despite a great deal of male-to-male affection (bare-chested hugging, kissing, and cuddling), "Were the World Mine" is overloaded with bigots. What's worse is, they win out! This 'fantasy' for open-minded audiences doesn't really have a happy ending at all...in fact, this is the least progressive gay-themed film in a good while. Handsome prep school lad, about to perform in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" along with his classmates, is aided by his music teacher in coming up with an elixir which can turn heterosexuals gay. This naturally leads to confusion and anger when the newfound gays and lesbians (acting like horny pod people) descent upon the straights, begging for their returned affections. An ambitious, colorful production sense (with beautifully scored musical interludes) captivates the attention for a spell; however, the third act (switching the gays back to their hateful hetero selves) doesn't exactly inspire the quirky sweetness director and co-screenwriter Tom Gustafson was probably aiming for. *1/2 from ****

Were the World Mine may not be perfect, but it is inspiring, with a brilliant and durable concept (a queer interpretation and extension of A Midsummer Night's Dream). Like a previous reviewer, I just saw this at the San Francisco Int'l LGBT Film Festival, where it was indeed a solid crowd pleaser and one of my three favorite features in the festival. The film grew from the director's short film "Fairies" (which was also memorable) and I dare say that the music and lyrics, and certainly the lead performers, deserve to have him tighten it up a bit, somehow get lots more money, and carry this forward to a remake a la Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge") or Julie Taymor ("Across the Universe"). In a way, the material is both weighty and fanciful enough to really need that level of realization to be properly appreciated. As is, though, "Were the World Mine" moved me to tears, made me laugh many times, and made me want to listen to its few songs again, more closely!

This utterly adorable fantasy musical is one of those tiny movies made simply in a small town and without pretensions other than to enchant... and if you see it in a crowded cinema keen to enjoy then you are really in for a magical experience. I know I am blathering on about this funny whimsical film in the tone of the title and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM terminology, but as I am having fun here with my descriptions, you will as well if you take the time to see and enjoy it as I described above. With it's heart tight in its lovable hero's hairy teen armpit, this DEAD POET SOCIETY locker room version of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM has more than a whiff of the teen spirit from Baz Luhrmann's Leo/R&J and HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL for teenage boys. If it can be remade with a bigger sound and image quality and retain the hilarious tone and charm then WERE THE WORLD MINE might just cross into mainstream teen and young adult affection with its funny fairy charm intact and actually get world wide applause. Tanner Cohen can certainly sing, Nathaniel David Becker is an ideal love interest for him, and Zelda Williams makes the most hilarious and adorable English teacher with a very keen awareness of what when tweaked will want untold. I loved it and will happily get Pucked again even just for fun.

I was lucky enough to see this film at the official youth screening at the Vancouver Queer Film Fest. Liked it so much I walked in and stood for the second, sold out, screening that followed. Beautiful scenes, good acting, great concept / plot, absolutely rapturous music... this movie made my heart melt, made me fall in love with the two main characters. This is what movies are supposed to do, and Were the World Mine did this beautifully. This film realizes many a gay boy's high school fantasy, and does it with style and grace. It's poignant, moving. The actors who play Timothy's two best friends nail it. The drama teacher is a woman to be reckoned with. And the two male leads are both gay in real life. I will be buying this one as soon as it comes out. In the meantime I will be listening to music from the film on their MySpace page.

Were the World Mine is set in an all male private school where the entire senior class is required to participate in the senior play, a production of "A Midsummer Nights Dream"---even the members of the rugby team. But the events in the town start to take on a surreal gay twist, as the interactions of all the folks in the town start to mirror those in Shakespeare's original script. As you may know---the comedy of the Shakespeare play centers around a device where a fairy named Puck can sprinkle a magic elixir into someone's eyes, causing that person to fall madly in love with the first person they lay eyes on. Timothy, who is picked on by all the members of rugby team, and is playing Puck in the play, manages to get his hands on the elixir for real. But as in Shakepeare's version, not everything goes as planned. Along the way, there are lots of shirtless hot rugby players, and amazing singing. I saw this at the Santa Barbara GLBTQ film-festival and was captivated. After seeing the film, now when I play the clips of the trailer I get goose-bumps. During the film I was so transported into the world of the characters that I didn't even notice all the amazing cinematography that I see now in the trailer. The film seems to move effortlessly between realistic scenes and those that are surreal and fantastic---in all senses of that word. The cast is terrific---and the music is transcendent. I highly recommend this film.

Tanner Cohen can not sing. Why he thinks he can, I do not know. Why others think he can, I do not know. The director seems infatuated with him. He keeps using him. This dreadful mess lurches and sways its way from one ridiculous scene after another. I mean, how many scenes am I supposed to take that feature singing men in undershorts and or fairy wings? And the songs. Oh God, some of them play out like a Ukrainian funeral march. Look, maybe it's me. I am a gay man--maybe the only gay man--who doesn't get it. I was endlessly tempted to hit the fast forward to spare myself any more. Is it the fact that I find Cohen less than talented and boring? Honestly I don't know. But I'd rather suffer a years worth of bikini waxes than to sit through this monstrosity again.

I watched Were The World Mine this afternoon on DVD and was completely under the spell ! People on the boards have criticized this movie in every way, from every angle and in every detail. Get real folks ! This film is a fantasy, it's sole objective to entertain and to make us dream, to get us away from our dull everyday existences and just enjoy ourselves. As far as I'm concerned, the director ,crew and cast succeeded admirably ! It's never going to be easy for a gay-theme movie to find popularity in main-stream cinema and even more so when things are done on a tight budget, but Were The World has done just that ! Even the gay-clichés made me laugh,as there weren't too many and they fitted into the story-line smoothly. I truly hope that the largely unknown cast go on to long, successful careers ! I gave it a 10, simply because the film entertained me and I couldn't ask for anything more !

I was anxious to go to the LGBT film festival, but I am glad I did. As well as some other titles, Were The World Mine is an amazing film. However, it did have its short-comings. The actors were brilliant, for the most part. Much better than I was expecting. After seeing a few of the shorts at the festival, I really wasn't expecting to be blown away by the cast. They did an astounding job. Even the slightly over-the-top Robie. The music. WOW, the music. I can honestly say that Were the World Mine has some of the best ORIGINAL music for any musical that has come out in a very long time. Tanner Cohen has an amazing voice, as well as the rest of the cast. There wasn't a single person that I thought didn't belong in a musical role. The dancing could have used work. The choreography was very nice, but I there were scenes where I thought "Ouch. It's called synchronization, fellas." The biggest dent in this movie, for me, was the end. I am happy with it, but I think it needed more explanation. It didn't entirely convince me. It was like the spell was still in effect. And that put the biggest damper on the film for me. I can connect the dots on my own, but I would like to be reassured. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend Were the World Mine. You won't be disappointed, too much.