Quick Movie Reviews

One film that I’ve quite enjoyed that has to do with homosexuality is I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which is a sort of satirical take on all of the stereotypes that are affiliated with homosexuals. It entails two heterosexual friends who act as a gay couple so that one of them can have his children be beneficiaries in his health policy after his death. On one hand, every single stereotype about the gays is attached to almost every gay character in the film and the audience is reminded of what gays are “supposed” to be like. On the other hand, these two heterosexual characters courageously go through the same obstacles as the kind of people they are pretending to be and become positive role models for the LGBT community in the movie, thus proving that the overall objective of this movie was to promote equality for homosexuality. I understand that this is a comedy and there has to be jokes to laugh at, but the fact that every gay character in the film is aggressively sexual does not help matters. Even with the pro-gay message that this movie is trying to provide, homosexuality is still the punch line of every joke in this movie. The movie that to me really does justice for the LGBT community according to Michael Green is Brokeback Mountain.  As Green mentioned, screenwriters need to “make such characters recognizably queer, without centralizing queerness as a problem or resorting to stereotypes” (2013). Although it was graphically sexual, the audience also got to see how these two complex characters come to terms with their homosexuality and keep living on. The fact that these two non-stereotypically gay men try to live their lives the “right” way with their wives in the American West is a good story as it is. The great reviews and the Oscar nominations proved that this movie has impacted people’s views on homophobia. These two movies are examples of how complex narratives can furthermore increase one’s acceptance of the LGBT community.