Are There ANY Strong Gay-Themed Films Besides "Brokeback Mountain"?
Gay audiences for decades have made a past-time out of reinterpreting straight romantic comedies & dramas to better suit their lives. Either they envision themselves to be the hero or heroine--no matter what the sex on-screen. It's an awful lot of work in a medium which is supposed to be an escape from reality. It's time we celebrated the films which make the load a little easier.
List activity
2.5K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
- 5 titles
- DirectorOl ParkerStarsPiper PeraboLena HeadeyMatthew GoodeA newlywed bride becomes infatuated with another woman who questions her sexual orientation, promoting a stir among the bride's family and friends.I was a bit hesitant over this lesbian-themed romantic comedy--the trailer made it look like a gay meet-cute--but it caught me off-guard with its wit and wisdom.
- DirectorRobert TowneStarsMariel HemingwayScott GlennPatrice DonnellyThe intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.Barbed, restless, and fatally-compromised as it is, this lesbian-themed drama of two athletes goes where most films made today fear to tread. The candor between the two women (and their teammates) is frank and disarming, and probably turned off more audiences in 1982 than it turned on. Still worth-seeing, with the intricacies of an open gay relationship prickled with humor and bite.
- DirectorThomas BezuchaStarsArye GrossEric SchweigTim DeKayA thirty-something gay guy, Henry Hart, returns to his childhood Montana home to confront his unrequited passion for his high school best friend.The gay male relationships (and feelings) in "Big Eden" are honestly portrayed--for both a dramatic and a low-keyed comedic affect--and the small town surrounding is unusual. I'm not sure the match-ups at the finale are convincing, but at least the protagonist gets his man (and nobody stares or throws any rocks).
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsElizabeth BerkleyKyle MacLachlanGina GershonA mysterious young drifter who calls herself Nomi Malone hitches a ride to Las Vegas, where she finds work as a stripper and sets about clawing her way to the top of the Vegas showgirls.The lesbian asides in "Showgirls" were most probably meant to titillate straight men, but gay audiences claimed the picture early on. It's a relief there's no sturm-and-drang over who's kissing who on-screen...the creaky "All About Eve"-styled plot takes precedence over the sexual conquests. Still, it's a lollipop of a movie, loose and amoral, and the gay subtext bubbles nicely under the surface.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsJulie AndrewsJames GarnerRobert PrestonA struggling female soprano in 1934 Paris finally finds work after posing as a female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life when a visiting Chicago gangster finds himself inexplicably attracted to the seemingly male performer.Set in 1930s France, Blake Edwards' drag comedy is a big, bawdy delight aimed at sophisticated straight audiences, yet with a wink to gay viewers. Julie Andrews dons a tuxedo and everyone (improbably) believes she's a man, but the laughs are there. Plus, Robert Preston (as the proverbial gay best friend) does the queer-crowd proud.
