AmosL
08-28-2006, 06:49 AM
"THE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN"
AMOS LASSEN and Cinema Pride
Based on the long running comic strip "The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green" (HERE! TV) by Eric Orner releases on DVD on October 10 and is a fun filled romp through the gay dating scene. Ethan is somewhat of a social nerd when it comes to finding Mr. Wonderful or even Mr. Right Now. His dating life is a disaster and he alone must take full credit for that. He is so self-absorbed that the chances for him finding a boyfriend seem nil. When the movie opens our bumbling anti-hero, Ethan (cute David Letterle) falls madly in love with Kyle ( hunky Diego Serrano), a former big league baseball player who has just recently emerged from the closet. Yet complications ensue when his former boyfriend Leo (David Monahan) decides to sell the house which they once shared and where Ethan still lives. To avoid homelessness, Ethan tries to sabotage the sale by using an agent who has not had a sale in years. Sonny Deal (Rebecca Lowman) is a realtor's nightmare and works with Punch (Dean Shelton-a typical teenage sex fiend) whom Ethan met after breaking up with Kyle.
All of us who go to the movies regularly know how difficult it is to transform a comic strip to the screen. Where others have failed, "Ethan Green" succeeds. What makes this movie so much fun is the cast that seems to be enjoying every second of filming. I particularly liked Leo, Ethan's ex who in his pomposity radiates that "j'en ne se croix" sexuality. Leo decides to marry a gay Republican who appears as a clown like most Republicans of late. Here we are privy to a series of jokes about the Grand Old Party and Scott Anderson is wonderfully dense in this portrayal and he plays the role to the hilt. Ethan's mother (Meredith Baxter) is a mild version of Susan Gless, fag hag mother on "Queer as Folk" and is a fountain of information for her son. Parallel to all of this is the story line of Ethan's lesbian roommate (Shanola Hampton). Ethan also has two gay uncles known as "The Hat Sisters" (Joel Brooks and Richard Riehle) who act as somewhat Greek chorus to all of the goings on and provide riotous commentary. But it is Letterle who runs the show. He manages to capture al of the nerdiness, silliness, confusion, and tenderness demanded for his role and in doing so, wins the hearts of the viewers. I found myself wanting to yell at him telling him that if he came to Arkansas all would be fine.
For all of us who complain about a love life that needs a kick or is just blah, it is definitely your obligation to see this movie. You will feel so much better with your lot when you see what Ethan goes through. I know most of you are wondering if Ethan finally finds true love and settles down. I'll never tell--see the movie and find out for yourself. It is funny, clever, lovely and a helluva good time.
AMOS LASSEN and Cinema Pride
Based on the long running comic strip "The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green" (HERE! TV) by Eric Orner releases on DVD on October 10 and is a fun filled romp through the gay dating scene. Ethan is somewhat of a social nerd when it comes to finding Mr. Wonderful or even Mr. Right Now. His dating life is a disaster and he alone must take full credit for that. He is so self-absorbed that the chances for him finding a boyfriend seem nil. When the movie opens our bumbling anti-hero, Ethan (cute David Letterle) falls madly in love with Kyle ( hunky Diego Serrano), a former big league baseball player who has just recently emerged from the closet. Yet complications ensue when his former boyfriend Leo (David Monahan) decides to sell the house which they once shared and where Ethan still lives. To avoid homelessness, Ethan tries to sabotage the sale by using an agent who has not had a sale in years. Sonny Deal (Rebecca Lowman) is a realtor's nightmare and works with Punch (Dean Shelton-a typical teenage sex fiend) whom Ethan met after breaking up with Kyle.
All of us who go to the movies regularly know how difficult it is to transform a comic strip to the screen. Where others have failed, "Ethan Green" succeeds. What makes this movie so much fun is the cast that seems to be enjoying every second of filming. I particularly liked Leo, Ethan's ex who in his pomposity radiates that "j'en ne se croix" sexuality. Leo decides to marry a gay Republican who appears as a clown like most Republicans of late. Here we are privy to a series of jokes about the Grand Old Party and Scott Anderson is wonderfully dense in this portrayal and he plays the role to the hilt. Ethan's mother (Meredith Baxter) is a mild version of Susan Gless, fag hag mother on "Queer as Folk" and is a fountain of information for her son. Parallel to all of this is the story line of Ethan's lesbian roommate (Shanola Hampton). Ethan also has two gay uncles known as "The Hat Sisters" (Joel Brooks and Richard Riehle) who act as somewhat Greek chorus to all of the goings on and provide riotous commentary. But it is Letterle who runs the show. He manages to capture al of the nerdiness, silliness, confusion, and tenderness demanded for his role and in doing so, wins the hearts of the viewers. I found myself wanting to yell at him telling him that if he came to Arkansas all would be fine.
For all of us who complain about a love life that needs a kick or is just blah, it is definitely your obligation to see this movie. You will feel so much better with your lot when you see what Ethan goes through. I know most of you are wondering if Ethan finally finds true love and settles down. I'll never tell--see the movie and find out for yourself. It is funny, clever, lovely and a helluva good time.