| Copyright 2005 by C.E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved. |
| Adam & Steve |
One of the leading actors of the New Queer Cinema is Craig Chester, who made a memorable debut at Nathan Leopold in Tom Kalin’s 1992 classic SWOON. Since then, Chester has acted in some intriguing features ranging from GRIEF (1993) to I SHOT ANDY WARHOL (1996) to CIRCUIT (2001). Even in small roles, Chester is a screen presence that cannot be overlooked. Now he’s moved behind the camera as director and screenwriter on the very amusing romantic comedy ADAM & STEVE, which has been traveling the festival circuit (including Tribeca and NewFest in New York City). ADAM & STEVE opens in 1987 at Danceteria, one of the hot nightspots in its day. A dance troupe, who wouldn’t be out of place on “SOLID GOLD,” is entertaining the patrons. The lead dancer is the chiseled, handsome Steve (Malcolm Gets). Enter Adam (Chester) and his best girlfriend Rhonda (the always reliable Parker Posey in a fat suit), both decked out in Goth attire, and clearly out of place. Nevertheless, Adam is immediately attracted to Steve, and after a false start, it proves to be a mutual attraction. Steve offers the Goths some cocaine and later agrees to go home with Adam. Once at Adam’s apartment, a rather unsettling (and depending on your sense of humor, hilarious) “accident” occurs, resulting in the pair going their separate ways. Flash forward 17 years and Adam is in recovery, attending various 12-step meetings. He’s also still single. Rhonda has dropped a huge amount of weight, but persists in performing her comedy act built around her large size. When Adam injures his dog by accident, he rushes the pooch to the nearest hospital and he again meets Steve, who is now a psychiatrist. Neither recognizes the other beyond the vague, “you remind me of someone” thing. So, after a few false starts, the pair eventually begins dating, until the moment when Steve comes to realize that he has met Adam before and freaks. Chester’s script is a series of set pieces that all contain exaggerated characters for comic effect. There are numerous one-liners that hit the mark and the central relationship follows its ups and downs along the lines of a conventional romantic comedy with a homosexual spin. Credit has to go to the superlative acting of Chester and Gets, both “out” actors who share a terrific and believable chemistry. Posey does her usual great work as Rhonda while Chris Kattan is amusing as Michael, Steve’s heterosexual roommate who develops a thing for Rhonda. There are also funny cameos from Sally Kirkland as the moderator of a 12-step group, Melinda Dillon as Gets’ uptight mother, and Julie Hagerty and Paul Sand as Chester’s accident-prone parents. While some of the set pieces may possess a cartoon-like feel – a repeated scene of a gay-bashing, for instance – Chester has wisely maintained the same tone throughout the film. Indeed, much of the humor evolves from that over-the-top quality. As such, ADAM & STEVE may not be to everyone’s taste, but the audience at NewFest (myself included) enjoyed this romantic romp. Rating: B+ Viewed at NewFest 2005 at the Loews State Theater |
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