I saw this film last night at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, where it was the Secret Screening, and I really enjoyed it.
"Gray Matters" managed to strike a good balance between being sweet and simultaneously funny. Although the frantic pacing requires some suspension of disbelief as the characters hurl through various scenarios at an unrealistic speed, it effectively conveys the disorientation that Gray is going through as she struggles to keep up with events. I think this film overall does a great job of showing the complete arc of a coming out compressed over a very short period of time.
There are lots of superficial parallels to be drawn with "Imagine Me & You", now out on DVD, but in "Gray Matters" the focus is not on a relationship between two characters, but instead more firmly on the titular protagonist and her struggle to work out her sexuality. For example, initial love interest Charlie isn't really fleshed out much in terms of her character depth - she's mostly just a very pretty plot device. I'd describe this film not so much as a romantic comedy, but rather a comedic chick-flick on the topic of coming out.
Coming to terms with identity takes definite precedence over romance as the point of the film: watching with that in mind will avoid disappointment with the ending, which was a bit cut-short and abrupt by any standard.
Although the members of the love triangle (Gray, her brother and her brother's wife) are well-cast and do a terrific job portraying all sides of the scenario sympathetically, I think the supporting cast really *makes* this movie. Molly Shannon is hilarious throughout: the theater erupted in laughter whenever she so much as showed up on screen. Alan Cumming's part is both extremely adorable and superlatively entertaining, and it became quickly apparent that if Gray doesn't fall for his character, she must be resolutely gay indeed. Sissy Spacek is put to very good use as the inept therapist, and one only wishes we could see more weekly sessions with her. Rachael Shelley reprises a role very similar to her Helena on the L-word, and it's a role she's absolutely perfect in.
Overall, I'd recommend the quite-similar "Imagine Me & You" to anyone who is waiting for "Gray Matters" to hit theaters. Ultimately, I think "Imagine Me & You" is might be a bit funnier and more emotionally involving, but "Gray Matters" is definitely worth seeing. It's neither ground-breaking cinema or a great love story, but it is a fulfilling, truly entertaining movie with a good message that admirably avoids being heavy-handed or preachy about delivery.
"Gray Matters" managed to strike a good balance between being sweet and simultaneously funny. Although the frantic pacing requires some suspension of disbelief as the characters hurl through various scenarios at an unrealistic speed, it effectively conveys the disorientation that Gray is going through as she struggles to keep up with events. I think this film overall does a great job of showing the complete arc of a coming out compressed over a very short period of time.
There are lots of superficial parallels to be drawn with "Imagine Me & You", now out on DVD, but in "Gray Matters" the focus is not on a relationship between two characters, but instead more firmly on the titular protagonist and her struggle to work out her sexuality. For example, initial love interest Charlie isn't really fleshed out much in terms of her character depth - she's mostly just a very pretty plot device. I'd describe this film not so much as a romantic comedy, but rather a comedic chick-flick on the topic of coming out.
Coming to terms with identity takes definite precedence over romance as the point of the film: watching with that in mind will avoid disappointment with the ending, which was a bit cut-short and abrupt by any standard.
Although the members of the love triangle (Gray, her brother and her brother's wife) are well-cast and do a terrific job portraying all sides of the scenario sympathetically, I think the supporting cast really *makes* this movie. Molly Shannon is hilarious throughout: the theater erupted in laughter whenever she so much as showed up on screen. Alan Cumming's part is both extremely adorable and superlatively entertaining, and it became quickly apparent that if Gray doesn't fall for his character, she must be resolutely gay indeed. Sissy Spacek is put to very good use as the inept therapist, and one only wishes we could see more weekly sessions with her. Rachael Shelley reprises a role very similar to her Helena on the L-word, and it's a role she's absolutely perfect in.
Overall, I'd recommend the quite-similar "Imagine Me & You" to anyone who is waiting for "Gray Matters" to hit theaters. Ultimately, I think "Imagine Me & You" is might be a bit funnier and more emotionally involving, but "Gray Matters" is definitely worth seeing. It's neither ground-breaking cinema or a great love story, but it is a fulfilling, truly entertaining movie with a good message that admirably avoids being heavy-handed or preachy about delivery.