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23 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Pleasant surprise!, 27 May 2008
8/10
Author: Steven Bradford (bradford@seanet.com) from Seattle WA

I just saw Breakfast With Scot last night at the Seattle Intl. Film Festival. I was fully prepared not to like it at all, as most gay themed films of the last several years have been so disappointing.

Yes, it is a little predictable, in the sense that you ultimately know how a story like this is going to turn out. Novelty for the sake of novelty doesn't help stories either, and this is a solid well told story. The small turns of the story were not predictable though. I particularly liked that this Canadian production did not reach for the obvious over the top emotional climax an American production would have. For example, it resolves Tom Cavanaugh's work conflict with far less drama then I would expect from a gay themed film. The script deflates the situation in an interesting and realistic way, recognizing that the film is foremost about the relationship between Eric and Scot, and not about Eric's closeted work situation.

The acting is really really solid. The cast feels like an ensemble, not a group of actors vying for screen attention. It takes awhile to realize that Tom Cavanaugh, with his usual non-showy performance, is the adult lead. Noah Bernett, as Scot, hits it exactly right. A very tough character for an actor of any age to get right. Some criticize the script, saying that the character is way too flamboyant for a boy this age. But that is exactly the center of the book, and the film, for this character to be so unapologetically out there and flamboyant that he challenges gays even more than straights. He's not supposed to be a typical gay kid. (In fact, part of that challenge is that he (and we) do not even know for sure what his ultimate sexuality might be.) As it is, he is sort of a child genius of fun fashion and cosmetics. His character is supposed to make us uncomfortable, and challenging to our assumptions.

Cinematography and production design are first rate. I heard that the overall budget was well under 4 million, if so, then bravo to the production crew, it looks like more.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved it!, 20 December 2008
10/10
Author: (porgiamor) from Canada

Great film. Good dialog - much better in English than french. I was really impressed with the opening shots of the movie in which the title Breakfast with Scot appears on the side boards of the hockey rink. Very inventive. Also the ending credits with the pictures on the fridge and matching names was very memorable too. I guess I would call it a chick flick for all types of chicks, male and female, gay and straight. Based on this movie, these Canadians are portrayed as bitchy, compassionate, unpredictable, charming and sensitive and hilariously funny people. Good ensemble cast. Tom Cavanaugh's performance was spot on. Noah Bennett was very expressive and showed real depth of acting range. Wonderful script also. Very refreshing take on parenting and what it means to be in a modern family. Relationships take work and this movie depicts the real life stress involved in keeping every member of a family content. Each character has to compromise. Great movie for the Holiday season. I wish more movies like this were made today.

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolutely Fabulous!, 28 December 2008
9/10
Author: Joe McParland from Canada

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Best LGBT genre movie in the past few years..., Sep 21 2008 By Joe E. Mcparland "cojoeman" (Windsor, Canada) - See all my reviews

As a long time collector of contemporary LGBT genre movies, I rate Breakfast With Scott at the top of my list. I have practically worn out my DVD copy! This movie was screened as a special selection in the 2007 Windsor International Film Festival. The sold out house gave the movie a deserving five minute standing ovation at its conclusion. Aside from the wonderful message of tolerance, acceptance and adaptability, this gem of a movie will have you - as it had me - in tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. Laurie Lynd's direction of Tom Cavanaugh, Ben Shenkman and,of course,show-stealer - Noah Bernett, is nothing less than magical. I could not agree more with the Globe and Mail's DVD cover endorsement of the movie,"Absolutely Fabulous!"

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
feel good family comedy, 11 January 2009
8/10
Author: beregic (beregic@msn.com) from Canada

this being a movie made in my hometown( the dundas square certainly looks at its best now) i was very skeptical of a movie that will once again promote gay rights simply because its... "cool"(!?) to do so. frankly i was afraid for some hidden agendas of extreme nature + mature matter. besides any Canadian movie, especially action or comedies tend to be lame quickly forgettable. our home grown directors tend to pay more attention to artistic merits then to the actual subject/matter/plot...

well i was wrong; turns out that this comedy has quiet a lot of witty punch lines for ALL audiences. the situation is about family and not so much about the gay couple. the "contradicted" kid is at the center of the with the 2 main male leads as support.

the production is quiet great, the pace is quiet fast as well( almost no slow moments or fill-ins at all ). the acting is superb especially from the kids and Thomas Cavanagh. Ben Shenkman is more just of a stereotype character.

while i would still not recommend this movie to pre-teen kids, adolescents and teens would have nothing to "worry" about.as for any sexuality issues, there is only a quick, minimal(lips only) male kiss . other then that no intimacy at all that might offend some viewers.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Great premise but a little too 'after-school special' at times, 21 June 2008
6/10
Author: ChristianDiorScientist from Ontario

I haven't read the book so I only have to go on what I saw. The premise is great - fresh and funny. A masculine gay couple end up as guardians of their effeminate 11 year old nephew and try to make a man out of him. The story is less about changing the nephew and more about changing the gay couple, in particular the partner who is an ex-Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player. The movie was enjoyable, light hearted, and good natured but it lacked something -- it resembled an after-school special at times, especially towards the end. There are too many characters with bit parts that don't make enough of an impact in the film. There is a neighbourhood tough kid who inexplicably becomes a friend of the flamboyant nephew and co-workers who come in and out of the film but never really say anything meaningful. An awkward meeting with a school teacher results in her suggesting the boy watch TV to find other role models -- a very clumsy scene without cause or precedence. The writer and director needed to streamline the movie and identify scenes that needed to be pumped up to give the story some poignancy. I was never quite drawn in, brought to tears, laughed out loud or was worried that things might not work out. Its a sweet story but could have been better.

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Pretty Decent Flick, 3 October 2009
8/10
Author: stl4646 from United States

If the word 'gay' scares you, then go away and watch something else. Contrary to what the right wing nuts say/think, there are no hidden, extreme agendas in this or most other gay movies.. just as there are no extreme agendas in movies with black actors or any other 'minority'. Gay folks are everywhere, even in pro sports, so it's pleasant and realistic to see a gay, professional athlete portrayed in this film, especially since he's a hockey player and hockey's my favorite sport. Tom Cavanaugh does a nice job. The fact that he is from Ontario makes it all the better. Enjoy the film. It's cute and harmless. Open your mind.

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2 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Awful movie, great performance, 31 December 2008
6/10
Author: The_unemployed_cynic from Netherlands

There is a lot wrong with the whole premise but particularly the execution of this movie, although it shows some elements of a heart warming and original story. Unfortunately, the project ended up in the hands of an inadequate writer and/or director and a wooden cast.

The only redeeming factor in Breakfast with Scot is the wonderful performance by Noah Bernett, who plays the role of Scot. He shows a wide range of emotions and is exactly as over-the-top and camp as his character demands, without going over the top as an actor. Yes, even a camp boy can still be all boy at times.

I read a comment from someone who doubted that a boy this age would act this way. My advise: go to YouTube and look around. You will find kids Scot's age or even younger who act just like him and often even more camp. Welcome to the 21st century. Scot is the only believable character in this movie.

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12 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
Painful to watch, 2 April 2008
3/10
Author: pogostiks from France

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Before I say anything else, I'd better admit that I saw this film in a dubbed-into-French version. Maybe... just maybe... that is the reason this seems to be so flat to me... but I would not want to spend time watching it again - in the original version or any other.

For a Canadian film that some people here have touted as being better than the typical Hollywood junk and a "real family" film to boot - I am wondering if we saw the same film.

First of all, the entire film is predictable from beginning to end. There is NOTHING here that we haven't seen before, done better. Second - it looks and feels more like a television series comedy rather than a real film... all that's missing is the laugh-track (which maybe would have been a good idea, as I saw NOTHING in this film that was even mildly funny...) Third, this is supposedly a "gay-positive" story... yet uses every single cliché imaginable. The kid wears makeup, has a feather boa, and just generally comes across as the most flaming queen since Divine. I'm sorry, but no kid that I have ever known had EVERY cliché down pat. Also, how many gay men who are afraid to let ANYONE know they are gay, would be living with another guy openly in a committed relationship?? You have to have gone through a fair amount of gay-consciousness to allow that to happen... Oh, and the kiss between the two men at the end of the film was the most perfunctory, sexless, emotionless, useless kiss between two guys that I have ever seen on film.

There is NOTHING in this film that is even mildly believable. The dialogue sounds pat and scripted, not lived or realistically felt. The camera work is adequate, but certainly not memorable. Of all the Canadian films I have seen over the years, this one is the most tired, boring, badly scripted piece of crap I have ever seen.

If anyone on this site wants to see truly GOOD Canadian writing and directing, go see C.R.A.Z.Y - a French Canadian film with true heart, honest laughs, a REAL sense of family, and a much better representation of anything gay.

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4 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
Watchable, 27 May 2008
6/10
Author: caiphn from Canada

Most Canadian films make me cringe, and are identifiable almost immediately by the production. I haven't seen a lot of Canadian films but until the many hockey references occurred, I had no idea this film wasn't made in the US of A. The main child actor character definitely makes you feel uncomfortable initially, but as a whole the film wasn't THAT bad, although some scenes dragged on far to long, the carol near the end of the film comes to mind. I made it all the way through this film, I think anyone really could. If you're really hungover and can't get off the couch (sofa for you Yanks) and aren't sure where the remote is, ... AND this also happens to be on TV, things could be worse. (.. and on a somewhat unrelated note, to whoever wrote the trivia for this film, the characters name wasn't Ed, you twit.)

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