1986 was apparently the year that TV movies decided to handle homosexuality, as evidenced by "My Two Loves" and this offering. Given the subject matter, I so wanted to like this movie. Unfortunately, what I found after sitting through it was nothing but a bunch of clichés and stereotypes, and very little real understanding of the issues facing a gay teen.
The story centers around the title character, Bobby (Timothy Williams), a computer whiz from a small town outside of Chicago, who ventures into the city for either a computer class, or a computer lab (my memories of the details of this part of the movie are a bit sketchy). He meets a handsome older man who pays him a lot of attention. Since Bobby's relationship with his father (Tony LoBianco) is somewhat strained, Bobby responds to the attention, and eventually he and the older man become lovers. When this is revealed in Bobby's hometown, he finds himself an outcast, with almost everyone, including his father, taking a dim view of his homosexuality. Unfortunately, Bobby isn't quite ready to take on the label "gay" and the negative reactions of those around him only reinforce his discomfort. He finds few friends and even less understanding during his search, and ultimately has to create his new reality for himself.
While this film purports to be a sympathetic treatment of the coming out struggle, it fails miserably in that objective. The main problem is that Bobby himself is not drawn sympathetically. His confusion comes across well, as does his eventual defiance of his father, but the viewer sees little in him that would inspire the loyalty his few friends give him. It's unclear how he hooked up with, or why he hangs out with the man and woman who befriend him - he has little in common with them. And his girlfriend is an even bigger cypher. One would think she would be upset by his having slept with someone else, male or female. Instead, she wants to hear all about it. And her eventually reason for breaking up with him is that teachers in the school are lowering her grades because she's with him. The dialogue in the group therapy sessions is so full of gay clichés that it's harmful as well as painful, and even the conversations with the older lover are also full of clichés with no affection expressed between the two.
Worse yet are the stereotypical reactions of his family. Dad wants to beat the stuffing out of him, and Mom is too ineffectual to offer any real comfort or support. The scene where he appears at the dinner table in drag to confront his father is so hackneyed that I lost all sympathy for Bobby in it.
While the attempt to deal with such an issue was laudable, the film itself is a horrible mess of clichés and contradictions. If you're looking for an intelligent treatment of teen homosexuality, it's best to look elsewhere.
The story centers around the title character, Bobby (Timothy Williams), a computer whiz from a small town outside of Chicago, who ventures into the city for either a computer class, or a computer lab (my memories of the details of this part of the movie are a bit sketchy). He meets a handsome older man who pays him a lot of attention. Since Bobby's relationship with his father (Tony LoBianco) is somewhat strained, Bobby responds to the attention, and eventually he and the older man become lovers. When this is revealed in Bobby's hometown, he finds himself an outcast, with almost everyone, including his father, taking a dim view of his homosexuality. Unfortunately, Bobby isn't quite ready to take on the label "gay" and the negative reactions of those around him only reinforce his discomfort. He finds few friends and even less understanding during his search, and ultimately has to create his new reality for himself.
While this film purports to be a sympathetic treatment of the coming out struggle, it fails miserably in that objective. The main problem is that Bobby himself is not drawn sympathetically. His confusion comes across well, as does his eventual defiance of his father, but the viewer sees little in him that would inspire the loyalty his few friends give him. It's unclear how he hooked up with, or why he hangs out with the man and woman who befriend him - he has little in common with them. And his girlfriend is an even bigger cypher. One would think she would be upset by his having slept with someone else, male or female. Instead, she wants to hear all about it. And her eventually reason for breaking up with him is that teachers in the school are lowering her grades because she's with him. The dialogue in the group therapy sessions is so full of gay clichés that it's harmful as well as painful, and even the conversations with the older lover are also full of clichés with no affection expressed between the two.
Worse yet are the stereotypical reactions of his family. Dad wants to beat the stuffing out of him, and Mom is too ineffectual to offer any real comfort or support. The scene where he appears at the dinner table in drag to confront his father is so hackneyed that I lost all sympathy for Bobby in it.
While the attempt to deal with such an issue was laudable, the film itself is a horrible mess of clichés and contradictions. If you're looking for an intelligent treatment of teen homosexuality, it's best to look elsewhere.