Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Were the World Mine (2008)


IMDb plot summary: A bullied and demoralized gay student at an all-boys school uses a magical flower derived from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream' to turn many in his community gay, including a comely rugby player for himself.
Directed by Tom Gustafson. Starring Tanner Cohen, Wendy Robie, Judy McLane, and Zelda Williams.

Oh, man. This movie is gimmicky and awkward and strange... but there's something really compelling about it. Despite some truly bizarre dream sequences and some terribly abrupt tonal shifts, I found myself really engaged in the story. The characters are likable, if mostly underdeveloped. (Interestingly, even though the protagonist and his love interest are both male, the most developed characters are both women: the protagonist's mom and his female best friend.) The musical numbers don't quite get it right either -- they're few and far between, and when they do happen, they're LONG, but they're pretty entertaining -- and I lurve the main guy's voice. Overall, I wouldn't say this is a *good* movie, but it's easy to overlook its flaws because the characters are just so darn easy to root for.

3.5 stars.

Flickchart: #579 out of 2228, below Oscar and above The Cat Returns.

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