SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...

ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

hddu10 Granted this was one of the few gay-themed movies that made it into somewhat mainstream cinema in the 1990s...but at what cost? The film centers around a group of gay friends and tries to be the updated version of "Boys in the Band". Essentially, there is a lot of whining about topics such as ageism, monogamy, HIV and racism...which is actually ironic since the supposed token "minority" character (a Puerto Rican hustler...because, you know...that's what Puerto Ricans do) is actually played by a white guy in his late 20s (but shhhhhhh...you'll never be able to tell the difference). None of the characters has any particular "voice" and all the dialogue seems written by (and for) some pretentious, artsy, east-coast elitist. But don't worry-- to round out all the clichés such as men dancing in drag, there's a lot of gratuitous skin (including Jason Alexander's hairy, flabby buttocks, if that's your thing).

Armand nothing new. and this fact is great. because is a movie about small things. love, friendship, spirit of group, fight against death, a form to survive and give yourself as root, power and beauty for others. a film far by great ambitions. with a wise script and a nice acting. with crumbs of hate, joy, hope, fear and desires. circle of interesting characters and a story with many velvet nuances. after its end - image of Jason Alexander as hero out of courage, fragile, fake but axis of his existence. image of ballet and searches behind it. image of days in which few people lives together far from real world but pieces of it. beautiful and touching. like an old toy of a lost age.

drednm Adapted from a hit play by Terence McNally and utilizing most of the original stage cast, this film cannot hide its theatrical roots... nor should it.This is a sweet and sad story set against a perfect summer at a perfect country estate in upstate New York (?) that shows the lives of 8 gay men as they come to terms with AIDS, death, love, compassion, and the thin bonds of friendship that hold them together.Their summer idyll is a microcosm that, apart from the real world we never see, touches us all because it is their humanity that dominates this story. That one is a dancer, a lawyer, a choreographer, etc. is unimportant. They are 8 gay men whose lives are intertwined in love, valour, and compassion.Jason Alexander is very good in the Nathan Lane role, the portly man dying of AIDS who, late in life finds love. John Glover is brilliant (repeating his Tony-winning role) as twins: one a nasty hateful man; the other a sweet man whose death from AIDS is imminent. Stephen Spinella and John Benjamin Hickey are solid as the yuppie long-term couple. Stephen Bogardus is warm as the stuttering host, Justin Kirk is surprisingly good as the blind man, and Randy Becker is good as the Latino hunk whose causes so much trouble.The film is full of stereotypes and warm humor and terrific moments of truth. This is not a revolutionary film that tries to change the world, but it is a wise and bittersweet look at the lives of gay men in the time of AIDS, men whose lives are shattered (and ended) by a cruel and heartless disease.There's nothing earth-shattering here, no insights that make the lives of gay men clear and understandable to non-gays. But it is a work of great honesty and simplicity in showing 8 gay men as.... human beings.The scene, when the men go skinnydipping under a summer moon is beautiful in its complete innocence. No viewer can fail to understand their childlike glee in such a simple pleasure.This film is a must see just because it is not a strident, political rant against the horrors of AIDS. The characters, especially those played by Glover and Alexander, accept their fates with great dignity, humor, and valour. This film is a great tribute to all our victims of AIDS, and a silent condemnation to the society and politics that let it happen.

howie73 Like the equally detestable Jeffrey (1995), Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997) is an insult to its target audience, whom I presume were gay men and perhaps some enlightened heterosexuals. This stage-bound "movie" tried to be too "Hollywood" in its sentimental and stereotypical treatment of a group of 8 gay men. As per usual in movies of this kind (i.e Jeffrey), AIDS plays a significant part, but there does not seem to be serious treatment of the disease and how it shaped the lives of the men involved. Jason Alexander is an embarrassment in this movie - he should stick to TV comedies. He spoils the dynamic of the ensemble, not that the acting is wonderful anyway. This play never should have been a film. It belongs on stage, or perhaps on HBO.