Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

johnffurth I watched Parting Glances last night after seeing it 30 years ago. I had forgotten how much this movie played a part in determining the course of my life. The power it had over me then came back in a rush last night.I was living in Germany in 1986 and after watching the film I knew I had to break up with my boyfriend at the time return to NYC and get my MBA. After another stint working in Germany post-MBA I met the man who has been my life partner for 22 years now. He grew up on the UWS and I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever met. I returned again to NYC. I hate to say something so cheesy but I felt we were like Michael and Robert in the film - although my love for Curtis hasn't changed in all the time we've been together.The characters and the situation in the movie capture the mood in NYC of the mid-80's - both the good and the bad. NYC has changed so much since then and in many ways I long for what seems to me to have been a freer time and place, despite the tragedy of AIDS that was taking place.

mark.waltz Forget about "Making Love", "Cruising" and "Partners". "Parting Glances" is where real gay filmmakers began putting their ideas onto screen, much like writers had been doing on stage for years. "Parting Glances" is set in Manhattan where two lovers (Richard Ganoung and John Bolger) prepare to part while Bolger goes overseas on a long business venture. Ganoung's ex-lover (Steve Buscemi, in his break-out role) is HIV positive and possibly dying, and Bolger knows that he risks loosing Ganoung while he's gone. A group of their friends (hosted by "The Drew Carey Show's" Kathy Kinney, as far from Mimi here as she can be) show up for a surprise farewell party in her SoHo apartment, and like the party of "Boys in the Band" and those in gay cult classics "Auntie Mame" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's", will be unforgettable.It is here where the audience meets all sorts of gay prototypes, from a former priest still to shy to fully accept his homosexuality, the cute "twink" record store clerk with a crush on Ganoung, the wealthy but overweight queen who seems to "buy" companionship, and the various artistic types, both straight and gay, who interject some minor conflicts into the proceedings. There's also a visit to a Chelsea Club where the music of Bronski Beat is heard in the background to give the film a true 80's feel.The film has some very slow moments (particularly a dinner party with Bolger's boss and his wife) which are important in setting up various plot elements, but once you get to Kinney's party, its all set to go. Kinney is unforgettable, her warm-hearted pal so comfortable that you long to have her in your own circle. (I can say, having met Ms. Kinney, that this is very close to her own personality rather than the obnoxious, overly mascara'd Mimi). Bolger, best known for his long-term roles on half a dozen soaps (he'd just come off of "Guiding Light" as Philip Spaulding), adds charm to his "Ken Doll" character, while Ganoung and Buscemi really do sparkle together in their prankish scenes as the still friendly ex's. (Their revenge against the portly queen in one of the final scenes is hysterical, even if it is a bit cruel spirited...) This film for me had a very special meaning in the mid 1980's as it gave me the courage to open up to myself the truth of my own sexuality, and I'm sure it had the same influence on others afraid to come out during the early years of HIV. The issue is strongly dealt with through Ganoung's character who vows to fight Washington while dealing with his knowledge that Buscemi might succumb to AIDS eventually. These characters are really identifiable in the gay world of Manhattan (pre-technology obsessed), and as a film, this remains an important piece of art that has now become a gay classic.

Jason Shaw Parting Glances was made in 1984 and had a somewhat limited release in 1986 and is without a doubt a powerful and important film in the genre that is gay cinema. It was one of the very first American films to feature the then relatively new disease of HIV/AIDS at a time when much was still unknown about the disease and prejudice against it was at its highest. Bill Sherwood, the writer and director passed away from an AIDS related complication in 1990, Parting Glances was his first and last film.The main aspect of the story focuses on a New York gay couple, Robert and Michael, in their twenties. Robert is heading off on an incredibly long assignment for the World Health Organisation to deepest darkest and most isolated Africa, Michael, his partner, is staying behind. The film is set out over the two days prior to Robert's departure, with some scenes taking place at an amusing farewell party hosted by the couple's friend, Joan. Some other scenes take place at a dinner party thrown by Richard's unconventional boss and there is a whole bulk with Nick, an old friend and ex-lover of Michael's who happens to be living with AIDS.The script is fun, witty, exciting and interesting, some of the lines given to the character of Nick are so sharp they cut the dialogue like acid through skin, they really are that potent. There are many different character types populating the movie, especially at the party scenes, which show off New York's society rather well and make you hanker for a live in Manhattan in the early eighties.Parting Glances was one of the first movies to deal with the subject of AIDS in such a frank, direct and honest way, which for the time was a real revelation. It did not gloss over, nor shy away from the implications or the savagery associated with the disease, at a time when everything like it was still new. There are some deeply searching moments, not least when Nick talks of the decadent and hedonistic days back in the freedom of the seventies creeping into the early eighties. This low budget but important film was made on a budget of a couple of dollars over $40,000, which in movie terms is not even the shell on a peanut. The shooting was completed in a whirlwind seven days, which is remarkable to say the least, you'd certainly not think it was made that quickly when you watch it. I am fond of this movie, it may seem a little dated at first, but then we are going back almost thirty years since it was made, so it is bound to show some signs of age. Yet, through an exceptionally shrewd script and some talented acting the complexities and nuances of the human relationships shine on the screen, yes even now, after all this time, they still have the power to move. I would suggest a couple of viewings are required to get the full impact of this film to the innocent virginal viewer, otherwise you might not catch some of the intriguingly witty throw away lines peppering the dialogue. Read more and find out where this film made it in the Top 50 Most Influential Gay Movies of All Time book, search on Amazon for Top 50 Most Influential Gay Movies of All Time, or visit - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007FU7HPO

Brandy-28 I really don't have that much to actually say about this movie. Except I thought it was great and handle the issues of AIDS - not by jamming it into our faces, but laughing it up and enjoying life. I really don't have that much to say. See it for yourself, you'll be smiling in the end.