Review of Beautiful Thing (1996) by Phillip M — 29 Nov 2011

It's your basic coming out/self-discovery story, told ever so simply, but it's done very effectively.

The story centres around two teenage boys, their dysfunctional families, and their growing affections for each other. The two boys are Jamie, quiet and bullied, living with his single mother, Sandra, and Ste, popular and athletic, housed with his abusive brother and father. One night, after being beaten up, Sandra finds Ste crying outside their building complex and lets him stay the night. Through the nights spent sharing Jamie's room and bed, the boys realize their feelings for each other are nearly impossible to ignore. However, if word gets out that the two are gay, it's very likely they'll be ostracized by their surroundings.

Though Ste and Jamie are the central characters, the supporting characters play a huge role in the movie, not only in furthering the story, but adding comic relief and action. It's really through Jamie's mom, her new boyfriend, and their friend Leah that the movie takes off. They're eccentric characters that really offset the intimate, demure, and relaxed demeanor that is exhibited by Jamie and Ste's story.

And although I greatly appreciate the boldness of the three, Jamie and Ste's story, for me at least, is what I focus on. To be honest, the subplots of the movie almost take away from the main story arc. While interesting, they don't really prove to go anywhere.

The two most dynamic characters, Sandra and Leah, steal each scene they're in, almost as if it's them who should have a movie dedicated to them (I would definitely watch those, if they ever did have a spinoff). And although that is a largely negative criticism, the central story is just too damn engrossing.

The boys' story is presented so intimately. The most personal scenes of the movie are when Jamie and Ste are alone. The scenes in Jamie's bedroom introduce us to their latent feelings and soon directly expose us to their desires. I really appreciate that the most personal of confessions take place where privacy is most important. Their connection is amplified by their isolated settings. For the moment, it seems like only these two people matter, it's almost a violation of their privacy that we're witnessing their sexual awakening.

Their story is so damn sweet. The movie is very emotionally arousing, which is why I loved watching what was on the screen. Although the movie has its pitfalls, the emotional connection to these characters was too strong for the movie's flaws to deter me from groaning at all the farcical elements of the movie. I'm certain you could spot the flaws if you watch the movie yourself.

The boys are acted perfectly, much like all the characters I should add. But really, Jamie and Ste aren't clichés. Yes, the dysfunctional family situation (single and tough but loving mom, abusive dad etc.) are clichéd, but the boys themselves are true teenagers. Real feelings emanate from them. It's amazing what MacDonald was able to get out of Berry and Neal. It's not forced, they're actually very subdued, acting in the moment and not trying to create drama.

Another point is that the movie tries to avoid the starkest movie clichés, which is does reasonably well. That's why when I was waiting for the climactic reveal, it never really reached full out drama. Again, the conflict is there, but the way it's presented is not over the top.

Quite honestly, the movie isn't perfect, nor would it even qualify as a splendidly written movie. Many things can be fixed, but the acting is amazing and I loved the emotional experience that Beautiful Thing provided me with. It's a sweet, touching story that had me smiling throughout and lamenting with the characters. As a gay themed movie I highly recommend it. It's one of the better ones I've seen.

I can't get it off my mind, every time I think about it, I feel compelled to watch it. 10/10 though I sure a perfect score is very debatable.