What I'm Watching #214

"Mulligans" turned out to be a bit of a surprise for me. And I'll admit the reason why right up front: Charlie David. The actor probably best known for his role on the soft-porn gay vampires & witches series "Dante's Cove," and who is not only the writer, executive producer, and co-producer of this movie, but had one of the starring roles. Given how cheesy Dante's Cove is (full frontal nudity not withstanding); my hopes for this film were not high. However, a carefully placed and editted trailer on another DVD, enticed me to give it a chance, and I'm really glad that I did.

The story in a nutshell is that of the Davidson family. Nathan and Stacy Davidson married while still in high school because of the advent of their now college age son, Tyler, who along with 8 year-old Birdie, completes the family. It's summer vacation, and hyper-macho Tyler is returning more with his college roommate, Chase Rousseau, for the break. Chase has a secret, he's gay. A revelation that leads to an affair between Chase and Nathan, a clumsy affair that rattles the world of the Davidsons one and all. Now, I know this synopsis sounds, well, cheesy. And believe me, I fully antiscipated it would be just that; yet, to carry the metaphor a bit further, it wasn't the non-dairy velveeta that I had assumed, but rather a far more carefully aged Camembert or Wensleydale. This is to say, the characters act like adults. Can you believe it? Oh sure, everyone's hurt, some are angry, some are confused, but in the end they manage to see the bigger picture, and though it's not easy, they find a way forward. They absorb the way the world has changed, and even find within themselves a positive paradigm from which to change, too.

Can I say it again? I really liked this movie. Thank you, Charlie David.