LOL comedy and likable LGBT characters get overshadowed by an underdeveloped screenplay.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect out of the new LGBT comedy “Stress Positions.” All I knew was it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, I only knew two people from it: John Early and John Roberts (A.K.A. Linda Belcher), and that it takes place during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. You know when people had to wear masks and order from GrubHub. Those were the days unfortunately.
When I saw the movie on Monday, I got some big laughs and some likable characters, but I also got to thinking. I’m seeing some gay characters of both genders who have voices and opinions regarding careers and romances. But I’m not seeing much details within their stories. In fact, it’s hard for me to stay in focus.
Early plays an unemployed man named Terry Goon, who is fearful of the virus enough to wear a gas mask, spray his house and the $20 he gives to the GrubHub delivery guy Ronald (Faheem Ali). He’s just been divorced by his ex-husband Leo (Roberts) and can only afford to stay in one of Leo’s Brooklyn apartments for free. And he has to take care of his 20-year-old Moroccan-American model nephew Bahlul (Qaher Harhash, a Palestinian model), who just broke his leg in a scooter accident.
He has the young man sleeping in downstairs, while trying and failing to keep it a secret. This only lasts for a short while, so it doesn’t become a long sitcom episode made for a feature length movie.
There are other residents in this crappy apartment, which is known as “The Party House,” and whose internet WiFi sucks. There’s Terry’s trans woman best friend Karla (writer/director Theda Hammel), who lives with her writer girlfriend Vanessa (Amy Zimmer), and there’s also his neighbor Coco (Rebecca F. Wright), who Bahlul connects with, even though his uncle isn’t fond of their friendship. And all these people have inner voices, which works as narration here.
Early has a certain kind of Charlie Day vibe, especially when slapstick comedy emerges when he gets injured. And he also has a tone and consistency to represent his own fears of COVID-19. Credit also goes to Hammel, who writes and plays her character with honesty, Harhash, who has naturalism in his character, and Zimmer, who has a voice when having conflicts with Karla.
Now, there’s a sharp movie here, but the problem is that the story sells itself short and feels a little overwhelming at times. There are few other characters and situations that come and go, and I wanted “Stress Positions” to broaden on them more. I even heard during an audience Q&A that someone wanted more out of the Coco character, and he’s probably right. My guess is that the movie wants us to assume what direction each of these characters will head into in the future. And maybe that’s how life works for some movie characters and characters in general.
I met Early and Hammel after the Monday screening, and you can find my question to Early on my site under the name “John Early on the Comedy of “Stress Positions”.” And I needed some time to process my thoughts on this movie. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, because I got some big laughs and interesting and outspoken characters, but I also felt there could have been more to them.
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