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Film: Adam & Steve [R] 99 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $10.00
Where Viewed: Regency Tamarac Square, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 3 May 2006
Time: 9:50 p.m.
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DVD |
This would not have been my first choice of films for today, however, I had a fixed window of opportune times to see a film, and when the choice is to see a film I’ve not seen versus one I have, well, I’m going to pick to see the one I haven’t seen. So, I went into the theatre having no idea what to expect. Maybe it was the lack of sleep—I’m on my 4th wind; maybe it was the Dr. Pepper®--which I rarely consume; maybe it was re-adjustment to the higher elevation—I was in Golden, CO for most of the day and then back to mile-high level for the film; who knows, but I found this movie hysterical in parts. As a rule, I do not, cannot, find it nearly impossible to find movies with current or former SNL cast members funny. Ok, that’s sort of a fib. I find every other Adam Sandler film funny (one good, one bad, one good, one bad, every other), and the same is pretty true of Mike Meyers’s films, but it’s more like every third film. Well, this movie co-stars Chris Kattan—whom I definitely, usually, do not find the least bit funny. Maybe it’s because on the show he tries too hard on the show to be Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey blended into one person, and he just isn’t. But, I even liked him in this film. Ironically? Maybe not, the film reminded me, in fact, of a film that was created by taking one sketch from SNL that was pretty popular, and then running the
"...reminded me...of a film that was created by taking one sketch from SNL that was pretty popular, and then running the same characters for a few seasons, and then piecing these together into a movie."
same characters for a few seasons, and then piecing these together into a movie. I say this for a number of reasons.
1) First and foremost the production values of the actual cinematography was at around a $7.75-level. Recall, of course, that on SNL sketches they are not investing tons of money in sets and costumes and lighting etc. The point is to make people laugh hysterically, not win Academy Awards® for best art direction.
2) There are some crazy guest roles: Sally Kirkland as the pun-laden, ‘12-steps to whipping crack’ support group leader, Mary; Julie Hagerty as the titular Adam’s neck-brace-wearing mom, Shelia; Melinda Dillon as Steve’s born-again-Christian mom; and Paul Sand as Adam’s ‘cursed’, wheel-chair bound father.
3) There were some totally off-the-wall comedy dance routines—like the glim-glam opening number—a flash back to 1987 when Steve was a go-go boy and Adam was a goth kid. Or a two-stepping, Village People inspired dance off between two-left foot Adam (writer/director/actor Craig Chester) and Steve (Malcolm Gets) designed to humble Steve.
4) Did I mention there’s SNL star Chris Kattan? Yes, playing Steve’s roommate, Michael, who inexplicably falls for Adam’s best friend, Rhonda played with extra vamp by Parker Posey—she’s not been asked to host SNL, but she should be because she’d be brilliant!
5) There are some scenes that were just a really, really bad idea—just like when they try a new sketch on SNL and it just plain bombs. Hey, it’s live, they cannot cut it out. I don’t know what the excuse those associated with the making of this film might have for these scenes since they could have edited them unless they really think that, for example, repeated scenes of gay bashing being made into a joke are not funny, they are actually sad and frightening. And couldn’t Adam have been wearing pants or, at least, nice looking-boxers to the hospital just after he accidentally stabs his puppy with a pepperoni knife instead of his jockey shorts (nobody calls them that anymore, but I prefer that name to a lot of the other choices)? Or, who here thinks it’s a good idea to have a homophobic lout that you just sort of semi-beat up propose to your boyfriend for you while you are twisting his arm? Yikes and yuck.
6) There are some scenes that are a little too ‘look at me, I’m art’ [Adam and Rhonda sitting on a park bench holding the exact pose of the people statue on the bench next to them], or ‘look at this, this is a twisted visual gag’ [Steve basting a turkey that, from a distance and his parent’s frame of reference looks a bit like he’s squirting his baster at Adam’s rear end?].
7) There is one really gross, gross out scene at the beginning—it’s actually the scene that separates Adam and Steve when the first meet as younger guys in 1987-NYC at the glim-glam-like club, which initiates the premise of the film: what happens if you fall love-at-first-sight-in-love with someone who then really grosses you out (not on purpose, but accidentally), and you flee, and then you meet again some 15 years later and fall in love again not realizing this is the same person? Anyway, SNL is known for occasional gross out scenes for a gag now and then.
8) Non-politically correct humor—too many things to cite in this category.
9) There were some absolutely hilarious scenes, but they were rare.
10) There are tons of self-referential, and tons of previous movie / related movie gags and puns.
Time to move on?
Aside from seeming like a long series of SNL sketches that were edited together into one movie, and aside from being hilarious in spots; overall, the script takes Adam and Steve through some tremendous growth cycles that helped, ultimately, shore up their long term relationship. The movie is, at heart, about Adam & Steve falling in love. It represents a of a nice change that the guys were neither dying of AIDs nor the victim of deadly gay bashing, etc. In that sense, the movie was also about empowerment. Adam must become comfortable with who he really is, and Steve must be there to give him the space he needs to reach that point. Meanwhile, Steve must learn to be in control of his own needs and pay move attention to the needs of others in his life.
This was not a great movie. It might become a real video hit in certain circles. There is just enough cheese and schmaltz. There are certainly characters to mimic for years to come—fertile ground for M.A.D.-TV spoofs (well you don’t want SNL spoofing itself do you?). The productions values, as stated previously, needed to be much higher. There were some scenes and concepts that just were not good and needed to have been excised quickly prior to real distribution. Some of the acting was not up to par. Still, it was quite funny and showed real promise in other ways. It falls, therefore pretty much smack dab a little above middle on the list of movies you should pay to see.
2) There are some crazy guest roles: Sally Kirkland as the pun-laden, ‘12-steps to whipping crack’ support group leader, Mary; Julie Hagerty as the titular Adam’s neck-brace-wearing mom, Shelia; Melinda Dillon as Steve’s born-again-Christian mom; and Paul Sand as Adam’s ‘cursed’, wheel-chair bound father.
3) There were some totally off-the-wall comedy dance routines—like the glim-glam opening number—a flash back to 1987 when Steve was a go-go boy and Adam was a goth kid. Or a two-stepping, Village People inspired dance off between two-left foot Adam (writer/director/actor Craig Chester) and Steve (Malcolm Gets) designed to humble Steve.
4) Did I mention there’s SNL star Chris Kattan? Yes, playing Steve’s roommate, Michael, who inexplicably falls for Adam’s best friend, Rhonda played with extra vamp by Parker Posey—she’s not been asked to host SNL, but she should be because she’d be brilliant!
5) There are some scenes that were just a really, really bad idea—just like when they try a new sketch on SNL and it just plain bombs. Hey, it’s live, they cannot cut it out. I don’t know what the excuse those associated with the making of this film might have for these scenes since they could have edited them unless they really think that, for example, repeated scenes of gay bashing being made into a joke are not funny, they are actually sad and frightening. And couldn’t Adam have been wearing pants or, at least, nice looking-boxers to the hospital just after he accidentally stabs his puppy with a pepperoni knife instead of his jockey shorts (nobody calls them that anymore, but I prefer that name to a lot of the other choices)? Or, who here thinks it’s a good idea to have a homophobic lout that you just sort of semi-beat up propose to your boyfriend for you while you are twisting his arm? Yikes and yuck.
6) There are some scenes that are a little too ‘look at me, I’m art’ [Adam and Rhonda sitting on a park bench holding the exact pose of the people statue on the bench next to them], or ‘look at this, this is a twisted visual gag’ [Steve basting a turkey that, from a distance and his parent’s frame of reference looks a bit like he’s squirting his baster at Adam’s rear end?].
7) There is one really gross, gross out scene at the beginning—it’s actually the scene that separates Adam and Steve when the first meet as younger guys in 1987-NYC at the glim-glam-like club, which initiates the premise of the film: what happens if you fall love-at-first-sight-in-love with someone who then really grosses you out (not on purpose, but accidentally), and you flee, and then you meet again some 15 years later and fall in love again not realizing this is the same person? Anyway, SNL is known for occasional gross out scenes for a gag now and then.
8) Non-politically correct humor—too many things to cite in this category.
9) There were some absolutely hilarious scenes, but they were rare.
10) There are tons of self-referential, and tons of previous movie / related movie gags and puns.
Time to move on?
Aside from seeming like a long series of SNL sketches that were edited together into one movie, and aside from being hilarious in spots; overall, the script takes Adam and Steve through some tremendous growth cycles that helped, ultimately, shore up their long term relationship. The movie is, at heart, about Adam & Steve falling in love. It represents a of a nice change that the guys were neither dying of AIDs nor the victim of deadly gay bashing, etc. In that sense, the movie was also about empowerment. Adam must become comfortable with who he really is, and Steve must be there to give him the space he needs to reach that point. Meanwhile, Steve must learn to be in control of his own needs and pay move attention to the needs of others in his life.
This was not a great movie. It might become a real video hit in certain circles. There is just enough cheese and schmaltz. There are certainly characters to mimic for years to come—fertile ground for M.A.D.-TV spoofs (well you don’t want SNL spoofing itself do you?). The productions values, as stated previously, needed to be much higher. There were some scenes and concepts that just were not good and needed to have been excised quickly prior to real distribution. Some of the acting was not up to par. Still, it was quite funny and showed real promise in other ways. It falls, therefore pretty much smack dab a little above middle on the list of movies you should pay to see.
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Adam & Steve [DVD](2005) DVD
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