Search - The Art of Being Straight on DVD

Jesse Rosen is a talent to watch for

Long Story | Small Town, Idaho | 04/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I usually run from gay-themed films written, directed, and acted in by the same person. Jesse Rosen has proven the exception. With unusually high production values for a small-budget film, Rosen tells the story of a young man in transition. The actors in the major and minor roles (but especially Rosen, Pete Scherer, and Rachel Castillo) deliver wonderfully believable, sensitive, and subtle performances. There are no moral or didactic lessons here, and, like life itself, little resolution . . . just a beautifully told short story. Jesse Rosen as a writer, director, and/or actor will be someone whose work I will follow."

Wha are these guys talking about? This is terrible.

D. Weinstein | California | 02/15/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Bad acting, worse dialoge, horrendous direction - where do I begin? This is a movie that asks "Am I Gay?" and pretty much does nothing else. It feels like it was written and shot by 14 year olds, both emotionally and professionally. I guess if I was gay and trying to decide who I was....nah, this would still be amateur hour."

Unconvincing, tired and without motivation

Kurt Clare | South Africa | 07/02/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Having read some of the customer reviews I was eager to watch this movie, especially after having seen the numerous awards given to the film at gay festivals throughout the world. I must in all honesty say I am unsure as to why any such award would have been given in the first place, as the movie was far from convincing. If anything it was a tired reflection of what could have been excellent. in a single word, it was 'dull'.



The main actor Jesse Rosen was okay (and this is perhaps the best word to describe his acting), although I found his portrayal of inner conflict to be furtherest from the truth. Anyone who has suffered the trauma of an internal war, torn between sexual ambiguity and societal normality, would know that this is far more intense than that shown in this portrayal. The idea of such conflict however would resonate with many, in that a relatively good looking young man, with a sincere and proven confidence in his ability to attract and conquer the opposite sex, is suddenly thrown into intense conflict as a result of a new sexual awakening and attraction to a man. This man is his boss, who despite the intentions of the writer (whom I suspect intended the boss to be good-looking, sexually confident and almost predatory in his sexual ability to attract others), was in my opinion quite hopeless. Had the scenario played itself out in the world (where most of us reside), his boss would have been the subject of a sexual harassment suit quicker than the taking of an instant photograph. He was almost lecherous, and far from the seduction it was intended to be.



Quite frankly a young man in Josh's predicament would never have been seduced in this way by such a man. In fact the metropolitan police would still be looking for him today, as his escape from this dimension would have been remarkable. Several sound barriers would have been broken, and persons in the next county would have been mesmerized by the speed of his departure. In short, although Tim Curry (in the movie 'Clue') would say 'too late', this was bad casting with a remarkably weak script.



Whilst not horrible, it was certainly not the raving success some have labelled it. If you have some money to spend, there are far better choices out there. Like a tooth extraction, or a trip to the zoo."