Director: Darren Stein
Running Time: 92 mins
An American high school’s three popular girls vie with one another to win the most fashionable prize of all – the Gay Best Friend. This is much to the chagrin of newly-outed Tanner, who becomes the school’s ‘official’ gay guy, and finds himself and the relationships of those closest to him tested by the new-found power and status thrust upon him.
Described as ‘Mean Girls meets Clueless’ G.B.F isn’t short of style, or the usual collection of high school movie tropes, all brought together in a slick and sweetly sexy coming-of-age movie.
The casting throughout is spot on, with Michael J. Willett and Paul Iacono turning in great performances that manage to balance nuanced moments of genuine sweetness with over-the-top campy fun, and a special nod to pitch-perfect support from Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) as the gay-loving mother figure who, unsurprisingly, steals every scene she’s in.
The cartoonishly high energy borders on hysteria at points, and the plot clips along at some pace yet, as nodded to in a throwaway line: much like Game Of Thrones, no plan ever goes smoothly. With more detours and changes in direction than can possibly be good for such a glossy narrative, the third act starts to feel needlessly complicated and over-egged as the characters hurtle toward the mostly-obvious denouement.
Even the plethora of witty comebacks and quips start to get a bit much after a while, leaving the viewer feeling that, had they been stripped from the script, the credits could have rolled 20 minutes sooner.
There are some genuinely touching moments in here, mostly between parents and children, when emotional maturity belied by the brash teenage exteriors is exposed in admirably tender style.
Overall Verdict: Stylish, fun and oh-so-very witty, this is a great film to watch with a facepack, some wine and a few of your closest enemies.
Reviewer: Scott Elliott
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