Director: Ian Thorpe
Running Time: 88 mins
Certificate: NR
Release Date: October 17th 2014 (US)
Is Eternity: The Movie a gay film? Well, yes, except no. It manages to straddle a hitherto unknown line where it’s a celebration of bromance, but yet has no bones about being a gay love affair in all but name. There’s little ‘no homo’ here, just two characters who are too clueless to know that’s what they would probably say if set if this was set in the 2010s.
The film is a parody of the 80s, filled with as much innuendo as it’s possible to cram into 88 minutes. Todd (Barrett Crake) is freshly arrived in LA with dreams of making it big in music – as well as selling affordable fashions at everyday prices at BJ Maxx (see, we told you it liked innuendo). He meets fellow ‘glamorist’ B.J. Fairchild (Myko Olivier) and while they don’t initially hit it off, they soon realise that with B.J.’s saxophone skills and Todd’s vocals – and his talent at writing songs about heartbreak – they could make it as a big-haired 80s pop duo.
What follows is a rise and fall tale, with most people around them assuming that Todd and B.J. are a couple, despite B.J. sleeping with every woman he meets and Todd’s ability to fall in love with a woman in a second and then be devastated when 10 seconds later he realises she’s not perfect (and then he writes a song about it). Can their friendship/love affair withstand the ups and down of 80s big-haired pop fame?
The comedy in Eternity: The Movie is certainly broad, and those who demand their humour be sophisticated will find it dumb and rather ridiculous. However if you’re happy to allow the silliness and camp comedy to waft over you it’s an enjoyable experience. Barrett Crake and Myko Oliver are a very good looking and likeable duo who really throw themselves into the movie, so that even when the situations get utterly preposterous you can’t help but root for them.
It’s far from a complete success though. For a start it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it’s supposed to be parodying – 80s movies, 80s pop, the 1980s themselves? That might not sound like a problem but it results in an unevenness where the world it’s set in is constantly in flux.
Much of the movie’s comedy is undeniably gay, and indeed the movie has been screening at LGBT film festivals. Many of the jokes revolve around B.J. and Todd saying things that sound like they want to do each other, and other people assuming they already are, while the duo themselves remain utterly oblivious to this. It’s not unreasonable to say that many people in the audience will be thinking the movie is leading up to them realising the women they supposedly lust after are just a smokescreen and they’re going to end up together.
It would be too much of a spoiler to say what happens in the end, but there’s no doubt the movie is a bit of a cocktease in this respect. It’s not unsatisfying, and indeed if you decide that it is ultimately parodying 80s movies rather than the 80s themselves it makes a lot of sense. However some may feel like it’s slightly cheating on this score.
It should also be noted that while Eternity undoubtedly finds the whole Hall & Oates/Wham 80s pop thing a little silly, it comes up with some surprisingly good original tunes – especially for a low budget indie movie – that will have your foot tapping and your lips humming.
Overall Verdict: Eternity: The Movie is a bit of an odd and uneven concoction, but with its ridiculously broad comedy, likeable leads and the heart of its bromance it’s surprisingly fun.
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
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