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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • 3 Deleted scenes
  • Teaser trailer - The Closet
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • Interviews
  • 3 Storyboards
  • Outtakes - Alternate Ending

All Over the Guy

Madman Entertainment/AV Channel . R4 . COLOR . 91 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Jackie and Tom are best friends, Brett and Eli are also best friends. When Jackie and Brett meet in a furniture shop and feel an instant attraction between each other, they decide to set up their respective best friends Tom and Eli on a blind date with the underlying plan actually being for them to again get together. Confused yet? Let's try again, Jackie is a straight woman whose best friend Tom is gay. Brett is a straight man whose best friend Eli is also gay. Jackie and Brett meet and want to get together again but need to set up their best friends on a blind date in order to make this happen. Make sense now?

Tom and Eli are total opposites, but for some unknown reason they make a connection. The obvious reason is the perfect appearance of Tom, but the real reason is perhaps the way they clash. Tom is a recovering alcoholic who is happy to find true love in a martini and Eli thinks his Mr Right is out there somewhere waiting to be found.

"My next date is gonna cost $2 for the first minute and $1.50 for each additional minute!"

This film is a portrayal of two separate couples that are intertwined through their friendship. The fact that one couple is gay only demonstrates the insecurities felt by gays as well as straight people, but this is not because the lead characters are gay, it is simply because they are human. What this film does attempt to do is show gay men as they really are and not the stereotypical Julian Clary clones that some perceive them to be.

Dan Bucatinsky plays the lead role of Eli, but his contribution to this film doesn’t end there. All Over The Guy is actually based on his original play I Know You Are But What Am I? and he has skilfully adapted this to become the screenplay, as well as co-producing. The majority of cast members may not be too familiar to most, with Richard Ruccolo perhaps being the most recognisable from his role as Pete on the hit TV sitcom 2 Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, but viewers may also recognise Adam Goldberg from his time as the psychotic flatmate of Chandler on Friends. Others may not be as recognisable, but they are very well cast in their respective roles.

There are a couple of cameo performances that also deserve a mention, many may not wish to know about these and although their names are plastered all over the cover, consider this a warning. The most notable cameo comes from Doris Roberts as the AIDS clinic receptionist. Doris is better known for her role as Raymond’s mother in Everybody Loves Raymond. Lisa Kudrow also appears in a role she has perfected as a ditzy blonde and Christina Ricci plays the sister of Eli.

Backed with a terrific soundtrack of catchy songs this film is not going to make the viewer think too hard, but should be entertaining for most. The humour is at times a little forced and the plot can sometimes seem a touch repetitive, as in they get together - they break up - they get back together - they break up, but this is how real life can be. The choice to be made is whether you wish to see real life situations on film or pure fiction. For a low budget film, this is a great piece of entertainment.

  Video
Contract

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and 16x9 enhanced, this transfer looks terrific. Picture is sharp at all times and colours are vibrant and natural. There are no signs of film artefacts or edge enhancement and aliasing is never a problem. Blacks are deep and shadow detail is also very good. For a low budget film, this looks very good indeed. There are sadly no subtitles supplied with this release, even though they are listed on the cover.

  Audio
Contract

Presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, this is a very good audio track indeed. Being primarily a dialogue driven film, sound is clear at all times. The great musical soundtrack is very well presented and the occasional use of separation is also well done. A DD 5.1 track would have been nice as is supplied on the Region 1 version but having said that, the DD 2.0 is more than adequate.

  Extras
Contract

There are some nice extras provided with this release, even if they are nothing too spectacular.

Interviews
Split into the five sections of The Characters, The Process, Working with Julie Davis, Working with Dan Bucatinsky and One Happy Family, this featurette contains interviews with all the main cast members and the director. It runs for 16:09 in total, is presented in full frame and although informative does come across as a bit of a self admiration society meeting.

Trailer
Running for 2:02, this trailer is a great promo for the film.

Alternate Ending
This could have been a very good extra, showing the original planned ending, but the problem is there are people talking over the footage in commentary style and you struggle to hear a word. A nice thought though.

Deleted Scenes
Three deletions in all, this feature runs for 1:41 in total and is a good bonus. The scenes were obviously not necessary in the film, but give a good view of the producers' intention.

Profiles
In text format, profiles are available for all the main cast members as well as the director.

Storyboards
This feature contains storyboards for three scenes from the film, The Date, The Ceremony and The Reception. The last scene contains a split screen with the actual scene from the film running in time with the storyboard.

Madman Propaganda
Simply a trailer for the film The Closet that runs for 1:17.

  Overall  
Contract

This film is a nice romantic comedy that contains a few good laughs and a decent love story and therefore is very much worth checking out. The cast is very good and the script is fast and amusing, plus the amount of decent extras and a couple of familiar faces in cameos make this release well worth a look.


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      And I quote...
    "Three guys + one girl = two couples, you do the math! This romantic comedy is a light-hearted film with a bunch of laughs."
    - Adrian Turvey
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