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'Trick'
By Dan Via
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 6, 1999
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John Paul Pitoc and Christian Campbell are lovers in "Trick."
(Fine Line)
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Director:
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Jim Fall
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Cast:
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Christian Campbell;
Eric Bernat;
Michele Brilliant;
John Paul Pitoc;
Tori Spelling |
Running Time:
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1 hour, 30 minutes
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Contains sexual situations, graphic language and Tori Spelling singing
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Word on the street is that this comedy about two guys and a thwarted one-night stand tested well with both gay and straight audiences. If so, we've come a long way: Go-go boys and drag queens, subway pick-ups and show tunes are not the trappings of your everyday romantic comedy. The lead characters start off as gay cliches: repressed Gabriel (Christian Campbell) aspires to write musicals, Mark (John Paul Pitoc) is a buff, hypersexual go-go dancer. But when, after a chance meeting on a subway, Mark bluntly suggests a sexual encounter, Gabriel doesn't shy away. Suddenly the movie is on less familiar ground. The bulk of the film follows the would-be tricksters on their fruitless quest for a place to get busy. A selfish hetero roommate, an astoundingly bitter drag queen and a clingy friend (wonderfully overplayed by Tori Spelling) are among the obstacles in their path. Unfortunately, director Jim Fall and screenwriter Jason Schafer are better at creating set pieces than establishing a credible narrative arc. Both Gabriel and, especially, Mark become three-dimensional over the course of the film, but the big changes always seem to happen offscreen. The movie is sweet, often very funny and, well, that's about it.
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