The Last Straight Man

Mark Bessenger's romantic comedy-drama The Last Straight Man" plays like a gay version of "Same Time, Next Year," the Alan Alda/Ellen Burstyn-starring film from 1978 written and directed by Bernard Slade. (One suspects the similarity is not entirely accidental, given that a secondary -- but crucial -- character is named Bernie.)

As in "Same Time, Next Year" the two characters in "The Last Straight Man" keep an annual rendezvous, always in the same hotel room. In this case, the stars are both men; Mark Cirillo ("The Seminarian") plays Lewis, who starts out claiming to be "bi" before coming out later as gay; Scott Sell (last seen starring opposite Tom Goss in the thriller "Out to Kill") plays Lewis' straight best friend, Cooper.

The fun begins after a bachelor party, when Cooper and Lewis start sharing sexy stories. They end up watching straight porn; bored, they switch to gay porn, which proves galvanizing. Cooper is turned on by the man-on-man action; Lewis is turned on that his straight buddy is getting so into it.

Rather than sliding into awkwardness and regret, the two celebrate their night of sexual intimacy by repeating it yearly, always on their "anniversary." Over time, straight Cooper loosens up (literally; this provides the basis for one of movie's more striking, funny, and memorable scenes). But as the years pass, Lewis grows less certain about their getaways.

"Same Time, Next Year" was a play translated to movie form; similarly, "The Last Straight Man" feels as though it started as a play, with long scenes driven by dialogue, much of it humorous and some of it quite tender. Cirillo's sweetness carries much of the film, and he's easy on the eyes to boot; Sell's arresting good looks make him impossible not to enjoy in every scene. The two share the screen companionably, and while there's no crackling chemistry there, the actors are clearly comfortable with one another -- and comfortable also with nudity, which is used to good effect to sex things up and also underscore the feelings between the two characters. Wisely, Bessenger doesn't get coy about his guys' skins, but neither does he overexpose them, so to speak. Less wise, alas, is the Muzak-like score.

The disc includes several special features, including interviews with Mark Cirillo and Scott Sell -- and, amusingly, Victoria DeMare, who appears early on in a brief, saucy role as a stripper. There's also a deleted scene, and an audio commentary. The deleted scene is sweet, but incomplete, missing some sound elements. There was an entire sequence of one of the annual get-togethers that was filmed but trimmed for time, and it's too bad that the sequence wasn't presented here in its entirety.

For those of a romantic inclination, or anyone who enjoys a sweet love story, this is a disc to add to your collection. It's only available on DVD, but the disc looks and sounds fine when played on a Blu-ray player on a high-def TV.

"The Last Straight Man"
DVD
$19.99
http://www.tlavideo.com/the-last-straight-man/p-366806-1