Customer Reviews

Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Billy's first Hollywood kiss is the first enchanting romance to come out of the burgeoning gay-themed canon of mainline cinema. And Sean Hayes, who plays Billy, is the character who gives it that charm. What's even more impressive is that Billy maintains this interesting charm smack dab in the middle of a movie with some marginally sympathetic and some downright unpleasant characters wrapped in barbed wire. There's a repugnant Paul Bartels playing a hideous chicken hawk photographer that everyone fawns all over who, in reality, would be thrown off the nearest cliff. And then there's Gabriel who plays the object of Billy's affection, who indeed is kissable, but that's about it. This character is played by Brad Rowe, a jarringly distracting Brad Pitt clone, and I do mean clone. But once you've sorted all this out, and waited patiently through a couple of subplots you're ready to sit back and root for Billy. He's as tied up in knots about love as any of us, but he's so good natured and hopeful, even when he's convinced he will never be kissed at all. There is one universal scene that will cause every gay man who has ever spent the night in the same bed with a beautiful boy you weren't totally sure was gay, and longed all night, awake and heart racing, lightly touching shoulders and panting. Billy managed to get through that, and more, but you keep rooting. This movie is so good, it transcends labels and is just a romance and a good slice of twenty-something life, albeit pre-career, a good date movie, for any couple combination. It has a couple of technical production problems, and a few too many affectations, but Sean Hayes gives a near-perfect take on good natured angst. This movie gets a recommendation from me. See you at the cineplex.

"Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" offers gay and straight film audiences something quite unique. It is a kitchy romantic love story with a gay twist, and all the trappings of a goofy romance. Sean Hayes absolutely shines as the boy-next-door, hopeless romantic photographer pre- "Will and Grace" days. Beware: Billy is not "Jack", and you will come to love his character just the same! A great supporting cast adds flavor, and the nice twist at the end just peppers a wonderful story overall. This film is creative, inventive, and wildly funny, and it made my personal "Top Ten" list for 1998. And DVD owners watch out! The commentary by director Tommy O'Haver absolutely adds to the magic of the behind the scenes of making this film. Don't miss it!

This film is great. This film can be compared to other outstanding gay films such as "Beautiful Thing" and "Get Real".

Billy is out to recreate some of the most famous Holywood kissing scenes with a bit of a twist. When he needs to find a model, he finds Mr. Perfect while being served a cup of coffee at a local diner. From then on, Billy is on a quest to claim this new model as his new love and to finish his biggest project yet. There are, however, some complications. Billy doesn't have enough money to finish the project so he needs to find another source of income and Billy doesn't know if his new crush is gay or str8.

Well, I think I'll leave it at that. This is a very adorable tale of gay puppy love. This movie is worth buying.

What I liked best about the film is the inventive way that the story was told using the Poloroid photos (too bad they're not making polaroid film any more! It was such a great medium!) and the main character, (well acted) by Sean P. Hayes, talking to the audience. We all agree that the drag queen sequences are great! Watch the opening credits more than once. And it was really great to hear Petula Clark again. I've screened it for straight and gay friends & all agreed that the film is "SO SPECIAL". Great cast, characters, sets, locations and cinematography in addition to just a great entertaining, well written film! A must see fun comedy for the 90's!

A touching, funny, and sad story about a young photographer ("Will & Grace" star Sean P. Hayes) and the object of his desire (Brad Rowe), "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss," is an impressive feature-film debut for director O'Haver. Set in Los Angeles (and concluding on Santa Catalina island) Billy's infatuation with coffee-serving Gabriel allows the viewer to grasp the idea of an ideal friendship in the gay 90's. Gabriel's sexual ambiguity disturbs Billy's so called "gaydar" that Billy sets up a series of photographs inspired by classic films like "From Here to Eternity" to see whether-or-not Gabriel is gay.

The film serves a visionary eye palette of colors that gives the film a catchy look. Utilizing methods to watch Nicholas Ray used in "Rebel Without A Cause," and what Pedro Almodovar utilized in "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," (both films used a technicolor red hue to give the protagonist a unique look) O'Haver successfully incorporates great color schemes and excellent lighting.

The film has many sad points especially when Billy tells Gabriel the significance of his Polaroid and especially the heartbreaking ending (reminscent of the ending of "Splendor in the Grass"). I was fascinated my the creative use of the Polaroids in the telling of the story.

Overall, both characters are cute, the supporting characters are excellent, and the film's script is an original escape from today's unoriginal recycled film scripts. An excellent film for all, regardless of someone's sexual orientation.

Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (BHKS) is a movie that deals with the ubiquitous gay theme of unrequited love. Most gay men will identify with falling in love with someone and for whatever reason that person turns out to be Mr Wrong.This is the theme that BHKS handles extremely well.

Billy (played by Will and Grace's Sean Hayes) is an out of work LA based photographer with a perchant for polariods who falls for an out of work bass player and current waiter Gabriel (Brad Rowe). The problem is that Billy is uncertain which way Gabriel 'swings', and Gabriel doesn't seem to be able to provide any answers himself. Is he or isn't he??? And if he is, why isn't he interested in Billy????

We never truely get the answer to those questions, but the journey we travel with Billy and Gabriel brings up some lovely (and some confronting) themes that gay men everywhere can relate too.

When the film first starts you know you're in for a treat - stills of polariod photographs are used to illustrate various storyline movements and Billy's dream sequences are nothing short of brilliant - drag queens miming beautiful songs such as 'This is my song' by Petula Clark provide the backdrop for those dream sequences, with Billy and Gabriel interacting in a tender, romantic way that is reminiscent of the MGM musicals of yesteryear.

Speaking of the MGM musical influence, BHSK does not exactly imitate those movies, but rather takes elements from them to create something truely unique - right down to the musical sequences and the bold, bright colours used in the sets of the movie.

For those who are only familar with Sean Hayes as 'Jack' on Will and Grace are in for a complete surprise. He has the wonderful ability to show the disappointed that comes with unrequited love in a very effective and subtle way. He really is a good actor and hopefully we will see more of him in future film roles.

A special mention needs to made of the opening title sequence - this alone is worthy of an oscar!!! It is a very funny drag queen sequence that immediately gives the film a vibrant, original feel.

The DVD itself has the movie plus a trailer and a promo for the soundtrack. The only other extra is the audio commentary by the director Tommy O'Haver. Tommy is very entertaining on the commentary and provides us with an indepth discussion of making a film on a low budget. Hopefully we will be seeing more quality film from Tommy in the future.

BHSK is a lovely little movie that deals with the often traumatic theme of unrequited love in the gay world. Though the ending isn't exactly upbeat, we are left with a positive feeling of true love being just around the corner. It may not be to everyone's liking, but if you like arthouse movies that stir the emotions and leave you with a positive glow, make sure you watch BHSK.

Maybe it is just me, but this movie just wasn't what I expected. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable little flick, but on the whole I was a little dissapointed. With Sean Hayes as the star I was expecting to be rolling on the floor with laughter, however this was more of a light drama than a comedy. Most of the humour relied on the association factor of "been there, done that" and the normally hilarious Mr Hayes played a basically "straight" (only in one sense of the word) role.
My recommendation for those considering the purchase of this DVD is to rent it first. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly, but don't think it is one of those movies I will watch over and over again.

...it is visually delightful...and very middle of the road for a gay themed film. A friend of mine says she is going to show it to her thirteen year old daughter...because the people treat each other really rather nicely. And that is the thing.. it is a funny little film about people who are attracted to the wrong people, but nothing really bad happens...everyone kind of learns something without being hurt. And it has location shots of Catalina, and the beaches north of Malibu. I like this film a lot...and watch it from time to time to remind myself that it is a rich wonderful world out there with many kinds of delightful people in it. ALL the actors are good--SEAN HAYES is at his early, understated best (Billy is out, but NOT as far out as his "Will and Grace" character). The commentary is pleasant and quirky---mostly about making a film on a small budget. Well...I certainly hope that some more films get made in THIS price range...this one is a humdinger!

Recently re-watching this film about a year after I originally saw it, I was amazed at how enjoyable it remained on a second viewing. Using a style perfected by Almodovar, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, is both charming and sad. O'Haver's film appears fresh and vibrant at all times and it is such a pleasure to see a gay love story told not as a subplot but as the driving plot. From the opening credits to the sad and poignant finale each actor contributes to the overall feel of the film. Sean P Hayes and Brad Rowe are perfect as Billy and Gabriel.

Using a Gidget retro atmosphere to imbue a certain kitsch could have easily failed but here it works. It made me laugh and think how wonderful all those Annette Funicillo/Frankie Avalon beach movies would and could have been with a gay subplot. It was also refreshing to hear a soundtrack to a gay film that doesn't feature dance/club music. The use of Nina Simone and Petula Clark were perfect in adding that retro feel to hip and funky 1990's LA.

Billy's Holywood Screen Kiss works beacuse of the cast, the unrequited love story, the music and the look of the movie. O'Haver's has molded together all the elments to produce quality fluff. Put it on and be prepared to feel good.

This was the first gay film I'd ever seen...it just happened to be on HBO right after I "came out," and I watched it to see what gay life is all about. It will always be special to me as the first non-porn gay film I've seen, but I'd say for sure it's not a gay-life guide. It is fun though. Unfortunately, the last quarter of the film degenerates into a silly gidget-like outing to Catalina, but the last few scenes are well worth watching it through to the end. Sean Hayes is just adorable with the goatee in the film, and plays a great gay without the "flaming-queen" shtick he does Jack in Will & Grace with.