Customer Reviews

Eating Out

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I saw this at the Loft Theatre in Tucson, AZ, in a special presentation by the producer. In the first 5 minutes, I said to myself, "This is the most impossible premise for a movie I've ever seen. They can't possibly pull this off!" Well, they really did! The premise is ridiculous -- a straight kid decides to play gay because a gay friend of his says that a woman he is attracted to only dates gay men. Heartfelt writing and directing and absolutely real performances from the cast members make this movie totally believable (except for one minor plot twist at the very end). And the two male leads are gorgeous! (Although their performances are REALLY what makes the movie work. Honest!) This is a keeper.

This little film plays more like a French farce than a Hollywood film and if watched with that in mind it is sure to entertain. So many writers have mined this vein of boy playing girl playing boy in the web of catching the designated lover that it must be one of the more durable lines for comedy success through the years. Adding the contemporary slant of gay proposing straight posing as gay so that straight can get girl and gay can get lover works...but you have to stay with this one to catch all the double entendres that make it fun.

Classical music student Marc (a new 'Brad Pitt' like Ryan Carnes!) is a popular gay hunk who lives with Gwen (Emily Brooke Hands) who thinks she is the one responsible for making straight boys turn gay (!), so convinced is she that all the good men are gaily unavailable to her. Caleb (Scott Lunsford) is a straight guy who lives with jazz music student gay Kyle (Jim Verraros) in a purely roommate situation. Caleb, after an hilarious opening physical setup encounter with Tiffani (Rebekah Kochan), is convinced that gay men have an easier time of getting partnered than straight men. At a party Caleb meets Gwen who thinks Caleb is with Kyle, Caleb wants Gwen, and Kyle wants the apparently aloof Marc. Kyle convinces Caleb that if Caleb poses as gay he will gain entry into the Gwen/Marc abode and have access to Gwen while Kyle will have access to Marc. A spur of the moment telephone sex call (Gwen is attempting to turn on Caleb in front of Marc) results in Caleb and Marc 'hitting it off' much to the confusion of everyone. Add a dinner party for the four people involved which Caleb's ever-so-accepting family also attends and the whole situation explodes. How this whole schema plays out is the punch line of the film and all's well that end's well!

The cast is young and inexperienced and in need of a heavier directorial hand, but they are unanimously loveable and the men are certainly eye candy. As written and directed by Q. Allan Brocka EATNG OUT sails along breezily and provides enough fun for all audiences. Grady Harp, July 05

Please do NOT consider this movie - this is really, honestly, truly an extremely painfully bad movie. Yes, Ryan Carnes is a hottie, but he is not worth the pain of a very shallow and vulgar 80 minutes.The script needed a couple of re-writes (let's say 40 :-) before this movie should have even been considered as a possible project. As the movie progressed my jaw dropped in correlation to the cringingly embarrassing plot and characters. I bought this dvd, ignoring the bad reviews, and I now wish I had "listened", so in effect I am writing this to myself in the past by warning : this REALLY is a waste of your time and money. Trust me. I know.

(By the way - it's an insult that "EATING OUT" is recommended as a good combination with "Just a Question Of Love" (see BETTER TOGETHER above) -- I don't know what criteria was used to ascertain this match, but rest assured - I've seen "JUST A QUESTION OF LOVE" , and it is ART compared to "EATING OUT" which is garbage)

It is very obvious, as soon as you start watching this movie, that this is a low-budget kind. Yet, despite its cheap quality, it's somewhat funny and plain weird. Just be in the mood to watch something zany before you pop in this DVD.

First of all, this movie carries the message that gay men are often surrounded by women. Not only that but that gay men and women friends share affection, which can lead to sex. O.....k!

So, the movie opens with Caleb and his girlfriend Tiffani. At first, it looks like they must be acting for a porn film. Actually, they were just role-playing. Tiffani isn't impressed with Caleb and dumps him.

Dejected, Caleb goes home to his gay roommate, Kyle (Jim Verranos). (What ever possess Jim to do this film?) From Kyle, Caleb is led to believe that sex sometimes happens between gay men and their women friends. So, Caleb decides to declare himself gay so he can land himself a woman.

Next to enter the picture are Gwen and Marc. Gwen and her gay roommate, Marc, are hosting a party at their apartment. Gwen has just been dumped by her obviously gay boyfriend after coming out to her. Kyle likes Marc but feels he's out of the league for Marc to notice him. Caleb sees Gwen and immediately desires her.

A perfect opportunity opens up for Marc, Gwen, Caleb and Kyle to meet and introduce each other. Kyle and Caleb agree Caleb will create an opportunity for Marc to notice Kyle. Kyle, on the other hand, will try to connect Caleb to Gwen.

Immediately, a date is set up for Marc and Caleb. When the day comes, Caleb heads over to Marc's place. While Marc is getting ready, Gwen checks him out and discovers he's a gay virgin which just turns Gwen on.

After the date is over, they go back to Marc's place. Gwen is somewhere else. Marc wants to jump into bed ith Caleb but without any pressure. Nothing is happening. Gwen calls and discovers that the date is platonic. She speaks to Caleb and initiates phone sex. Meanwhile, Marc takes advantage and works on him.

Kyle discovers what happens afterwards and is disappointed in Caleb. Caleb decides to solve this whole mess by inviting Gwen and Marc over for dinner. Kyle makes it worse by inviting Caleb's parents over. Everything just goes wrong.

When the night is over, the truth comes out among the four of them. All I can say is that it's a happy ending for all of them.

*Eating Out* is cheesy funny, weird and oddly kinky. If you like zany films, then go ahead and watch this low-budget movie. Just don't expect to be impressed.

First, I'll start off with the good points of the movie. There actually existed mildly humorous moments, and the actors were hot. If you want a movie with a certain sex appeal, by all means, this may actually be a good movie for you.

Then end.

Aside from that, it is awful. The characters' behavior throughout the entire movie is utterly unrealistic. I found myself cringing at how stereotypes were utilized in this movie (particularly one gay character at the beginning of the movie who is portrayed in an excessively flamboyant manner). The plot is also advanced in a similarly unrealistic manner - Caleb, a straight male character decides to feign homosexuality (even going as far as engaging in some awkward homosexual activity) in order to win Gwen, a heterosexual female.

Gwen's reactions to Caleb are completely nonsensical. Even though she is under the impression that Caleb is gay, she appears to make serious attempts to seduce him. She produces a similarly absurd reaction to new information at the end of the movie when the plot finally unravels.

I would be offended if the makers of this movie honestly thought that people actually act the way the characters did in this movie. Fortunately, this was only a comedy, and only serves to entertain, not make a point. Unfortunately, I did not find myself smirking very often while I watched it. Because of this, I cannot recommend watching what is honestly another piece of assembly-line-produced trash. It's a chick flick (or guy flick, however you want to call it) that will catch everyone's attention ephemerally, then quickly be forgotten. Spare yourselves.

I will be the first to say that Eating Out is a bit over the top. Eating Out is one of those movies that you watch for the good old fashioned fun of entertainment. This movie has no messages, it's not ground breaking, it is just pure fun. I will also say that I did enjoy the movie more than I thought I would. I have to say just like the other viewers the 2 lead male actors full frontal nude scenes, especially Ryan Carnes (which are brief) are just an added bonus. I do have to say Ryan Carnes (gardener in Desperate Housewives) is one beautiful guy and he looks like a young Brad Pitt. Eating Out is just a fun entertaining movie with some great eye candy from the 2 lead male actors.

ok, the twinks are cute, but other than that this travesty of a "gay" flick is an absolute insult to the viewers, to any self-respecting gay individual & most of all it bears the worst, condescending & misogynic caricature of a female character i've ever seen on film. all shame, no pride. save your bucks & time.

I saw this film many months ago at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Yes the guys are very hot! But the film is also a lot of fun. Director and writer Q. Allan Brocka has a way of making films with twists and turns and not merely predictable plots with ending you would expect 10 minutes into the film. This film is at times sweet and endearing, but it still has Brocka's dark and caustic edges too, producing some quite stinging and sharp lines. Numerous times I was howling with laughter after what some character said. Great film!

Eating out was a pleasant DVD experience, perfect for a lazy weekend night. If you're looking for deep insights, profound messages, succulent scriptwriting, not to mention dramatic visual effects or a multiplex experience, you should go elsewhere. But if you are looking for some light camp banter, cute guys and a simple storyline, look no further. Not every gay movie can be a Brokeback Mountain after all.

This has got to be one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. I had such high hopes for this film, what with it being on the cover of the Advocate and such. Alas, the hype surrounding it was the only thing working for it. There is absolutely nothing to recommend about it. The writing, directing, and especially the acting, are of the worst sort, the kind made possible with a budget of about $100. The plot, and I use the term loosely, is threadbare and cliched, and not in the least bit believable. For example: what person, gay or straight, would want to spend more than five seconds in the company of the lead female chararcter, who is supposedly to die for? She was the loudest, most obnoxious person in the entire movie (not to mention homophobic, despite having a gay best friend!), and we're supposed to believe the the lead straight man would pretend to be gay to get close to her? Come on! I was waiting for someone to bitch her out or at the very least tell her to shut up, but alas, no. And don't get me started on the ludicrous phone sex scene. It was completely insulting. The only positive thing I can say about this "film" is that it's relatively short. The much ballyhooed full frontal male nudity is not enough to shell out the money to rent it, let alone buy it. Save your money!