Product Details

• Actors: Joelle Carter, Mickey Cottrell, Guillermo Díaz, Jennifer Esposito, Jerran Friedman
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: First Look Pictures
• VHS Release Date: May 29, 2001
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005B21H
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,581 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This sweet comedy of sexual confusion begins with Anthony (Lane Janger), a New York City fireman who's madly in love with his fiancée Amy (Joelle Carter), but who can't shake his fantasy of seeing Amy being sexually intimate with another woman. With their wedding looming over them, Amy finally agrees to play along--but only if Anthony will do the same for her. Reluctantly, Anthony agrees to go out on a date with their young gay neighbor Victor (Guillermo Diaz). Anthony brings his fellow firemen along for safety, only they end up having more fun than he does. Meanwhile, Amy starts spending time with Michelle (Jennifer Esposito), a lesbian woodworker, and starts getting a little more comfortable with the idea than Anthony ever expected. What makes Just One Time stand out is the respect it gives its characters. Each is a well-written, fully realized individual, not merely a plot device. The story is unpredictable and gently funny. Though the dialogue is often clever, much more humor is found in body language--the myriad ways that people communicate things they're afraid to say out loud. It doesn't hurt that the entire cast is extremely sexy and wears skimpy outfits in the hot New York summer. Esposito is particularly charming. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very cute if very predictable...., June 28, 2001

By 

Todd C. Spears (Valley Village, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just One Time (DVD)

"Just One Time" is a very cute movie - even if it tries too hard to please everyone. Unlike a large part of recent gay cinema with downbeat endings, this film plays to the part of the audience that longs for the happy ending. And I freely admit that I am one of those people. My only real problem was that the movie tried so hard to please that it left most of the tension out of the ending. All the characters are fairly likeable, and the acting is fairly good as well (if a tad over the top at times). If you're looking for a cute date movie that doesn't try to be great cinema this is a good choice.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ah, the Frailty of Manhood!, July 2, 2002

By 

T. Halkin "Tim" (Munich, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just One Time (DVD)

There are times that Lane Janger (writer, director and lead of this film) looks terrific when captured at the right angle, and other times that he looks tired and ragged around the edges. The same could be said for his film. There is potential here, and it shines through occasionally, but unfortunately not consistently.

Despite the fact that the ultimate effect is cute (isn't that a terrible word to describe a film?!) and charming, I found myself scratching my head once or twice about the basic premise of this sometimes enchanting little ditty. I guess Janger is trying to warn us that no fantasy lives up to the reality. OK...an age-old piece of wisdom...no arguments here, BUT he never REALLY lets his two lead characters experience their fantasies. They just seem to get lost and frustrated on the road leading up to it.

Anthony (Janger's character) wants to see his beloved fiancée, Amy (played by a very winning Jennifer Esposito), have sex Just One Time with another woman before they get married and HAVE to put their fantasies to bed. That's where the first question arises: why do married couples have to stop having fantasies? OK, small detail, let's move on...

Amy does not want to grant her beloved Anthony his somewhat cliché, pubescent, masturbatory fantasy, and tries to get around the problem by one-upping him: if he has sex with a man for her, she'll give herself to a woman for him. Now pride and egos start getting in the way of anyone calling the nonsense off. Enter Guillermo Diaz: your ... excuse for a romantic comedy's gay sidekick. Not to say thatMr. Diaz plays his role poorly; he's actually adorable! That said, his role is no more than a convenient plot devise: the sweet, non-threatening, virginal gay neighbor, who enters on cue, but never causes too much discomfort, either for Anthony or the viewer. Same goes for the conveniently lesbian neighbor played by Joelle Carter, who is planted there to give Amy her brush withhomosexuality.

Whereas Amy at least gets a lesbian kiss of free will out of it all, before she throw up her hands and screams, "bring on the bands and ring the wedding bells", Anthony stays annoyingly heterosexual. Oh, he does have a kiss, but it's aggressive and full of anger and frustration. When he wakes up the next morning next to his token gay friend, he's horrified at the idea that something might have transpired. Thank God, his bedmate is able to clear that fright up within 30 seconds!

Actually, a rather insulting bit of tripe, but if we more emotionally self-assured and mature homosexuals are generous enough to forgive heterosexual men their occasional lapses of taste and decorum for the sake of defending their obviously fragile manhood, then you might actually enjoy the 94 minutes that this film has to offer.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Charming And Yet Annoying, May 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Just One Time (DVD)

Anthony and Amy are about to get married. He's, a macho firefighter, wants to fulfill his fantasy of sharing his lovely lawyer girlfriend with another woman before the nuptials. What?! The tables turn! We are seeing stereotypical "straight" males! Well, wait! She wants him to do the same and sleep with a guy! This is a sitcomish, romantic comedy and is somewhat charming. It pushes some buttons and has a good-looking cast it's just that it could've been a bit better. The issue of homophobia is handled well and I give them credit.

I'd recommend it....