Customer Reviews

Whirlwind

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This was a terrific movie, one of the best gay movies I've seen. It's intelligent, funny, touching, smart.... I could go on, but you get the idea. The acting is great and the dialogue is very well written.

I loved the premise of this movie. The protagonist sets out to destroy the relationships between a group of people to satisfy his own bitter and twisted ends. Unfortunately, he doesn't count on the fact that these people have deep and honest feelings for each other. I won't say more, just that this movie has a very satisfying ending.

The dating experience for NYC gay men is a "Whirlwind" (2007) of players, a compulsion to be judged as "hot," manipulative jerks, and missed opportunities ... at least as it is portrayed in this commendable gay indie film, which won several audience awards at gay film festivals.

It features a solid cast of actors, many with Broadway stage credits, who come together to realistically portray a diverse group of thirty-something gay men, along with assorted "straight but not shallow" friends. Likely the characters were written to be stereotypes of a sort intentionally, to assure the viewer would be able to identify with at least one or two of them. There's the monogamous gay couple, having some problems with maturity and responsibility, and a handsome and personable guy who seems to have an aversion to dating the same guy twice. Add in a quiet man who has still not "moved on" from the sudden death of his partner in an auto accident two years before, and then there's the likeable but plain guy who keeps asking his friends for advice on how to better live his life. The dynamics of this closeknit group of friends is strained by a handsome newcomer, an event planner at local bars, who feeds on others' insecurities and manipulates them for his own amusement.

Although very well acted and directed, the situations seemed way too contrived to me, and best I can give it is four stars out of five. The DVD includes director commentary, a video of the actors' first table read, and a behind-the-scenes slide show.

Unless I got a defective copy of the DVD - THERE IS NO NUDITY IN THIS FILM and hardly any sex (on camera). That aside, I liked the broad, narrative outlines of this film. All of the writer and director's best friends found speaking roles in it, I believe, and every "good" line found it's way into the script, regardless of whether it fit with the timing or flow of the scenes. This is one of those films where I wish someone would take the story arc, the premise, the settings and make a good, film out of it - even one which contains some explicit lovemaking. Explicit sex and a lot more nudity would not have been out of place in this, mediocre version of the film. In fact they would have helped. But as it stands, this was an okay film which would be appropriate for gay teenagers or to watch with one's mother. It's that tame. Oh, and could someone tell the characters that if they lay off the drugs they might be able to plan a party in fewer than the three months it seems to take in the film? Just a thought.

The film quality is extremely poor and the story line is fairly predictable. If you are looking for an updated version of the "Boys in the Band", then you'll enjoy this film. The gay relationships in the film seem somewhat forged. It lacks on character development. It's not a DVD that I will hold on to in my collection. In other words, buy some thing else.

Overall, the movie was good. The acting wasn't bad, though at times it could've been better. The story line was well done, but it reminded me of other movies - 'the concept has already been done'. If you are looking for a movie that has some drama, break up's and a happy ending, then this movie would be a good choice.

I had watched it without checking reviews posted on Amazon. I did it later. I can't agree with people, who call the movie very good and with those, who criticize it.
The main characters are likeable, but there is little chemistry between them. And the plot seems in some parts quite ridiculous (hmmm, 5 men, some of them in their late 30's behave like puppets in the hands of one mean gay...pls!)
I gave it 3 of 5 because it didn't hurt me to watch it till the end. It is not on my list "to buy", but if you have some time and possibilty to rent it, do it.

I saw this movie without much hope to find something worthy, since I read only negative reviews around. And instead it's a nice comedy, with a tinge of drama, but not too much, with nice characters, and without much angst. It's not obviously a big money movie, it's low budget, and there are some points that could be better developed to make this a very good movie (like Mick's story with the cute server, or Drake's unresolved past), but nevertheless it's not so bad as you could imagine reading the reviews. Sean and Bobby are really cute, they are real and sweet, and playboy Desmond who falls for plain-john Louis is one of the best part of the movie.

I watched this movie and really got caught up in the twist and turns of the plot. I think it is a good one to see.

This film constantly offers, tantalisingly, more than it delivers visually as filmed with perhaps all too much restraint, but "Whirlwind" is a potently sexy video, for all of that. Reviews and descriptions elsewhere on the WWW give a very good idea of the plot and character motivations that drive "Whirlwind", and I refer those who want to know more of that to such descriptions and reviews elsewhere on "The "Web". I would add simply that, for all its merits, this film (like so many others from the Wolfe Video and Pride labels) has the feel and production values of television. It comes across rather as an extended "gay sit-com".

For those for whom David Rudd (Drake) draws a sharp intake of breath for the teasingly (and potently) sexual arousal (but pants-on) that the photo on the DVD's front box cover (of Drake staring at himself in a mirror) can evoke, it should be noted that there really is not much nudity that would reveal more of Rudd's splendidly virile physique; even that cover photo does not correspond to any specific moment of what the viewer sees of David Rudd in the film.

Rudd's Drake has some very torrid embraces with other good-looking men here and there (not all of them members of the intimate friendship group the portrayal of which is the centre of interest in the film), kissing them passionately, as Drake so locks lips in hearty lust with nearly any man in whom this cynical sensualist takes an interest. During such moments, even the shirtless views of Rudd's potent and hirsute male beauty are few and only partially revealing. Neither is there any truly full-frontal nudity of any others of the film's actors, some of whom are quite attractive. More male nudity, tastefully handled, in a film with this kind of plot could have been quite appropriate. However, there is enough glimpsed to make the viewer understand just how such a cunning, stunningly gorgeous, and powerfully sexy man as Drake (Rudd) can succeed in seducing, not only through devious psychological manipulation, but also so many of them outright sexually, the gay men in the friendship circle which Drake sets out to disband.

Recommendable for those who are content with modest (but good) production values. I am gettig used to thinking of most Wolfe productions as "gay TV movies" (good ones) rather than as full-fledged, glamourously cinematic productions. On its own level, Wolfe Video's "Whirlwind" satisfies.

The concept of the movie is great, but I wish I could say the same for the acting it was pretty terrible. I really like the fact that there was an interracial couple in the moive you don't see that vry often especially in gay movies. what i didn't like is even though at the end the couple got back together, the group of friends remained friends it didn't matter Drake accomplished what he set out to do the cutie cheated on his hottie boyfriend, so in the end Drake was right....