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Dorian Blues (2005)
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:15
Rotten:7
Average Rating:5.8/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 23, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: First-time director Tennyson Bardwell serves up a fresh entry in the coming out/coming of age genre with this movingly funny tale of a young man exploring his sexuality in the face of judgmental... First-time director Tennyson Bardwell serves up a fresh entry in the coming out/coming of age genre with this movingly funny tale of a young man exploring his sexuality in the face of judgmental parents, siblings, and classmates. Dorian Lagatos (Michael McMillian) is just finishing high school, where his classmates suspect he's gay but generally ignore him. Daunted by his arch-conservative father, Dorian suppresses his urges and pursues the status quo, planning to escape to college in New York. But suddenly, with the assistance of a therapist, a priest, and a momentous first boyfriend, Dorian comes into his own--and comes out to his family, his friends, and the world. Starring Michael McMillian from the teen hit television series WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU, DORIAN BLUES draws from director Bardwell's real-life experience. When Bardwell began college, he had no exposure to gay life or people. He began a close friendship with an openly gay classmate, and that friendship inspired the film. With his friend serving as the model for Dorian, Bardwell has created a funny, sad film that speaks to the universal experience of finding oneself. [More]
Starring: Michael McMillian, Lea Coco, Steven C. Fletcher, Austin Basis
Starring: Michael McMillian, Lea Coco, Steven C. Fletcher, Austin Basis, Cody Nickell, Maureen Quigley
Director: Tennyson Bardwell
Director: Tennyson Bardwell
Screenwriter: Tennyson Bardwell
Producer: Tennyson Bardwell, Mary-Beth Taylor, Portia Kamons, Frank D'Andrea
Composer: Will Severin
Studio: TLA Releasing
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Reviews for Dorian Blues
It's a sweet and likable movie, if not an expert one, and a respectable entry in the genre.
[Writer-director] Bardwell offers a cheerful, if sometimes strenuously earnest, take on a subject that seems overdue for a lighthearted touch.
McMillian and the big Coco are excellent, and Fletcher makes something scarily comical of dad's hardball glares and proudly Nixonian grievances.
Dorian Blues has wit, humor, good performances, and clever technique that catapults the film into the front ranks of coming-out movies.
Dorian Blues makes me yearn for the day that audiences have become so comfortable enough with this subgenre that a clever director can make a spoof in which many if not all of the conventions get lampooned.
May not break new ground, but thanks to some sharp writing and ingratiating performances, it farms the old fields quite productively.
Rarely feels fresh. It's special, but in an after-school sort of way.
The movie is occasionally funny and it has charm, mostly thanks to Michael McMillian. It's not exactly original, but it is borderline entertaining.
While Bardwell's screenplay wobbles somewhat in tone, it displays enough wit and charm to compensate for its lack of polish.
The linchpin relationship is the underlying deep bond between the two brothers, and the scenes between McMillian and Coco are well written and equally well played.
A palpably heartfelt final scene between Dorian and his mom ends the tale on a powerful note.
The amateurish, too-bright cinematography merely adds to the synthetic quality of everything transpiring onscreen.
Dorian Blues fits tidily into a genre of first-time films in which the main gay character comes of age and out of the closet.
Some of the humor feels pretty staged, but Dorian isn't without its charms.
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