Reverend's Reviews: Holding Trevor? Let Go!

The press notes for Holding Trevor, which will be released tomorrow in LA and NYC by Regent Releasing, describe it as "a sort of Reality Bites from the vantage point of a young gay protagonist." The description is accurate insofar as the title character (played by Brent Gorski, who also wrote the screenplay) is young and gay, and the film does, unfortunately, bite.

Set in current day Los Angeles, Trevor is trying to end things with his junkie boyfriend (well-played by Christopher Wyllie, despite having little to work with beside his character's addiction); trying to put up with his cynical and irritating best friends, Jake (Jay Brannan, who was much better as Ceth in Shortbus) and Andie (Melissa Searing); and trying to start a new relationship with Ephram (Eli Kranski, who gives the film's best performance).

That's it, and I don't mean in a nutshell. That's the entire plot of the movie. There are a few funny lines and one serious, if predictable, story development with one of the characters, but it isn't enough material to justify the 90-minute running time. The characters simply aren't interesting enough. Neither is Rosser Goodman's direction nor Kara Stephens' cinematography, which emphasizes close-ups of the actors that often make Gorski appear he has lockjaw and Kranski look cross-eyed.

There are a few good songs on the soundtrack, but better to buy the CD if it's available than sit through the actual film. This is Gorski's first screenplay, and I appreciate his stated desire to make an unpretentious gay-themed film. Try as I might, though, I couldn't hold Trevor and his associates in my heart.

UPDATE: Holding Trevor is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.