#38 - Gray Matters

Why have I not heard anything about this movie before? Grey Matters is one of the cuter, quirkier films I've seen in a while. Although it's a low budget, silly romantic comedy it does have moments that reach beyond the usual emotional complexity of romantic comedies and for the most part - it's pretty touching.

So what's this movie about? Well, it stars Heather Graham and Tom Cavanagh as Gray and Sam Baldwin - siblings who are basically inseparable. They live together, dance together, and are often mistaken for a couple rather than siblings. Yea, their relationship is borderline creepy, but I guess that's what happens when you're both alone in the city with no hopes for a relationship right?

So anyway, the duo decide that they need to stop their incestuous ways and make a pact to look for possible partners for each other - a guy for her, and a girl for him. Let's fast forward to the point where they meet this fantastic girl that completely changes both of their lives. The rest of the movie is mostly about Gray's budding sexuality and how everyone else reacts and responds to her.

The good:

Like I said, there were a lot of touching monologues in the movie that definitely left you thinking. All of them revolved around Gray's coming out and I felt like some touched a lot of feelings that people do have when they realize that they are gay, I know I resonated with what she was saying.

Apart from the fun script and amusing acting, there are a lot of elements that make it a cute movie, and one that is a positive lesbian movie. You see Gray's awkward and seamless transition from in the closet woman to a much more confident lesbian. It's nice to see a movie like that. I also liked that, although the movie was a romantic comedy, it doesn't necessarily have you're cookie cutter ending. It does throw in some interesting twists. The movie as a whole is a bit absurd, but it does have some elements of real life. I also liked the supporting characters in the movie. They were all super supportive and super silly. They weren't just one dimensional characters either - which is great. Even though you don't see much of them, they add to the film in their own special way.

The annoying:

Now, don't get me wrong. I was annoyed by the characters a few times. Some were a bit too awkward and Gray was a bit too self-absorbed. Really, the entire movie played out like a really long episode of Will and Grace. Only in this they are siblings, and Grace is a lesbian and Will is straight. So at times, the characters are a bit too much and can get annoying, but all in all - they grow on you.

All in all

Like I said, I really don't understand why I haven't heard of this movie before. I think it's really under-appreciated, and that really shouldn't be the case. It's a good movie. Not great, but good. Sure at times it does get annoying. But overall the flaws are made up for with the story line.

It leaves you feeling great and the way that it treats the coming out experience is pretty awesome. Its funny, warm, and touching.

Movies that deal with coming out as one of the big themes of the events usually have to find a balance between being cliche and being good. Often times, they fail. Not this movie. This movie is on point.