VIDE OFTHE WEE
(2001, R)
QQQ1/2
OK, I'm just going to come right out and say it. I really like Showtime's Queer As Folk.
I'll be the first to admit that I had my doubts. Based on the British TV series of the same name -- which was, in itself, a brilliant concoction of explicit sex, gay nightlife, rampant drug use and raw language, not to mention incredible performances, terrific writing and above-average production values -- Showtime's Americanized version didn't have a chance.
Before it even debuted, I was convinced the US QAF would pale in comparison, and I was right.
My original review included the lines: "I absolutely hated it. Every line change, every character nuance, every distinctly original spin irked me to my very core, if only because it had the audacity to be, well, different."
But I also maintained that the series was starting to grow on me and as soon as Queer As Folk began edging beyond its British beginnings and finding its own voice, I was completely hooked. Now with a full season under its belt, all of which is available in stores in a handy, extras-crammed 6-disc DVD set, I can look back with new eyes.
There are still a few problems here and there: Randy Harrison (as horny twink Justin) still can't act very well and Gale Harold's lothario jerk Brian still doesn't come close to matching Aiden Gillen's love-to-loathe-him charisma from the Brit series, but as the two get more comfortable in their characters' shoes, they both getting better.
What the Showtime series has done exceptionally well is flesh out the supporting characters. Hal Sparks' Michael, torn between his infatuation with Brian and his devotion to live-in hubbie Dr. David (Chris Potter) makes for great entertainment and all. The storyline involving Emmett (Peter Paige) getting mixed up with a gay reparative therapy group while Ted (Scott Lowell) fruitlessly tries to keep him from "seeing the light" -- was the stuff of genius. And its resolution was one of this season's most touching moments. I've been waiting for a film to offer a clever take on the "gay cure" movement, but television will do just as nicely.
Even Lindsay and Melanie (Thea Gill and Michelle Clunie), the lady lovers with whom Brian has a baby, got loads of screen time (and lots of hot lesbian sex scenes). Storylines such as Ted's renewed interest in the young drug addict that slipped him GHB and then left him for dead or Michael and David's struggles with monogamy have been pretty groundbreaking stuff. And no one's arguing that when it comes to hot gay sex, Showtime obviously hasn't flinched much about turning up the heat.
With the show back on Showtime on Sunday nights, it finally feels like we have a TV family we can call our own. Sure, the boys' lives aren't a perfect mirror of gay life, but then nothing is. For now, I'm just happy to have something that's just for us -- warts and all.