Main Cast: Steven Weber, Michael T. Weiss, Patrick Stewart, Robert Klein
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Based on Paul Rudnick's hit Off-Broadway play, this romantic comedy centers on the chaotic love life of Jeffrey (Steven Weber), a gay man who swears off sex only to fall in love with his ideal man (Michael T. Weiss). Jeffrey's vow of chastity is inspired by a fear of AIDS, a prospect which has started to terrify him so much that he decides he'd be better off never making love again. He is happy and relieved for a time, until he meets Steve, a handsome, charming dreamboat who also happens to be HIV-positive. Jeffrey wants nothing more than to be with Steve, but his anxiety over the disease and fear of commitment stand in the way. Much of the humor falls to Jeffrey's friends, including the sharp-tongued Sterling (Patrick Stewart), an outwardly catty but surprisingly good-hearted interior decorator, and his young boyfriend Darius (Bryan Batt), a performer in the Broadway musical Cats. Nathan Lane also contributes a memorable cameo as a questionable priest. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
Though it may seem like unlikely subject matter for comedy, Paul Rudnick's script for Jeffrey finds hilarity in its main character's AIDS-phobia without trivializing the issues involved. The cast smoothly navigates the shifts from sincere romance to exaggerated satire, with Stewart a standout as Sterling. First-time filmmaker Christopher Ashley, who also directed the stage production, relies heavily on theatrical devices that may seem awkward to some viewers, but the strong performances and Rudnick's ear for witty dialogue get the film over the rough spots to remain an entertaining modern comedy of manners. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Christine Baranski - Ann Marwood Bartle; Peter Bartlett - Casting Director; Vinnie Capone - Thug; Mary Bond Davis - Church Lady; Alice Drummond - Grandma Rose; Olympia Dukakis - Mrs. Marcangelo; Victor Garber - Tim; Barton Heyman - Elderly Man; Nathan Lane - Father Dan; Albert Macklin - Slave; Camryn Manheim - Single Woman; Debra Monk - Mom; Kathy Najimy - Acolyte; Kevin Nealon - TV Reporter; Michele Pawk - Young Mother; Lenka Peterson - Church Lady; Sarah Peterson - Nurse; Ethan Phillips - Dave, the sexual compulsive; Joe Ponazecki - Uncle Barney; Henry Stram - Cousin Gary; David Thornton - Man; Sigourney Weaver - Debra Moorhouse; Peter Maloney - Dad; Gregory Jbara - Angelique; Irma St. Paule - Mother Teresa; Bryan Batt - Darius; K. Todd Freeman - Barney's Waiter; Christopher Davis - Cater-Waiter Dancer
Credit
Marcia Shulman - Casting, Jerry Mitchell - Choreography, Paul Rudnick - Co-producer, Christopher Ashley - Director, Cara Silverman - Editor, Kevin McCollum - Executive Producer, Stephen Endelman - Composer (Music Score), Stephen Endelman - Songwriter, Deborah Zoller - Makeup, Michael Johnston - Production Designer, Mitchell Maxwell - Producer, Mark Balsam - Producer, Harry Knapp - Producer, Paul Rudnick - Screenwriter, Paul Rudnick - Play Author
The story takes place in Manhattan during the height of the AIDS epidemic and revolves around the title character (Steven Weber), a gay man who has sworn off sex because of it. Almost immediately thereafter he meets Steve (Michael T. Weiss), a hunky, charming HIV+ man. He then experiences an emotional conflict as he must face his fear in order to accept love, often breaking the fourth wall to do so.
