Defying Gravity (1997)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

John Keitel

Writer:

John Keitel (writer)

Release Date:

9 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Some Pledges Are For Keeps

Plot:

Griff wants to maintain just a superficial relationship with his all-gay boyfriend, who gets seriously wounded in a gay bashing. |

Plot Keywords:

Gay Bashing | Friendship Between Boys | Acceptance | Self Discovery | Frat Party

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Daniel Chilson	...	John 'Griff' Griffith
Niklaus Lange	...	Todd Bentley
Don Handfield	...	Pete Bradley
Linna Carter	...	Denetra Washington
Seabass Diamond	...	Matthew 'Doogie' McDougal
Lesley Tesh	...	Heather
Ryan Tucker	...	Gary Buchanan
Nicki Aycox	...	Gretchen (as Nicki Lynn Aycox)
Laura Fox	...	Mrs. Bradley
Kevin P. Wright	...	Mr. Bradley
Matt Steveley	...	Stewart 'Stewy' Hanson
David Tuchman	...	Logan Franklin
Nick Spano	...	Bozzy (as Nick Fortunato Spano)
Jess Martell	...	Scotty
Katrina Holden Bronson	...	Rachel

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Boom Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

Shot in 13 days.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Todd and Griff are in the mountains late in the movie, Griff is talking about the grandeur of the mountains. He turns his head towards Todd and is talking, but his lips are not moving. In the same scene, he is talking, with his head turned away from the camera; however, he is clearing munching on the potato chips while he is supposed to be talking.

Quotes:

John 'Griff' Griffith: Because you didn't know she felt the same way about you... or if she did, for some reason it wasn't okay... thought that people wouldn't like it. And one day, after months, years, it's just another day, nothing special, just the two of you. For some reason everyone's out of the house. You can't turn back, you can't let go, you can't stop - as if you were one person, defying gravity, together.

Movie Connections:

References The Crude Oasis (1995)

Soundtrack:

Masks of Lies

Good chemistry between leads, realistic feel

This film was such a wonderful surprise when I saw it in the

theater -- multiple times, in fact. Candidly, I liked it because I could

really identify with the character of Griffin. The chemistry between

Pete and Griff feels very real. Yes, this is a low-budget film and it

suffers a bit in production values, but the performances are strong

and I enjoy it more with each viewing now on DVD. Some have

criticized it for being cliche, but quite the opposite is true: the film is

remarkable because of the absence of stereotypes we've come to

expect in gay-themed art films: drag queens, dysfunctional

families, everyone dying of AIDS, disco music, diva worship,

pot-smoking, musical theater fanatics, "sissies," leather daddies,

the athletically-challenged...there's none of that here. Griff and Pete

are probably the most accurate representation of most gay men

that have appeared on the screen to date. They're just like any

other guys their age, except that their romantic interests are

focused on guys rather than girls. Had this film been made ten

years earlier, Griff would almost certainly have been portrayed as a

nerdy, unlikable, social outcast; but Griff is every frat boy's best

friend. Two thumbs up for this one.