The Boys in the Band

— My familiarity with the “The Boys in the Band” has pretty much been limited to seeing it mentioned among gay theater/film milestones and vague memories of seeing the William Friedkin film version fifty years ago. This all-star version features the same actors who starred in a 2018 anniversary run on Broadway. The play has a gay character for everyone, from campy and flashy to closeted and just coming out of the closet, and everything in between. The plot is something of an all-gay version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” where liquor flows a little too freely at a birthday party, laughter fades as barbs are exchanged and secrets told, a “game” sets everyone on edge, and eventually the party ends, leaving the audience to have witnessed love, self-pity, despair, and something between hopelessness and acceptance. In 1968 it was ground-breaking. Now it’s a period piece in the sense that LGBTQ characters have become more commonplace, but sometimes still seem like caricatures instead of fully formed individuals. Jim Parsons does an incredible job in the lead and most the rest of the cast does a fine job as well with the script they've been given. It’s hard not be exhausted at the end, and to find yourself thinking about what’s changed and what hasn’t in fifty years. I'm lukewarm on the film, but glad I saw it. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 121 minutes. Directed by Joe Mantello. Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchinson, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boys-in-the-band-movie-review-2020