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This odd device of including a gay character who "doesn't know he's gay" is inexplicably growing in popularity. In fact, of the scant three new pilots with gay characters slated to premiere this fall on network television, two include oughta-be gay characters (The Class on CBS, Help Me Help You on ABC).
 
It's unclear what the advantage might be to keeping a gay character closeted only to himself. Is it a socially acceptable way for good liberals to laugh at gay people? Is it meant to indicate that gays are funnier when they don't know how gay they are acting, or that 21st century heteros are simply more hip and gay-savvy than gays themselves?
 
The "gay but doesn't know it" angle is a particularly implausible choice for a character when one considers how often the opposite is true. Aren't straight people more likely to be the ones who are the last to know when someone is gay, even when the truth couldn't be more obvious?

Long before any of them ever publicly came out, gay celebs like George Michael, Rosie O'Donnell, and Ellen DeGeneres were claimed by fellow queers. And when suggesting that a public figure might just "play for our team", haven't we all been told by some defensive straight person, "Oh you just think everyone is gay!"
 
Despite Richard's "un-gayness," it's impossible to read him as anything but queer. Which is why it's particularly satisfying when Richard eventually beats the crap out of Richard (sans Yanni soundtrack).
 
As part of their escalating break-up, Brooke and Gary go to war over ownership of their beloved condo. Each stakes out a room in the house and then attempts to drive their ex-lover away. Gary takes the route of wild parties, video games in surround-sound, and the installation of a pool table. Brooke simply calls the Tone Rangers for an early morning rendition of "Boogie Nights." When Gary tries to shut down the impromptu concert, Richard unleashes a flurry of debilitating karate moves (while the Rangers flawlessly keep the beat).
 
When Brooke comes home to find the pulverized Gary clutching an ice pack, they have the following exchange:

Brooke: I think you're just a little embarrassed that Richard kicked your ass.

Gary: There's a really big gap between getting your ass kicked and having a dancing, singing sprite fool you with trickery and then strike your throat before you know that you're even in a fight.

As with Richard Dreyfuss's heroic gay turn in Poseidon, fey Higgins' cracking open a nice cold can of whoop-ass on hulking straight guy Vaughn is a paradigm-splintering glimmer of progress. Of course, nobody's rooting for gay-straight violence, but if it has to happen maybe it should be the straight guy who takes the hit for a change.
 
While not featured as prominently as Richard, Brooke's assistant Christopher plays another quirky gay character that could have easily been treated with nasty disdain. When we first meet Christopher, he's answering telephones at the art gallery where he works with Brooke, and he's greeting potential clients with a weirdly off-season, "Happy Holidays!"
 
We quickly learn that Christopher is an "individual," and his obsession with rousing Brooke in the face of her break-up nearly gets both of them fired. But Christopher also sweetly calls Brooke out when he sees her passing up a promising future with a hot, rich guy in favor of the man she has already dumped. Christopher may be a dizzy queen, but he--like her best friend Maddie--is there to provide a reality check that could help her move on.
 
As Gary and Brooke wrestle with the intricacies of a broken love affair and try to figure out how--or if--they should fix it, it should be easy for audiences of all types to sympathize. The film is taking some critical hits because it doesn't deliver the easy-breezy banter and meet-cute plotlines required of modern romantic comedies. Instead, it's a sometimes uncomfortable look at two very different people trying to find common ground that doesn't cost them their individuality.

The good thing about The Break-Up is that it allows the gay (and "maybe gay") men in it to stay true to themselves as well.

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