An outing with Riley

Taking advantage of the long holiday weekend, I headed over to the video store to check out what was new in gay cinema. After a lengthy decision-making process, I decided on Outing Riley, released early this month by Wolfe Video.

Outing Riley is the story of Bobby Riley (writer/director Pete Jones), the youngest of four brothers in his Irish-Catholic family, which includes: Luke (Firefly hottie Nathan Fillion), a goofy pothead; Connor (Stoney Westmoreland), a wishy-washy internet porn addict; and somewhat responsible eldest brother Jack (Dev Kennedy), a priest (giving the film ample excuse for a constant barrage of clergy molestation humor).

Bobby is gay, but only his sister, Maggie (Julie R. Pearl), knows his secret. He maintains a facade of straightness, using his lesbian friend, Carly, as a beard while keeping his relationship with live-in boyfriend, Andy (Michael McDonald, of Mad TV), hidden. Following the funeral of their father, Maggie pressures Bobby to come out to his brothers. After all, with both of their parents dead, there shouldn’t be anything to hold him back. But his brothers are a prank-loving, macho, proudly heterosexual bunch. Coming out to them won’t be easy; he’s been joining in on their skirt-chasing stories and womanizing activities all his life.

The second film from Jones, winner of the first season of HBO’s Project Greenlight competition, Outing Riley is an agreeably easygoing comedy. While it never made me laugh out loud, it was good for a few chuckles. The story isn’t anything new and many of the jokes are painfully obvious (if you find lines like “I knew I liked the sweet combination of soft lips and bearded cheeks the first time I kissed my Aunt Rose” the cutting edge of comedy, there’s plenty to laugh about here), but the film has enough honest moments to balance things out.

Jones makes for a likable lead, and I particularly enjoyed the way Bobby’s character bucks stereotypes by being just as rough-and-tumble as his brothers. I also appreciated that everything isn’t tied up with a neat little bow; not every family member is ready to accept Bobby’s sexuality with open arms by the time the credits roll. Outing Riley is a charming, good-natured comedy that, while not terribly original, has enough going for it that I give it a light recommendation.