Review: "Is It Just Me?" Doesn't Live Up to Its Charming Trailer (But It's Cute and Romantic)

It was hard not to be charmed by the cute trailer for the new gay romantic comedy, Is it Just Me?, which I think speaks to just how starved I am for a good gay romantic comedy.

Alas, the movie itself doesn't really live up to the trailer. The film was obviously made on a shoestring (and it often shows in the music, lighting, and sound), but I could totally forgive all that if the screenplay was better — either wittier or more satisfying as a story.

That said, the movie does have its charming moments, the leads are appealing, and if you're willing to accept some clunky elements, it may momentarily satisfy your needs for gay romance.

Blaine (Nicholas Downs) is a caustic twentysomething Los Angeleno who's been unlucky in love. He's convinced there's no other gay men who want something more than just sex hook-ups — until he stumbles into an online chat with Xander (David Loren), who seems to share all his same values. A subsequent six-hour phone conversation confirms: these two are meant for each other.

The problem is, Blaine was accidentally chatting with Xander from the account of Cameron (Adam Huss), Blaine's hot, but slutty roommate. Xander thinks Blaine looks like Cameron.

A big problem with the script is that I was never quite sure why Blaine simply didn't immediately clear up the confusion and let the chips fall where they may. I could see how, feeling insecure about his looks, Blaine could've tried to create some kind of "Cyrano de Bergerac" situation, where he tries to get Xander and Cameron together, and live vicariously through their love, in order to not disappoint Xander.

Instead, the script invents a convoluted "bet" where Blaine and Cameron switch names and agree to see who can win Xander's affection ("brains" or "looks"). Even this might've worked if it had been Cameron who came up with the idea for the bet. But no, Cameron isn't interested in Xander, and only reluctantly agrees to the bet anyway, so the arrangement doesn't have much dramatic possibility and just makes Blaine look really, really insecure and neurotic.

Basically, I have a hard time feeling sympathy for any main character whose dramatic "obstacle" is entirely self-imposed. Actor Nicholas Downs, who has a nice "everyguy" quality on one hand, doesn't help things by often playing Blaine as very, very mopey. But ultimately, this is the fault of the script, which eventually blames his feeling like no one will ever love him on ... the fact that his parents rejected him for being gay.

What, not even a traumatic high school experience?

David Loren as Xander, who likes to play his guitar shirtless for some reason

The movie has its moments. David Loren's Xander, a Texan cowboy new to the city, is extremely easy on the eyes, and it's wonderful to see an older character like Xander's roommate Ernie (My Big Fat Greek Wedding's Bruce Gray), who isn't creepily obsessed with hitting on young men and isn't played solely for laughs (and ironically ends up with a fair amount of dignity, despite the facial masques).

There's also a very funny scene where online chatters try to get Blaine to hook-up for sex — even though he's in the "relationships" room (!).

And I confess: I feel a little bit like I'm stepping on a butterfly by pointing out this movie's flaws, because I really, really liked where it was coming from. It's sweet and earnest and romantic (and the final scenes are admittedly killer), and its heart is absolutely in the right place.

Raunch has its place in the world, but this movie is the perfect antidote to the string of films in the Eating Out and Another Gay Movie franchises, where the point seems to be to have sex with as many people as possible. Comedies, maybe, but not my idea of romantic.

Is It Just Me? is better than last year's similar romantic comedy offering, Make the Yuletide Gay, but it's not as good as last year's outright froth-fest Redwoods. Still, if you keep your expecations low, it may satisfy.