"The Trip"
In 1973, Alan Oakley (Larry Sullivan) was a straight-as-an-arrow 24-year old dyed-in-the-wool Republican who strived to make his military father proud. That is, until he meets Tommy Ballinger (Steve Braun), a 19-year old transplant from Texas who came to San Francisco to form the gay civil rights group, Out Loud. A chance meeting brings these two opposites together and everyone, except Alan, can see that they are made for each other. He sticks to the straight and narrow, so to speak, until he finally finds his heart in "The Trip."
Freshman writer/director Miles Swain tries to make a period piece steeped in the 70's and 80's that attempts to do too many things. The film provides strong social commentary of the acceptance of gay lifestyles and the battles that people like Tommy and others fought to secure those rights. It is also a love story with the unsure, stumbling Alan trying to be something he is not because of the pressures his father has placed him under since he was a boy. Alan can't accept the spark of attraction that ignited between he and Tommy but the romance builds, anyway, and their lives are irrevocably altered as the gay community races unknowingly towards the coming AIDS epidemic. Swain also throws in what I sincerely hope is homage to, and not rip-off of, "Midnight Cowboy," depicted during the trip in "The Trip."
This is far too light weight a production to try to pull of such heady fare as the history of gay life in America, circa 1973 to 1984, an allegory about AIDS and a soap opera romance, too. As such, the attention of the film and story shift from one plot line to another, sometimes with no sense of flow, especially as it moves past the romance and into the social analysis of the time. The overly ambitious story shows the first-time inexperience of Swain in both the writing and direction.
There are some good elements to "The Trip," chief of which is the likable, charismatic newcomer Steve Braun as Tommy. He has a level of assurance in front of the camera that comes naturally (kind of like Val Kilmer in "Real Genius," with whom the actor has a passing resemblance), especially in his often humorous and sometime caustic remarks. He makes you laugh and understand, at once, when Alan asks him to hide from his parents by getting into the bedroom closet. Tommy says, "You'll bury me in the crawlspace before I get in the closet!" The humor of the scene has an edge of defiance, too. Braun imbues in Tommy the qualities of individuality, honesty and willingness to stand up for what's right in the face of adversity, making him a fully developed character. Unfortunately, top billed Larry Sullivan, as Alan, does not have near the presence or chemistry of Braun so the relationship of the story and the acting between the principals is very lopsided.
Alexis Arquette, as the swishy friend Michael, I found, initially, annoying, but the actor develops the character throughout the film until you realize you really like Michael. Ray Baker plays ill-defined "bad guy" responsible for Alan and Tommy's break up. Jill St. John has a small role as Alan's mother - there is life after Henry Kissinger, I guess - and MTV veteran Julie Brown plays a loud receptionist. You can see that there isn't a lot of "thesping," except for Braun and Arquette, going on here.
Production values are low rent, too much so for the ambitious, over-laden script. There are a couple of good aspects to "The Trip," particularly Steve Braun's performance, that will appeal to its niche audience. I give it a C.
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