Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Beautiful Something is a drama about one night in the lives of four gay men and their issues with finding true love in Philidelphia.
The film opens with Brian (Brian Shepphard), a frustrated poet who goes to a bar one night and meets Chris (David Melissaratos), who is confused about his sexual identity. They talk, and then they go to Brian’s apartment. After they have sex, Chris becomes quiet and distant. Brian asks if he did anything wrong, but Chris ignores him, then quickly leaves without an explanation.
The film then cuts to Jim (Jack Ryan), who is modeling for his sculptor boyfriend, Drew (Colman Domingo). When he’s done modeling, Jim goes to his room. He’s visibly upset as he packs some clothes, then goes back to the studio to talk to Drew. Instead of talking, they have sex, then Jim leaves.
The final character is Bob (John Lescault), a talent agent cruising the streets in a white limousine looking for men to have sex with.
These are the central characters the movie follows on one eventful night in Philidelphia.
Some Thoughts:
Beautiful Something is an artsy drama with a message. When done well, this is the type of film I enjoy, but this movie takes itself too seriously and comes off as fake and pretentious. The dialogue is contrived, and many of the situations happen just to advance the story. Honestly, who picks someone up at a bar then asks them to wait on the sidewalk while he takes care of something inside? And why would a grown man climb on a fire escape to knock on his friend’s bedroom window so they can talk?
Because there isn’t a central character, we never get to know anybody well enough to care about them. If director Joseph Graham had focused on just one of the stories, this wouldn’t be a problem. But instead, we get three different plotlines with four characters, and never get to know any of them. If Graham was a better writer/director, this mighty task could have been pulled off.
And on top of these issues, the acting and cinematography are just okay, which makes the film feel even worse than it is.
The Final Verdict:
Beautiful Something is a film that explores love and art but fails due to its flawed execution. Scenes feel forced, and much of the dialog comes off as pretentious and unnatural.