Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
B&B is about a married couple, Fred (Sean Teale) and Marc (Tom Bateman), who stay at a bed and breakfast they had previously sued for discrimination due to their sexual orientation. When they arrive at the B&B, they find that Josh (Paul McGann) is still running the business. And not only that, but he is also not pleased that they’re staying.
Before having dinner, they run into Josh’s son, Paul (Callum Woodhouse), who comes out to them. Paul tells them not to let his father know that he’s gay, but he’s on their side.
When Fred and Marc go to the dining room, they meet the only other guest, Alexie (James Tratas). Alexie is Russian, doesn’t speak English, and has an air of danger about him.
Soon Fred and Marc discover that something sinister is going on between Alexie and Paul and things start to get tense.
Some Thoughts:
B&B is contrived and cringeworthy. Aside from the decent acting and scenery, I have nothing good to say about this movie.
For a film to be considered a thriller, it needs suspense and a plausible plot, and B&B has neither. It’s also hard to feel sympathetic for a couple who return to a business they sued to gloat about their success. Granted, it’s Marc who makes the decision to go back, but Fred goes along with it knowing it’s in poor taste.
At the front desk, there’s a laminated article about the gay couple who sued the B&B for discrimination along with a jar asking for donations to help with the legal expenses. I get that this is to tell the backstory, but why would a business do that? And not only that, but the B&B only has three guests (Marc, Fred, and Alexie), so how can it stay open?
Alexie spends most of his time looking ominous and only speaking Russian. Because of this Fred assumes he’s a gay basher who is there to attack Paul. Yeah, it’s a bit of a stretch.
Although Alexie is sexy in a bad boy way, he doesn’t read gay to me. Marc, however, insists that he is gay. And to make Alexie’s story even more implausible, he has a secretive chat with Paul where they mark off an area on a map that Alexie leaves behind. Marc then retrieves the map and is able to deduce that he and Paul are going to meet at the local cruising spot. If that was the case, why would he leave the map behind?
The story gets even more preposterous as it goes on, culminating in an eye rolling finale.
The Final Verdict:
B&B is a thriller that lacks tension and plausibility. The acting is decent, but the rest is pure crap.