From my favorite movies..

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Unwatchable piece of excrement.I am puzzled about who made this movie and why? Is it supposed to be somehow entertaining (and if so, to whom)? Enlightening (ditto)? Somewhere between takes of (mostly) attractive young people in a pool for so long its amazing their skin isn't shriveled beyond recognition, the idea of having a plot or telling a story got lost. Even creating a coherent atmosphere quickly goes missing.All that's left is stereotypical Christian yammering with such original lines as "Hate the sin, love the sinner." And - gasp! - hiding wine-in-a-cardboard-box under the kitchen sink and - gasp! - drinking it! And don't let the insanely-overemphasized gay angle fool you: it account for about two minutes.Go forth and seek redemption: watch a decent film made for adults with brains. Don't waste the 82 minutes of which this mess can rob you unless you are really quick on the fast-forward button.

I wanted to write a review. It was 3 pages long but was not allowed because it had too many "prohibited" words. As a gay man, I watch a lot of gay films. As a soon-to-be indie film maker, I have been watching TONS of indie gay films. This was complete garbage and EVERYTHING I want to avoid on my films.

The plot is that Henry Gamble is going to be seventeen and his father – Preacher Bob – wants to throw a big pool party to celebrate. As he is a preacher everything is going to be done the way Jesus would have wanted – but no alcohol, provocative music or other stuff that they make up as they go along. Thing is Henry is gay – but he is still in the closet although right from the get go you can tell he is bursting to come out.Then the party starts and as the guests turn up it seems that everyone has baggage and they are also all struggling with then inner conflicts that go with faith and desire.Now this has been applauded and panned in equal measure and the reasons are both valid. Firstly this is all about sex and sexual.ity but it is all talk and, quite literally, no trousers. Personally I think that is OK but for the nay sayers they are right in saying it is setting its stall out to attract the wrong audience. Also it does not deal with nigh o all of the issues that are raised, from sexual identity, faith conflicts, mental health issues or alcohol.The thing is this is really well made. Despite any real dénouement the characters and their problems are very believable. It is well acted with only a couple of times where a character seems to be stepping into 'cliché-ville'. So am slightly torn, I actually did enjoy this though – hence my rating but as I said if you want a film with any real exploration of the issues that it is based on, then this will probably not rock your world.

If you grew up gay in the South at least semi-recently, this movie will probably resonate with you. I watched this movie on a whim while bored and looking for something a little more risqué, and though this movie certainly failed to fulfill on the latter, it more than captured my attention otherwise. The movie was visually intriguing, the music incredible, and the artful combination of the two left me feeling completely immersed in some beautiful, quasi-reminiscent experience. I'm actually quite stunned by how deftly the writer and director were able to echo my own experiences growing up in a family that both loves you and is in many ways disgusted by you as well. It's intriguing that other reviewers find this movie dated or otherwise inaccurate. I'm not sure what churches they go to, but very few clergymen these days go without. We have pastors with million-dollar homes, with fleets of cars, heck there are more than a few pastors with private airplanes. Also, I'm only 32 and 17yo me would have felt perfectly at home in this movie.This movie isn't for the average viewer these days that likes to be spoon-fed every single detail. On the contrary, I found that HGBD challenged the viewer to reexamine their subconscious biases regarding these stereotypes and perhaps give the 'other side' another look. Great job!