It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Granted this was one of the few gay-themed movies that made it into somewhat mainstream cinema in the 1990s...but at what cost? The film centers around a group of gay friends and tries to be the updated version of "Boys in the Band". Essentially, there is a lot of whining about topics such as ageism, monogamy, HIV and racism...which is actually ironic since the supposed token "minority" character (a Puerto Rican hustler...because, you know...that's what Puerto Ricans do) is actually played by a white guy in his late 20s (but shhhhhhh...you'll never be able to tell the difference). None of the characters has any particular "voice" and all the dialogue seems written by (and for) some pretentious, artsy, east-coast elitist. But don't worry-- to round out all the clichés such as men dancing in drag, there's a lot of gratuitous skin (including Jason Alexander's hairy, flabby buttocks, if that's your thing).

This was a wonderful character study - beautifully filmed, well acted, and nicely put together. Yet for all of that, in the end it lacked the depth - and more importantly, the tension - to pull off the story in a compelling way.The story, or perhaps more accurately, the situation is a group of eight gay men who gather on several occasions throughout the summer at the palatial of home of Gregory Mitchell (Stephen Bogardus) and his blind, and rather cloying, lover, Bobby Brahms (Justin Kirk), who live just outside of New York City. The guests include the hot-tempered, and occasionally politically incorrect, Perry Sellars (Stephen Spinella), and his long suffering lover, Arthur Pape (John Benjamin Hickey), who is occasionally embarrassed by Perry's outbursts; their campy friend Buzz Hauser (Jason Alexander), whose flamboyance hides his fears over his HIV positive status; the lugubrious John Jeckyll (John Glover), a man whose unexplained anger rules his every move; and John's companion for the first weekend Ramon Fornos (Randy Becker), a man who decides that he will have any man he wants regardless of the cost. Ramon's first conquest is Bobby which leads to tensions between Ramon, Bobby, and Gregory later in the summer. To further complicate matters, John's twin, James (again, John Glover), arrives from England midway through the summer. James, who is in somewhat more advanced stages of AIDS than Buzz, is as sweet as John is sour, which means that he fits in much better than his brother, much to John's chagrin. In addition, Buzz falls for James, which further complicates the already complicated dynamics of this group. As the summer progresses, each individual deals with his internal conflicts as well as his conflicts with the others, and at the end of the summer, they will resume their lives in the city.It's more a character study than a story, so it comes to a somewhat inconclusive ending, but along the way you do learn to care about all of the characters. Or at least you're supposed to. I never really cottoned to Ramon, and never developed much sympathy for John. Still, this movie does a good job of portraying this group as men who happen to be gay, rather than gay men. And there is a world of difference.The ensemble acting is excellent. All the performances are uniformly good. Alexander plays Buzz's flamboyance with surprising skill and tenderness. And Glover is masterful in giving the contrast between the two twins he plays. The rest of the cast does a fine job.The cinematography is gorgeous. The house and grounds are appealing, and you can almost feel the warmth of the summer as you watch.It's a very cerebral film, and for those who want more action and more story, it may seem a little dull. But it does present an excellent character study of many aspects of gay life, and as such, it is a rewarding experience.

Like the equally detestable Jeffrey (1995), Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997) is an insult to its target audience, whom I presume were gay men and perhaps some enlightened heterosexuals. This stage-bound "movie" tried to be too "Hollywood" in its sentimental and stereotypical treatment of a group of 8 gay men. As per usual in movies of this kind (i.e Jeffrey), AIDS plays a significant part, but there does not seem to be serious treatment of the disease and how it shaped the lives of the men involved. Jason Alexander is an embarrassment in this movie - he should stick to TV comedies. He spoils the dynamic of the ensemble, not that the acting is wonderful anyway. This play never should have been a film. It belongs on stage, or perhaps on HBO.

Often it is very tricky to adapt a play, especially one of a rather long length, to the screen and keep the story and characters intact. Though I have not had the pleasure of seeing a theatrical production of this film, I do own the play and have read it numerous times. Although the film did suffer a tiny bit from some things being edited out, characters speaking directly to the audience, further character insight etc., it is still a wonderful film, full of superb acting and characters that you fall in love with.The characters are brought to life with superb accuracy, due to the fact that all the actors, except Nathan Lane, reprise their roles that they held on the stage for about all of two years. And it shows that they have bonded as artists with both each other and their characters.As with almost all films there were performances that personally stood out to me. John Glover shows the audience why he won the Tony Award for his performance. Playing twin brothers, 'John the Foul and James the Fair' showing the defination of range. The other actor that really stood out was the always brilliant Justin Kirk, playing the young, blind Bobby Brahms, showing why he won the OBIE Award for his spectacular performance. The cast also includes Stephen Spinella, two time Tony award winner for Tony Kushner's masterpiece "Angels in America", Jason Alexander, and many other actors that deserve much more recognition and fame than they currently have.This is a beautiful film with precious characters that you will love.