Semper Fi: One Marine's Journey
Semper Fi: One Marine's Journey
| 01 June 2007 (USA)
Semper Fi: One Marine's Journey Trailers

SEMPER FI: One Marine's Journey tells the story of Jeff Key, who at thirty-four years old and gay, joined the Marines to fulfill his life long dream. After 9/11, Key was sent to the Iraq war, despite the fact that he could have dodged his deployment by revealing his sexual orientation to his superiors. Having returned home with shattered ideals and broken hearted by what he had witnessed, Key turned his experiences into a riveting one-man play. SEMPER FI, through its powerful juxtaposition of interviews, voiceovers, Jeff's personal footage from Iraq and scenes from his play, showcases his journey revealing the power and dignity of what it means to be a gay American at war.

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Reviews
GazerRise

Fantastic!

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TrueHello

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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Ariella Broughton

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

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Walter Sloane

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

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smokehill retrievers

Considering that the rate of STDs, including HIV-AIDS, is astronomical in gay males of normal military age (18-40) -- compared to straight males -- and that the solder or Marine next to you is your blood bank for direct transfer (still used in combat, such as in the Blackhawk Down incident) .... I'm just staggered that no one bothers to even mention this when discussing the issue of gays in the military.The actual rate of HIV infection is roughly 30 times higher among gay males compared to everyone else, and similar rates for all STD's, including syphilis.Doesn't it sink in that there is a REASON that each soldier's blood type is stamped on his dog tags? No, thanks. Combat wounds usually heal, for the most part. What our veterans do NOT need is a bout of AIDS added, for them -- and their family -- to enjoy for the rest of their lives.Basically, this film was just the usual left-wing, feel-good propaganda for people that have no real understanding of the whole issue.I am not impressed. Neither was I surprised when our joke of a national government jammed gays down the Defense Department's throat -- not a bad analogy, actually. Wait until you see what the AIDS budget for the Veterans Administration will expand to in the next five or ten years ....

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Bill Dup

This film was so incredible that I felt I needed to sign up to the IMDb web site so that I would be able to make a comment here.Being a bisexual male, I would love to thank Jeff Key for this film's portrayal of his service as a gay marine. Being an American, I would love to thank Jeff Key for this film's portrayal of the war from a marine's point of view. To have both these features in one film was like combining two incredibly poignant documentaries into one. The fact that it is just one man's story constantly brings back the reality of the film.I wish that every American would watch this film, for one, because it is a glimpse of the reality of the U.S. occupation in Iraq, and two, because it exposes the incredible challenges gay people face at war as well as at home. I feel like this film will open some eyes. I personally can't wait to show my own father.Well done Jeff! Thank you for your courage to serve and for your courage to make this film. You are an incredible person and you have changed lives.

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jjohnson19

I just finished watching "Semper Fi." Jeff Key's writing is marvelous - maybe a bit over the top for a one-man stage show...yet his poetic use of plain English is a wonder. This is one case where I can't wait for the book. But "Semper Fi" is not the stage show - it is a documentary about the events that led to the creation of the show and therein lies its beauty. Jeff Key is an American all Americans can and should be proud of. He is a hero in many ways - his concern for the children of Iraq, his concern for the returning servicemen and women who are getting short shrift from their government, the rare veteran with the courage to question this administration's policies. My heartfelt thanks and congratulations go to Mr. Key. He has created a beautiful piece and it should be required viewing for all. I hope it gets the audience it deserves. I am a gay veteran (US Army) and I am thankful that someone like Jeff Key has had the opportunity to tell his story and the wisdom and talent to tell it well. Good going, Jeff.

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PhantomDadoo

As a retired Marine, I watched this film with a jaundiced eye, expecting some kind of whiny apologetic for gays being allowed to serve in the military. I figured it would be a kind of "Michael Moore-ish" blasting of the Marines. But what I saw was a real guy with a desire to serve his country who had the opportunity to serve in a war zone and try his part to do what America was told we were sent to Iraq to do: to bring democracy and freedom to the people there even though he had doubts about the war as a reaction to the 9/11 attack. I listened and watched Jeff Key deal with Iraqis, his fellow Marines and his sexuality in a mature, intelligent way. In the end, he felt compelled to admit his homosexuality and leave the Corps, but nothing I saw in the movie made he think he had done anything but serve his country and the Corps with honor. With interviews of family, friends from his gay life and from the Marines, films of his service in Iraq, and scenes from Key's one man show about his service, this movie ends up presenting, in a non-argumentative way, a persuasive argument for allowing gays to serve openly in the service.

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