Handsome Devil ***½ (2016, Fionn O’Shea, Nicholas Galitzine, Andrew Scott) – Movie Review

Award-winning writer/director John Butler (The Stag) returns with a charming, crowd-pleasing story of the unlikely friendship between two Irish boarding school roommates – gay loner outsider Ned (Fionn O’Shea) and new boy macho star rugby player Conor (Nicholas Galitzine).

Nicholas Galitzine.

In this amusing, poignant and observant gay coming-of-age tale, the boys are reluctant to share and seem to be playing for different teams. But, after Ned hands in plagiarised work, pinched from lyrics of a pop song, they are encouraged by their canny English teacher Dan Sherry (Andrew Scott) to find their own voices.

The casting is good and the acting is excellent. The three principals are outstanding, but also first rate are Moe Dunford at the rugby coach, Michael McElhatton as the headmaster Walter Curly and Ruairi O’Connor as the villainous rugby player Weasel. 

Butler writes decent dialogue and handles his film very slickly and smoothly. There’s not a wasted minute or a rough edge in sight. It is a polished piece of work both as a gay film and a general ‘be yourself’ movie, treading a difficult line between realism and movie wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Showing at BFI Flare, the London LGBT Film Festival, which opens on 16 March 2017.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Movie Review

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Fionn O’Shea as gay loner outsider Ned in Handsome Devil.

Fionn O’Shea.