Those People *** (2015, Jonathan Gordon, Jason Ralph, Haaz Sleiman) – Classic Movie Review 12,542

Joey Kuhn’s enjoyable and perceptive 2015 romantic drama film Those People stars Jonathan Gordon as New York art student Charlie, who is caught between his best friend Sebastian and his new pianist lover Tim. 

Writer/ director Joey Kuhn’s entertaining and enjoyable 2015 American gay-themed romantic drama film Those People stars Jonathan Gordon, Jason Ralph and Haaz Sleiman. A fresh look at an old situation, it is likeable, intelligent, perceptive and appealing.

Jonathan Gordon stars as young New York art student Charlie, who is asked by his long-term best friend Sebastian (Jason Ralph) to move into his apartment in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Sebastian is troubled with depression and public disapproval after his high-profile wealthy financier father Dick (Daniel Gerroll) has been arrested on white-collar criminal charges.

But Charlie’s mother thinks moving in together would be a mistake because of the long-standing one-sided romantic feelings he has for Sebastian. Then, on a night out with Sebastian and their group of friends, Charlie meets and flirts with older Lebanon-born bar-pianist Tim (Haaz Sleiman). Charlie soon finds himself in the middle of nowhere between Sebastian and Tim, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Those People is a film of interest. It is full of interest. It has its strong moments, its feelings and passions, and its insights. It is nice to be among rich folks for a change, troubled rich folks, of course, or there wouldn’t be a story. The rich folk New York setting, characters and details keep the film feeling fresh, when its theme could perhaps otherwise feel familiar. The three main actors are ideal. Everyone else takes second place to them, and the other characters are no more than rough sketches, but that is okay, more screen time for, and focus on, the intriguing main love triangle.

It turns out both Charlie and Sebastian have something lese in common other than their deep friendship as outsiders. They both have daddy issues. Apparently it’s a gay thing. Charlie usually tells folks his dad is dead, but in fact he just abandoned him and his mom years ago. Charlie’s thing for the older Tim is perhaps a daddy thing. Sebastian’s dad is now in jail, serving a long prison term for elaborate fraud, which Sebastian has somehow been implicated in. He finally plucks up enough courage to meet dad in jail, Dad wants him to carry on the family business. There follows a very good scene in the jail yard between father and son, as Sebastian works out his daddy issues on dad. Daniel Gerroll only has this one scene, but he makes every second count.

Well, there’s plenty going on here. But, don’t worry, after a seat-belt fastening bumpy ride, there is going to be a safe landing. Excellent, if surprising use is made of the famous tongue-twisting patter song ‘I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General’ from Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, and it plays fully over the end credits. We are among rich, educated American folks, or of course there wouldn’t be any Pirates of Penzance.

Kuhn said the film was inspired by his own experience falling in love with his best friend at college, and also by the real-life story of American financier Bernie Madoff’s son Mark, who committed suicide two years after his father’s arrest. He has mixed the two themes, quite profitably.

The cast are Jonathan Gordon as Charlie, Jason Ralph as Sebastian, Haaz Sleiman as Tim, Meghann Fahy as London, Britt Lower as Ursula, Chris Conroy as Wyatt, Allison Mackie as Pricilla, Daniel Gerroll as Dick Adler, and Max Jenkins as ‘Dracula’.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,542

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