By Phillip Nakov
for movieset.com
Movie: ‘Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!‘
Synopsis: The story of a Jewish family living on Long Island, where every Friday night, Shirley Hirsch (Lainie Kazan) invites another “perfect” girl for Shabbat dinner in hopes that her son, Nelson (John Lloyd Young), will marry a nice Jewish girl. Things get interesting however when she finds out that her dreams of a perfect Jewish girl are dashed by a mysterious person Nelson is dating turns out is non-Jewish, and also a boy! It is a romantic, heartwarming and inspirational family comedy featuring a Jewish family as it struggles to come to terms with their son’s coming out. It’s a story of love and of family.
Stars: Lainie Kazan, Saul Rubinek, Vincent Pastore, John Lloyd Young, Jai Rodriguez and featuring Carmen Electra
Written, Directed and Produced by: Evgeny Afineevsky
Distributed by: New Generation Films
Saul Rubinek, Lainie Kazan, writer/director/producer Evgeny Afineevsky, John Lloyd Young and Jai Rodriguez on the set of OY VEY! MY SON IS GAY!
EXPECTATIONS
What I’d Seen – A few photos, a terrific poster and a cute trailer. The movie still does not have a US distributor so not a lot is available out there.
What I’d Heard – There has been a good amount of buzz surrounding this movie as its way around the festival circuit.
What I Wanted – Something funny, cute and a new and interesting take on the ‘coming out’ story and how it affects this family.
Sybil Williams (Carmen Electra) and Moisha (Eddie Levi Lee) in OY VEY! MY SON IS GAY!
EXPERIENCE
What Turned Me On – The cast was really terrific! Both the mother (Lainie Kazan) and father (Saul Rubinek) were spot on as the parents and you see the terrific chemistry the two of them shared. The situations and the circumstances, though at times perhaps somewhat exaggerated, were believable and felt true. I could empathize with the parents and the boys as they came to terms of living in a new ‘open’ reality.
What Turned Me Off – The pacing of the movie at times seemed a little rough. Some of the scenes were terrifically paced and edited and did well to further the story of the movie. But there were a few moments when I wasn’t sure why we were watching a particular scene and I felt as if it didn’t quite fit in the overall arc of the story. One such example is when the dad was driven to a gay bar by his wife to experience the ‘gay side’ of life and apparently better understand his now gay son. It felt contrived and I could not understand why the mother did not also join her husband in the bar.
The Hirsch's and the Ferraro's meet for the first time in OY VEY! MY SON IS GAY!
AFTERMATH
I Left Thinking – Some people will certainly enjoy this movie and I hope that the message will resonate with both Jewish audiences and non-Jewish families everywhere. Regardless of whether families are Jewish, Italian, or Greek, the issues they face are all the same and the love they share is something you cannot quantify or measure. This is a snapshot of how two families react to a very real situation and a terrific example of how love and understanding can bring families together.
I Left Saying – I hope this reaches a wide audience. There are so many families that would benefit from the messages in this movie, I just hope it gets the distribution and finds its audience soon!
Expiry Date – This movie will have an expiry date about the time when the next great ‘coming out’ movie comes along, except for the fact that this movie, since it is told from the parent’s perspective and shows their point of view instead of spending time with the boys and their relationship, will live on as a the movie for the parents and grownups.
Last thoughts – Overall I did like the movie and I felt the story captured the situation and emotions of these two families extremely well. I hope this movie is able to find distribution soon in at least the top 25 theatrical markets as I feel the positive message needs to be seen and heard. Sure, some of the acting was uneven and some of the humor felt strained, but the overall result is something worth a trip to the movies!
I’ll see you in line at the concession stand!
More ‘Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!’
Trailer
Even more ‘Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!’
- Views From A Broad with Ester Goldberg
- Jai Rodriguez’ 15 Minutes of Fame Didn’t Begin – or End – With His Stint on Queer Eye
- Montreal Film Festival Wrap Up 2009 at “Awards Daily” by Stephen Holt
- Oy Vey My Son is Gay @ Montreal World Film Festival
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