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Amos Lassen wrote on 02/14/2011:

“Friends and Family”
Laughs for All
Amos Lassen
“Friends and Family” is like a breeze on a hot summer day. It is one of those comedies like they used to make with plenty of laughs for laughs sake alone. The story is about a gay couple who are hit men for the Mafia. A situation like this leaves the field open for jokes about stereotypes but that is not what we have. Instead there are plotlines that are crazy and fun and are intertwined in plotlines that are chock full of wit and good jokes. In fact, the movie eschews stereotypes while using camp humor to the utmost.
This is by no means a great film but it is an entertainment and good characterization. Tovah Feldshuh gives a great performance and I have always loved her. It is good to see her in a movie that deals with the gay community.
I watched the movie twice. As I watched it the first time, I thought to myself that behind the jokes there is something else here so I watched it again and loved the story and the plot. When the parents drop in for a visit to Stephen and Danny and have no problem with the guys being gay. What they do not know is that they work for the Patrizzi family as bodyguard and enforcers. The guys do not have to pretend to be straight for the parents but they do have to pretend that they have real jobs so they pose as caterers. When the militia, a couple of drag queens, and two gay bodyguards get together, you can expect a bunch of laughs.
The movie gives a new twist on an old story. Granted some of the situations are not quite believable, they are still very funny. Some of the laughs come from classic misrepresentations—kept secrets, gay marriage, and disappointed dads. Nowhere does the film take itself seriously but the lovely message of truth and romance and being true to oneself runs throughout.
There is a good deal of sexual suggestion here and that is just what it is—suggestion. The gay guys do not even kiss on screen. The gay characters in the film are realistic and likeable and are the heroes of the action. This is the kind of movie that you go into having only the expectation of being entertained. The two gay men, Stephen and Danny, are good looking and great eye candy even though they never touch each other. The fact that they are gay is spoken of but not visible on the screen and several people have taken issue with this. It did not bother me in the least. I enjoyed the movie for just what it is—a good comedy. Even without physical contact, the final scene is erotic and beautifully done.

yawnmower (yawnmower1@juno.com) wrote on 04/13/2005:

There are many fun twists of plot and character in this amiable little comedy.

A young, handsome, successful, cosmopolitan gay couple live in a chic New York townhouse. Stephen (played by seductive, stunningly built Greg Lauren) is horrified when his over-the-top force-of-nature mother announces her arrival from Indiana to celebrate his father's 60th birthday. Stephen and his lover Danny (funny, sweet, sexy, incredibly endearing Christopher Gartin) are still in the closet – not sexually but professionally. They have pretended to be caterers but are really enforcers, protectors, and trusted allies of Don Patrizzi, a mafia godfather.

The boys need help, and everyone joins in to throw a swanky birthday dinner party for Stephen's father. Patrizzi's own sons are more interested in cooking and sewing than the family business, so they plan the affair. The macho mafia ‘muscle' chip in as high-spirited cater waiters, and adopt very stereotypical gay personae for the evening, with hilarious results. The plot twists and turns, involving the Don's daughter, her bland midwestern fiancé, his surprisingly unconventional parents, and a senator.

In addition to beautiful Greg Lauren and Christopher Gartin to gaze upon wistfully, the film is remarkably replete with extraordinary New York landmarks and interiors for a small independent film. Director Kristen Coury has designed her film in a rich, urbane, airy style which harks back to the great technicolor farces of the 50's.

Stephen and Danny, refreshingly, are not typical movie/TV gays. No Will and Grace. No camp. They are reserved, deferential, and loving. One yearns, at first, for the couple to be more openly affectionate with each other, but when they finally do touch, at the end of their affable story, it is a moment of pure poetry.

Just One Opinion (mandagrammy@yahoo.com) wrote on 08/06/2004:

This is exactly what it purports to be (a romantic comedy) and it succeeds admirably. This is not a sexual romp. Our young lovers (and mob enforcers) have been together a long time and show their deep affection for each other with every loving glance, spoken word, and tender (not passionate) touch. The actors did a wonderful job of convincing me of their unbreakable ties to each other. I loved the idea of the film that the lovers were open about their sexuality but feared their families finding out about their occupation. What a neat twist to an old idea. Not every comic moment hits a bulls eye here, but when one does it is hilarious or wonderfully memorable. The best line came in the restaurant as the two Dons were having a meeting. Our lovers are asked how they met. They explain that it was in the military. One says "We asked" and the other comes back with "We told"! Love it! The training of the Don's other mobsters to pose as gay caterers may be over the top, but there are some truly funny scenes involved that are beautifully played by experienced supporting actors. This film should leave you with a smile on your face by the end credits if you are just looking for a good time without a lot of deep thinking and angst. I highly recommend it on that basis.

Ric wrote on 06/21/2004:

This funny movie has a lot going for it HOWEVER, as a "gay" movie this falls very short indeed. If these two are really lovers WAKE the dead because you wouldn't know it. The acting is fairly good. ONE THING the bit about "gaying" up the gangsters is ALMOST insulting as it is overly the top stereotypical.

Pierre (p_py@hotmail.com) wrote on 05/05/2004:

Thaks god where's the script ? What is this film about ? Gayness ? No sign of any commitment between the two main characters whatsoever except a slight kiss may be but I'm not sure... when the word END hit the screen main feeling is : Ah already !