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Amos Lassen wrote on 02/20/2011:

“LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP”
the review
Amos Lassen
Made by Guest House films and written, produced and directed by first timer Rob Williams, “Long-Term Relationship” is a romantic comedy which is full of laughs and gorgeous men. It also deals with politics and sexual incompatibility and friends.
Glenn (Matthew Montgomery) sees a personal ad for another gay white male looking for a LTR and answers it. By doing so he meets Adam (Windham Beacham) and they are both mutually attracted. From the first meeting, they both felt they had rediscovered the Garden of Eden. Everything seemed perfect…except…that Adam is a Republican and that they just do not mesh sexually. In fact, Glenn, a dedicated and ardent Democrat is even willing to overlook Adam’s affiliation with the Republican party but...the sex is bad ---really, really bad…lousy. The two get along wonderfully except of in bed and neither can figure out what the problem is.
Disillusioned, Glenn tries to stick out and s encouraged by his friends to do so. We all know that everyone loves a couple and everyone loves Glenn and Adam. At least everyone loves Glenn and Adam except for Vincent, Glenn’s roommate who has a personal agenda to keep them apart. Will love rule out? Will Adam and Glenn find true happiness and sexual bliss? Will Vincent succeed in destroying the couple? These ate the earth shaking questions that we have to answer. It is only Glenn and Adam who can make the decision as to whether or not the dating fling can become a LTR as they face the issues that all couples—gay and straight face.
“LTR” is both an intelligent film and a comedy that will keep you laughing, long after it is over. Dealing with the issues of being in a relationship, “LTR” manages to provide a good look into what makes a relationship work in an extremely humorous way and avoids the clichés we so often find in movies with gay themes. Notably absent from the movie are the stereotypical (well almost absent) caricatures we see so much of in film. This is the story of dating which is wonderfully acted, literately scripted and directed with élan.
The great musical soundtrack features original songs and exciting background music written by Ben Holbrook. All in all “LTR” is a great package deal, good actors, good script, good direction, good music. Who could ask for more?
Let me just add that “LTR” won the Jury Prize as best feature film at the Outflix festival in Memphis in August and was nominated for the Alternative Spirit Award at the 10th Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival and was the opening night feature at the OUTAKES Film Festival in Dallas in October of this year.

KAC wrote on 04/13/2009:

A film that will be of long-term interest

Although Long-Term Relationship is billed as a romantic comedy, it seems to me to be better described as a light-hearted romantic drama. Some of its comedy falters, and some scenes in the movie are so serious and sullen, and some characters in the movie express such bitterness or sadness, that the comedic effect of the film is significantly diluted. Writer/producer Rob Williams should have decided early on whether to make the film a true comedy or a real drama interspersed with some comedy. I think the halfway nature of this film lessens its overall impact. Nevertheless, I did end up enjoying the movie for the humor present in its better scenes, its take on the progression of, and the perils involved in, a long-term gay relationship, and, yes, admittedly, its nudity. Indeed, the movie will be a special delight for fans of Matthew Montgomery (and who isn’t?) who have always longed to see more of his body exposed in a film. The movie seems to represent in many respects a celebration of Montgomery’s beautiful male physique. From the opening striptease to the closing bedroom scene, Montgomery’s character is in and out of his clothes numerous times throughout the movie. There are even some brief frontal scenes. This, perhaps, doesn’t always contribute to the artistic merits of the film, but it does make watching the movie a heart-pounding experience.
The movie’s dominant storyline is very simple. Glenn, played by Montgomery, decides to respond to a personals ad placed by Adam, played by Windham Beacham, who is seeking another for a committed relationship. The two meet and discover that they share many things in common. As their relationship develops, though, differences between the two emerge and cause problems for the relationship. The two very nearly split up, but, in the end, Glenn figures out the source of their difficulties and fully commits himself to Adam. Glenn is clearly the main character in this movie, and the story unfolds primarily from his perspective. Just why Glenn chooses to abandon his promiscuous single lifestyle, which has been so much a part of who he is, is never explained, although there is a hint in the movie that what prompts Glenn is his feeling that he is getting old (which is hardly believable). Also baffling is why Glenn stays in the relationship, despite the serious troubles, and exactly how he comes to his conclusion about what the problem is. Furthermore, I could never figure out completely what was the relationship between Glenn and his roommate, Vincent. The two once were, but are no longer, a couple, in spite of the fact that they are still living together and, surprisingly, still have amorous feelings for each other. Vincent becomes extremely resentful of Glenn’s relationship with Adam as it develops and initially tries to derail it but then, near the end of the movie, suddenly changes face and encourages Glenn not to let Adam go. Of course, people doing strange things that we cannot always account for is undoubtedly acceptable in a comedy when it contributes to the humor, but in this case it does not. There are, in addition, several subordinate storylines that run parallel to the main storyline but, unfortunately, never quite intersect it. Among Glenn’s friends is a married couple who are disappointed in that they haven’t yet had a child, and Glenn is made very happy when the wife tells him that she is finally pregnant. Another friend of Glenn has trouble keeping a steady job. Just why these things are happening we don’t know, and, moreover, how precisely they fit into the overall story is unclear. These subplots involving Glenn’s friends appear overall to be extraneous diversions from the main storyline and seem to go nowhere in terms of clearly advancing or enhancing the main plot.
Long-Term Relationship is a movie that is carried along in large measure by the acting abilities of Montgomery and Beacham, although some scenes involving people playing Glenn’s friends are effective if only for their drama and not their humor. However, much of the dialogue in the conversations among Glenn’s friends appears too rehearsed and contrived to sound natural, and some scenes involving only the minor characters appear fake. There is one scene, for instance, where two characters are supposed to be gardening; it is quite obvious that they are not really gardening but are only pretending to be gardening. Indeed, several of the people who portray Glenn’s friends seem to be acting at times as if they are on stage instead of on film. The level of pretense apparent in some of these extraneous scenes could be accepted on stage, but not in a movie. I suspect that the intent of these lesser scenes was to provide for some Seinfeld-like humor, but, unfortunately, for the most part it doesn’t work. The comedy that does work is provided mainly by the interaction between Glenn and Adam and the interaction between the two and Adam’s parents. It is too bad that the film did not focus more attention on these interactions and the humor resulting from them. I would like to have seen the ups and downs of Glenn and Adam’s blossoming and faltering relationship developed more fully in the movie. In the process, the film could have poked fun at more of the myths surrounding gay relationships, myths that are often accepted as fact by both gay and straight people. For instance, is it really true that those in a gay relationship celebrate their anniversary every month and a golden anniversary after five years?
The quality of the picture and sound on DVD is superb, although the background music is not something I noticed very much until the closing scenes of the movie. The DVD has special features that include audio commentary and alternative endings. Long-Term Relationship is a quaint film that will be of some interest for some time to come, but I don’t believe that it will emerge as a classic.

-KAC

gengidash wrote on 07/29/2008:

This was a great movie. Given so many indie gay movies put the OFF in AWFUL, this one had great lead actors and a good storyline. Hated the best friend character; he was a jerk and he got on my nerves, but he was balanced by the femmy character, who got funnier as the movie went on.

Best friend: I don't want you to turn into me.
FC: Oh honey, nobody wants that.

Just an excellent movie. I highly recommend it.

Conner wrote on 05/16/2008:

Being a "BIG" Matthew Montgomery fan. I bought this movie, and like any other movie he has been in, it was "GREAT"!!

I loved how it ended, and I won't give the ending away. All I will say is, either rent it, or purchase the movie. You won't be sorry, if you do.

I rate this flick "4 - STARS" Than again, I'll throw in an extra star, that's "5 STARS"!!!

Janorm wrote on 02/27/2008:

This is the most definitive love story of gay life to come out. This film has all the ethos, angst, and pathos necessary for a superb story line. Truly, an enjoyable picture to see with the one you love!!