This screwball comedy from 1969 has a pretty wild premise: two guys try to fake being gay just to dodge the military draft. If you watched this today, it would probably come across as super offensive, and I honestly have no clue how people felt about it back when it first hit theaters. My guess is it probably wasn't a huge hit. The humor is really broad and kind of goofy, with a lot of obvious puns that actually reminded me of those cheesy sitcoms from the 80s and 90s. It makes me wonder if this movie actually inspired some of those later shows. The story follows two best friends, Danny and Elliot, who are desperate to get out of the draft. They decide the best way out is to pretend they're in a relationship, but the Army doesn't just take their word for it and puts them under surveillance. Even though they’re both young and have girlfriends, they’re forced to move into an apartment building full of gay residents to keep up the act. It’s a total mess because they’re trying ...
Set at Shidou Gakuin, a boys' boarding school situated off the beaten track, we are introduced to Takumi. Unlike the other students, Takumi is not from a prestigious background and attends the school to escape from a past psychological trauma that leaves him repulsed by people touching him, and as a result, he is perceived as emotionless and unsociable by his classmates. He tries to stay away from most boys, except his roommate and friend from first year. In the second year at school, Takumi Hayama is allocated a room in a dorm to share with Giichi "Gii" Saki. Gii was brought up abroad and is the school idol with his exceptional academic performance, as well as his good looks. One day, Gii confesses to Takumi that he has been in love with him for some time. This unexpected truth of events unsettles Takumi, who just cannot understand why Gii would be in love with someone so ordinary like him. The rest of the film follows Gii pursuing Takumi but never pressuring him however, he comes to realize the true sensitivity of Gii. and finally we come to know Takumi's dark secret and past of child abuse that led to him being so distant from everyone else and an unsociable person. The couple are finally together and in love.
The film came in 2007, so you can sense some dated direction and acting. we are introduced to some 5-6 characters in quick succession, which confused me in the beginning, but thankfully the story focussed on Takumi and Gii eventually, so i could easily ignore others. The characters are likable, but the story felt rushed (if you watch it as an individual film). The duo's coming together didn't feel very believable. It would have been nice to know some background on Gii as well like we did for Takumi. Thankfully, love between two boys was never made an issue or a topic that needs to be discussed and was shown as a very natural and beautiful relationship. By the way, the pokey hairstyles of the boy sin first 10 minutes gave me a chuckle. The aim of the film is to have a feel good sentiment without too much ups and downs. The first film is strictly ok and was an easy watch. I am hoping the rest gets better. (5.5/10)
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