Movie: Tru Loved (2008)

On Saturday, I drove to Santa Barbara to support JayTee's last short I helped out with, And the Award Goes To... play at the 17th Annual LBGTQ Outrageous Film Festival. It's funny, as most of JayTee's shorts have played at festivals, but none near here. Which is why, I guess, he went with his husband Adam to Santa Barbara.

Anyhoo, I arrived at about quarter to six, after a 2 plus hour drive. We ended up having dinner and then went to the theater where the film festival was playing. And the Award Goes To was playing before the film Tru Loved, so I got to see it with an audience for the first time. It played okay, with the audience laughing in all the right places. One joke fell flat, but was laughed at the next night, so go figure.

So, Tru Loved is a from writer/director Stuart Wade, and tells the tale of teenage Tru, who has relocated San Francisco to conservative suburbia by her lesbian mothers. Tru struggles like all teens to fit in and find love, but her quest is complicated by sexual politics, closed minds, and closeted friends as she seeks to establish her school's first Gay-Straight Alliance (stolem from IMDB).

Wade deftly handles the comedy and drama, touching on some subjects that most gay films avoid, which is cross racial relationships. Matthew Thompson shines as Lodell, a young black boy trying his hardest to appear straight to all his friends. He hooks up with Tru (played with a beguiling sweetness by newcomer Najarra Townsend) to cover this -and who is clueless about his sexuality until one of her mothers points it out. The only one who blinks at the their relationship is his Grandmother, played by the legendary Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols (of all people). It becomes a running joke through out the film.

The film does work, but thrives on way too many coincidences (like everyone, it seems, has a gay relative) and unrealistic turn of opinions. Still, with a supporting cast led by Nichols, Jasmine Guy (who would’ve thought?), Alexandra Paul, Bruce Vilanch, and Alec Mapa makes the film work for the most part. Then there’s up and coming actors such as handsome boys Tye Olson as Walter and Jake Able as Trevor who work wonders in their supporting roles.

There’s a few great one-liners (one about “I’m your Katy” had everyone laughing) and a brilliant cameo by comedian Jane Lynch who nearly steals the film, along with Mapa, who tries to do it from the start.

A good film, earnest film with a message.