Breakfast with Scot (2007)

50% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(1,915 ratings)

A decidedly non-stereotypical gay male couple finds their efforts to keep their personal and professional lives completely separate challenged by the arrival of the gay nephew whose presence threatens to reveal their closely guarded secret in director Laurie Lynd's drama. Eric (Tom Cavanagh) is a… More A decidedly non-stereotypical gay male couple finds their efforts to keep their personal and professional lives completely separate challenged by the arrival of the gay nephew whose presence threatens to reveal their closely guarded secret in director Laurie Lynd's drama. Eric (Tom Cavanagh) is a former professional hockey player who now works as a broadcaster at a major sports network. Of course, Eric's colleagues have no clue about the outwardly masculine sportscaster's true sexuality, and the same can be said about his longtime partner, Sam (Ben Shenkman), a lawyer. Now, despite successfully keeping their sexuality a secret for some time, happy couple Eric and Sam find their livelihood threatened with the arrival of Sam's nephew Scot (Noah Bernett) -- whose mother has just died and whose responsibility-shirking father is currently out of town. Scot is an expert in the subjects of knitting and show tunes, but when it comes to the topic of sports he just can't be bothered. Eric knows well the terror of having to hide your sexuality away from the masses, though, and now in order to save Scot from the torment of his new classmates -- and perhaps prevent his own secret from being revealed, the knowing uncle does his best to channel the boy's skating talent into a career in hockey. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Laurie Lynd
Written By: Sean Reycraft
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 9, 2007 Wide
On DVD: May 6, 2008
Studio: Regent Releasing/here! Films

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
It lacks the psychological realism of certain decent dramas and is too reliant on cheap pratfalls and Cavanagh's pinched approach to comedy.
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
What elevates way above the merely adequate script by Sean Reycraft based on the novel by Michael Downing and Lynd's competent direction is young Noah Bernett as Scot. This kid is so great, he could give kid actors a good name again.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Anyone who's ever seen an After School Special knows where the family-friendly Breakfast With Scot is headed, no matter how well intentioned.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
It's refreshingly snarky and quick.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Breakfast With Scot has a sitcom format, but complex emotions and perceptions keep breaking through the surface in an engaging, thoughtful manner.
Bob Mondello, NPR
All the filmmakers are really after is a heartwarming little object lesson. ... [But] they perch their tidy little dramedy somewhere between sitcom and Movie of the Week.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
Although it dishes up an original premise and tries to mine laughs from a setup most studios wouldn't have touched with a 10-foot feather boa, it stumbles when it comes to generating any real laughs.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
Breakfast with Scot isn't much on originality, but it is sweet enough to overcome the most cynical skeptic.
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
One of the worst concepts for a movie in the history of cinema. I can't really think of anyone who would like this pathetic comedy since the target audience would be put off by the homosexual angle. Avoid.
Sean Gandert, Paste Magazine
The film's reliance on an otherwise clichéd plotline cuts out a lot of its fangs, giving it an ending that feels good but doesn't really deal with the issues at hand
Tim Cogshell, Boxoffice Magazine
A sharp little Canadian drama that draws one in rather wryly.
Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com
Basic cable-ready trifle.
Mark Peikert, New York Press
Having the straight Tom Cavanagh and Ben Shenkman play the unwilling gay dads in Breakfast with Scot may seem like a disappointment, but this quirky, surprisingly refreshing comedy has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Anna King, Time Out New York
Even as Eric and his lawyer boyfriend, Sam, are chided for being closeted, their relationship is conveyed in anodyne, asexual fashion; the two men barely touch. Laurie Lynd doesn't squeeze much emotion out of supporting cast members, either.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Thomas J

A cute story but so many situations seemed exaggerated and distracted from the heart of this movie.
Emily A

This is a sweet, if rather formulaic family comedy. The genuine laughs seem a little few and far-between, but I really liked the twist on functional nuclear family life, as well as the examination of gay identity. That is the only thing that makes this film special, really. The thing… More
This is a sweet, if rather formulaic family comedy. The genuine laughs seem a little few and far-between, but I really liked the twist on functional nuclear family life, as well as the examination of gay identity. That is the only thing that makes this film special, really. The thing I liked most was the homosexual main character's hilarious worry that his lover's flamboyant nephew might "make him gay", in the paranoid, homophobic Republican sense. Very cute and heartwarming, but you've seen this before.
Red L

I enjoyed this movie. Eric is trying the keep his lifestyle private. After all he is a tough pro hockey player - an enforcer no less. Eric's partner, Sam inherits Scot after his sister dies. The problem is, Scot may just blow Eric's cover.
Jason V

Breakfast with Scot is not refreshing, quirky, comedic or, frankly good. From the get go, Tom Cavangh's Eric is entirely unlikeable while Ben Shenkman's Sam seems to stick with him "just because." There's no warmth between the two, which makes every single… More
Breakfast with Scot is not refreshing, quirky, comedic or, frankly good. From the get go, Tom Cavangh's Eric is entirely unlikeable while Ben Shenkman's Sam seems to stick with him "just because." There's no warmth between the two, which makes every single scene they occupy together painful to watch. In fact, there's aren't two characters in this entire film who have any kind of chemistry. Not brothers, not parent and child, not coworkers, no one. It's entirely too telling that Eric and Sam (indeed, everyone else in the film) refrains from touching one another until the last 10 minutes. Maybe there's a message there about how distant these people are, but the movie is so dense and concerned with trying to be high minded to figure it all out. I have nothing but disdain for this entire endeavor from beginning to end. Unrealistic, maddening and ultimately mindboggling. And I haven't even talked about the kid, his guardian or any of the myriad subplots the story throws at the viewer.
Daniel P

Pretty damn good film. Review soon.
Sunil J

Bleck!
Leo L

Hilarious! Eric and Sam have a quiet and comfortable life, and home, together when Sam's nephew Scot arrives. Losing his mother to a drug overdose, young Scot must await the arrival of his father (whose lived for several years in Brazil). Staying with the only relative nearby,… More
Hilarious! Eric and Sam have a quiet and comfortable life, and home, together when Sam's nephew Scot arrives. Losing his mother to a drug overdose, young Scot must await the arrival of his father (whose lived for several years in Brazil). Staying with the only relative nearby, Scot's apparent behavior begins to take a toll on Eric. A former pro hockey player, Eric is a sportscaster on a renown sports channel and hopes that his career will launch. While spending more time with Scot, Eric begins to realize several things about himself and others. Together, they create a family of their own. Cast- Tom Cavanagh, Ben Shenkman, Noah Bernett, Jeananne Goossen, Fiona Reid, Megan Follows, Sheila McCarthy, Shauna MacDonald, and Graham Greene. Worthy!
Ina S

Delightful movie on being a parent, accepting someone for who he is, and the importance of not hiding one's identity. Heartwarming, funny, just a feel-good film especially recommended for gay people who feel the need to hide in some kind of strange half-closet. Trust me, this… More
Delightful movie on being a parent, accepting someone for who he is, and the importance of not hiding one's identity. Heartwarming, funny, just a feel-good film especially recommended for gay people who feel the need to hide in some kind of strange half-closet. Trust me, this film will make you want to jump out of there.