Dorian Blues (2004)
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65% of critics liked it
(23 reviews) -
64% of users liked it
(1,774 ratings)
A young man comes to terms with growing up gay in this independent comedy drama. Dorian (Michael McMillian) is a 17-year-old guy living with his family in Upstate New York. Dorian is obviously the second-rate sibling in his household; his older brother Nicky (Lea Coco) is a hotshot athlete who gets… More A young man comes to terms with growing up gay in this independent comedy drama. Dorian (Michael McMillian) is a 17-year-old guy living with his family in Upstate New York. Dorian is obviously the second-rate sibling in his household; his older brother Nicky (Lea Coco) is a hotshot athlete who gets the lion's share of attention from their father Tom (Steven Charles Fletcher), while their mother Maria (Mo Quigley) seems too zoned out to pay much mind to anyone. The fact that Dorian is an awkward social misfit is bad enough, but what troubles him even more is the fact he's slowly coming to the realization that he's gay. When Dorian breaks the news to Nicky, his big brother is surprised but accepting, but Tom doesn't handle the news nearly as well, and Dorian is on the outs with his dad as he begins his first semester at New York University. At NYU, Dorian has his first satisfying relationship with fellow student Ben (Cody Nickell), but his first heartbreak soon follows, leaving him in a vulnerable spot when he gets some bad news from home. Dorian Blues was the first feature film from writer and director Tennyson Bardwell. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- PG-13, 1 hr. 28 min.
- Directed By
- Tennyson Bardwell
- Written By
- Tennyson Bardwell
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Sep 23, 2005 Wide
- On DVD
- Feb 21, 2006
- Studio
- TLA Releasing
Critic Reviews
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Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
[Writer-director] Bardwell offers a cheerful, if sometimes strenuously earnest, take on a subject that seems overdue for a lighthearted touch.
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Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Dorian Blues makes me yearn for the day that audiences have become so comfortable enough with this subgenre that a clever director can make a spoof in which many if not all of the conventions get lampooned.
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Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Rarely feels fresh. It's special, but in an after-school sort of way.
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Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
While Bardwell's screenplay wobbles somewhat in tone, it displays enough wit and charm to compensate for its lack of polish.
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
The linchpin relationship is the underlying deep bond between the two brothers, and the scenes between McMillian and Coco are well written and equally well played.
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