Boys Life 2. - movie reviews

The four accomplished films of Boys Life 2 demonstrate that gay shorts have matured right alongside their full-length counterparts. In Nickolas Perry's witty Must Be the Music, Jason (Milo Ventimiglia) plays reluctant chauffeur for a group of his friends. Although he endures the usual clubland tribulations, in the end Jason lands squarely in the driver's seat.

In Tom DeCerchio's irreverent Nunzio's Second Cousin, Tony (Vincent D'Onofrio) is a gay cop who, after an encounter with some teen homophobes, invites one to his mother's (Eileen Brennan) for dinner. D'Onofrio's spin on his character is infectious fun, and Brennan is magnificent.

Mark Christopher's wonderfully understated Alkali, Iowa tells how gay farm-boy Jack (J.D. Cerna) discovers some family secrets his mother (Mary Beth Hurt) prefers to forget.

Peggy Rajski's Trevor, which won a 1994 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, is a better coming-of-age story than some recent features, Trevor (Brett Barsky, who turns in a moving performance) is a 13-year-old junior high school student whose desperate attempts to fit in are complicated by a crush on a male classmate. What's a girl to do? As Trevor Might say, when in doubt, lip-synch.

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