The Cat and the Moon (2019) was advertised as a "coming of age" movie with Alex Wolff (left) playing an updated Holden Caulfield. So I went in expecting depression, drugs, suicide, heterosexual machinations, and rampant homophobia. I found lots of drugs, suicidal ideations, insanity, and heterosexual romance, but no homophobia, and so many gay subtexts that I couldn't keep track of who was in love with whom.
New Guy (Alex Wolff) moves to New York City while his mom is in rehab, stays with his dad's old buddy (Mike Epps, who reputedly belongs to one of these cocks). He gets involved in a lot stuff. This review will only cover the gay subtext scenes.
Scene 1: New Guy's first day in school. Boyfriend (Giulian Yao Gioello, left), hot for the new guy, befriends him and shows him around.
Scene 2: In algebra class, two stoner buds are playing a game involving fluttering their hands together.
Scene 3: New Guy is in the restroom, trying to get high with a bong made of a toilet paper roll, when the stoner buds come in, bickering like an old married couple and talking like "he got into my motherfuckin' grill, yo."
One stands at the urinal; the other doesn't have to go, so he just stands nearby to get a peek at his bud's penis.
They introduce themselves as Seamus and Russell (Skyler Gisondo, Tommy Nelson). I'll call them Gay Guy and Straight Friend. They invite New Guy to a party Friday night.
"Wait -- will your girlfriend be there?" Gay Guy asks.
"Yes."
"Fuck! You never pay attention to me when she's around." To New Guy: "His balls just evaporate when she's around." That must make sex difficult.
Scene 4; The party was cancelled, so Gay Guy and Boyfriend (from Scene 1) invite New Guy to a club . Straight Friend and his Girlfriend will also be there. So when they go out, it's Straight Friend-Girlfriend and Gay Guy-Boyfriend?
On the way, Gay Guy and Straight Friend argue and break up. The Girlfriend tells New Guy not to worry: they break up all the time, but get back together again. "Honestly, I think they just secretly want to fuck each other." Ok, so it's not a subtext.
They end up partying on the roof. Gay Guy and Straight Friend kiss. Wait, I thought you had other partners.
Later, while the guys are dealing with an overdose, New Guy and The Girlfriend bond.
More after the break
Scene 5: New Guy has lunch with Straight Friend (Skyler Gisondo, left), who reveals that he cheated last night, before his overdose: he got a handjob from "someone." He doesn't say who, and neither of the guys uses gender pronouns, leaving open the possibility that it was with a boy.
Scene 6: A roomful of guys hanging out. They ask Gay Guy to rap about buttholes. Apparently everyone knows that he's a butthole expert.
He starts out: "This my boy Seamus, fucking on an anus." Tell me more.
"Young Russ, I'm reckless, I wreck chicks." He pauses. "No, that's not right." Of course not. You meant "wreck dudes."
Scene 7: The Girlfriend invites them to another party The four guys, head out, engaging in youthful hijinks. On the subway, Straight Guy pretends that he is getting oral sex from Gay Guy. Wait, I thought Gay Guy was with his Boyfriend, and Straight Friend was into New Guy.
They try to pick up some drugs for the party, but almost get shot when Gay Guy refers to the dealer (Quincy Chad, left) as "My N....." He tries to explain that it's a rap term, but the dealer pulls a gun and asks if he would like it in his mouth. Ok, a reference to oral sex. Figures that it would be Gay Guy
They all run away, and divide into two couples to cuddle and recuperate: Gay Guy/Boyfriend and New Guy/Straight Friend. So the two "straight" guys have a gay-subtext friendship. Or are they falling in love?
The Girlfriend and her friend arrive. Straight Friend tries to kiss her (because he feels guilty for doing things with other people?), but she won't let him. She wonders why he's so interested in kissing, all of a sudden. "Since when do you care about that?" Yeah, kissing girls, yuck!
Scene 8: The party. Straight Friend may not like kissing girls, but he's fine with going down on a random girl while The Girlfriend is occupied. New Guy catches them.
Meanwhile, Gay Guy, Boyfriend and a random bud played by Camrus Johnson (left) are getting high. New Guy joins them. They hug and frolick. Wait, I thought your gay-subtext boyfriend was Straight Friend.
Then he hooks up with The Girlfriend. They start an affair.
Scene 9: Straight Friend wants to know why New Guy has been ghosting him lately. "Well, um, I've been really busy...." "Well, hang out with me and my girlfriend later." Awkward!
Scene 10: New Guy is so upset over betraying his friend that he cries, hugs his foster-father, considers suicide, and then comes clean. Straight Friend decks him, but then forgives him. The Girlfriend dumped him, anyway. Time to give Gay Guy a shot.
New Guy is moving away, but as a parting gift, he gives Straight Friend a book on dirty French phrases. "You always said you wanted to learn French, so..." Dude, that wasn't the kind of French he meant.
Scene 11: Another party, Gay Guy is there with his Boyfriend, but then he starts arguing with Straight Friend, like they're long-term partners. I'm confused -- which one is he dating?
Title: A poem by William Butler Yeats, with a cat fascinated by the moon, who doesn't return his affection.
Gay Characters: Gay Guy and his Boyfriend. But neither is openly identified as gay.
Gay Subtexts: Straight Friend and New Guy are probably straight or bi, with a subtext romance mediated by their shared interest in the Girlfriend.
My Grade: B. In 2019, why not just Say the Word?
See also: Tommy Nelson's Hot Photos, Part 2: Boyfriends, buddies, bromantic partners, crushes, and co* cks
Off topic- have you seen Heaven Help Us (1985) about teen boys in Catholic high school in 1965- there is a scene in which the boys swim naked in gym class?!
ReplyDeleteNo , but I think there’s a photo of the guys jumping in the pool in my James Dumont profile
Delete