Jeffrey (1995)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Christopher Ashley

Writers (WGA):

Paul Rudnick (play)
Paul Rudnick (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Love is an adventure when one of you is sure... and the other is positive.

Plot:

Jeffery, a young gay man in New York, decides that sex is too much and decided to become celibate. He...

Plot Keywords:

Gay | AIDS | Gay Friend | Gay Lead Character | Homosexual

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Steven Weber	...	Jeffrey
Peter Jaconson	...	Man #1
Tom Cayler	...	Man #2
David Thornton	...	Man #3
Lee Mark Nelson	...	Crying Guy
John Ganun	...	Tourist
Michael T. Weiss	...	Steve Howard
Joe Dain	...	Movie Theatre Guy #1 (as Joseph Dain)
Jeffrey Ross	...	Movie Theatre Guy #2
Irma St. Paule	...	Mother Teresa
Patrick Stewart	...	Sterling
Nicky Paraiso	...	Salesman
K. Todd Freeman	...	Barney's Waiter
Robert Klein	...	Skip Winkley
Patti Ann O'Connell	...	Cheryl, the Showgirl

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

The Booking Office

Trivia:

Bryan Batt was in the Broadway musical "Cats", which is an in-joke during the movie (his character is also in the musical as well.)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Steve shows up at Sterling and Darius' apartment, Sterling is wearing walking shoes whereas in the scenes immediately before and after, he is wearing black slip-ons.

Quotes:

Darius: I love the Nutcracker. You know when I was a kid I was always afraid of the dancing mice. Now I'm a cat.
Sterling: His therapist is ecstatic.

Movie Connections:

References Gypsy (1962)

"Jeffrey" not just for gay people-it's a story of awakenings

I watched "Jeffrey" with my Husband earlier tonight. I had meant to watch it for years, but it was a "gay" film, a genre which I love, but often eschew because these films always make me think--even "La Cage aux Folles" had a deep and abiding lesson or two hidden inside.) The themes often involve intolerance, and the traumatic impact of AIDS on the entire gay community; even if the film is a comedy, I find these themes fill me with empathic pain and frustration. I decided to brave those themes despite my female tear ducts this evening, and I was glad I did.

This film was silly. This film was witty. The dialogue is sparkling. All those things made it wonderful to watch. The characters we meet are intriguing, and though the 2-dimensional stereotypes are made for laughs, we get the feeling that we are laughing at the strange mix of truth and falsehood many of the stereotypes possess; we are laughing not at people who are "flaming" but at characters who are exuberant, joyous people, trying to squeeze every bit of joy and delight that they can out of every moment.

I won't spoil the journey through this story with any specifics, let's just say that Jeffrey doesn't quite get it. It is both painful and joyful at turns watching the character navigate through a turning point in his life. I laughed, I got choked up, and then I laughed again, and again ad infinitum. This is not a "gay" movie. It's a character driven story that we can all identify with, if our minds and hearts are open.