"Metrosexuality" (1999) TV series

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Rikki Beadle Blair

Writer:

Rikki Beadle Blair (writer)

Release Date:

21 February 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Boy meets girl, boy meets boy, girl meets girl... whatever

Plot:

Kwame is seventeen; sexy and unswervingly straight with his hormones raging like a forest fire.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Lesbian | Condom | Male Frontal Nudity | Drug Dealer

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Rikki Beadle Blair	...	Max
Noel Clarke	...	Kwame O'Rielly
Rebecca Varney	...	Asha
Paul Keating	...	Dean
Davey Fairbanks	...	Bambi
Karl Collins	...	Jordan
Silas Carson	...	Jonno
Helen Sheals	...	Hilly
Carleen Beadle	...	Cindy
Dee Dee Samuels	...	Doris
Michael Dotchin	...	Robin
Pui Fan Lee	...	Jaye
Preeya Kalidas	...	Flora
Frances Lima	...	Gerri
Matt Harris	...	Daniel

Runtime:

UK:30 min (6 episodes) | USA:225 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18 | USA:Unrated

Quotes:

[calling to his boyfriend who's in the bathroom as he writhes on their bed...]
Bambi: You've got ten seconds to wash your face... Or I'm starting without you. I'm gonna do more than just good old-fashioned "make your dreams come true." Times up! I'm gonna make your reality compete with your dreams.

Outside Tradition

Modern culture asks us to accept many infringements into our lives, including our identities. Being in love might be simple, but what to do with it can be complicated by concepts of monogamy and monosexuality. Metrosexuality attempts to explore the vast differences in people's identities and relationship boundaries while not getting caught up in either ham-fisted soap opera antics or soft-core homoeroticism. Comparisons between Metro and Queer As Folk will be unavoidable for most, but they fundamentally differ. QaF is homocentric, while Metro finds room for a gray-scale that better represents the range of people's identities, and better captures the variety and confusion in relationships.

Gay, straight, bisexual, monosexual, polysexual, monogamy, polygamy, feminism, and masculinity are some of the topics explored in an everyday setting. Each character has their own traits, and through their interactions gives us insight into who we are.

The actors/actresses performances sometimes dip into being a tad wooden, though generally are acceptable. The low budget they must have had sometimes distracts. The fast pacing (which I enjoyed) will make some dizzy, with quick cuts between settings and characters setting the feel. The intentionally shaky (and sometimes TOO shaky) camera technique adds a certain anxiety, though occasionally intrudes. The characters are developed through their interactions, so we never get to explore the inner thoughts of any single character outside of group settings. At any rate, they certainly are a sexy bunch.

Overall, I enjoyed Metro (especially after my letdown on over-the-top QaF). The series foretells the coming of a revolution where polarized labels (gay, straight, bi) are a thing of the past, and people celebrate themselves for who they are, wherever they may fall in the spectrum of life, not simply how well they can be pinned down into a stereotype. Unfortunately, it only lasted one season on UK television and never made it to the US. I saw this on DVD, which includes the pilot "Heterosexuality".