Henry Gamble's Birthday Party (2015) User Reviews

Better than expected.

[tolake · 7/10 · 23 August 2016]

This movie tries to balance out multiple viewpoints, but in the end, The Christians come off as judgmental and thin skinned and too many of the characters are stereotypes of people we can not stand.

At first I thought I wondered into a Christian movie, and then other characters start to pop up and by the time the movie is over, everyone has major problems, except Henry who is working it out as he goes along.

But ... I gotta say, a sweet and nuanced performance by the lead actor Cole Doman, anchored the movie and there were excellent performances from Patrick Andrews (manic), Elzabeth Laidlaw(mom) and Pat Healey (dad) who made the most of the material that they had to work with.

Impressive

[mccarthy_shaun-81156 · 7/10 · 17 November 2016]

Writer/Director Stephen Cone has crafted a film that on technical merits alone is heads above most films dealing with a gay youth coming of age. Cinematographer Jason Chiu's contributions must be recognized as well. Finally, a fairly strong cast all adds to a film that is confident and ambitious. It may not always achieve, but its parts are greater than the whole.

The camera is an observer and moves melodically throughout the film. Yet, cinematographer and director never become showy. Each angle and camera movement is intentional and honest.

The lead actors are strong. Their backstories are sometimes revealed through dialogue but their untold stories echo throughout rewarding the audience with so many three dimensional people rarely seen in smaller films. The supporting cast is mostly as strong.

A majority of the film deals with teenagers conversing at a birthday party. The written dialogue accurately reflects that world but the subtext of real world drama rings through loudly. Cast and director deserve strong kudos.

The pacing of the film is not as strong. Multiple story lines are difficult to balance and juggle. Here writer and editor (both Cone again) show their weaknesses. As well, and no spoiler, the ending is lacking. Technically, it is fitting and true to the world of the film, but that does not discount the audience leaving feeling short changed.

A third of the way through the film, I was very excited by what I had seen thus far. Two thirds of the way through the film, I became a tad restless but I was invested in the characters to want to see it through. By the end, I was disappointed based on my initial excitement but not enough to be disenfranchised.

Stephen Cone is a talent to be watched. His ambition should be encouraged and nurtured. His cast deserves to be seen in many more projects. Henry Gamble's Birthday Party is a very good achievement and possibly one that will be recognized in future years as a major leaping point for many people.

24hrs before Sunday....

[stuartho-67386 · 5/10 · 16 October 2021]

The film opens with two kids in bed on a sleep over. The title of the film leads you to think the story will be about Henry. The title should have been 24hrs before Sunday church. As I watched I wondered if this is what a non secular Christian life is like. I've known a few pastors and church going people. The film is littered with saccharine stereotypical Christian thoughts and lines. Why exactly is there a Black kid in the story. He also seem to have your typical step parent of a family. Watching him reminds me of myself being the only nonwhite family in the community as a child.

In terms of character development of Henry, there is very little. Instead we get the revealing of the many flaws of each character in the family and friends in this weekend party. It was nicely percolated but lead to nowhere except that life is not perfect. There is virtually no development of Logan the Black kid, he floats around in the film. Henry occasionally makes eye contact in his direction. The young girls talk about one of the gay hookup at church school, such the shocker. I thought Henry had his eyes on one of the other boys. What was the reason for having the boy with the mental illness other than creating drama. After 80min of drama the film end with Henry and Logan in bed, is he going to have the same dialogue as the start of the film. As I watch the film I wonder how a Christian person would view it. It seems just so stereotypical white Christian, what is the writer or producer trying to portray.

Middle Class boy in coming out dilemma drama

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 6/10 · 21 December 2016]

The plot is that Henry Gamble is going to be seventeen and his father – Preacher Bob – wants to throw a big pool party to celebrate. As he is a preacher everything is going to be done the way Jesus would have wanted – but no alcohol, provocative music or other stuff that they make up as they go along. Thing is Henry is gay – but he is still in the closet although right from the get go you can tell he is bursting to come out.

Then the party starts and as the guests turn up it seems that everyone has baggage and they are also all struggling with then inner conflicts that go with faith and desire.

Now this has been applauded and panned in equal measure and the reasons are both valid. Firstly this is all about sex and sexual.ity but it is all talk and, quite literally, no trousers. Personally I think that is OK but for the nay sayers they are right in saying it is setting its stall out to attract the wrong audience. Also it does not deal with nigh o all of the issues that are raised, from sexual identity, faith conflicts, mental health issues or alcohol.

The thing is this is really well made. Despite any real dénouement the characters and their problems are very believable. It is well acted with only a couple of times where a character seems to be stepping into 'cliché-ville'. So am slightly torn, I actually did enjoy this though – hence my rating but as I said if you want a film with any real exploration of the issues that it is based on, then this will probably not rock your world.

Swimming pool soap opera....

[ohlabtechguy · 6/10 · 23 January 2021]

An ensemble cast of characters centered around a birthday pool party makes this more like a soap opera. The movie made me wish I could have similar summertime pool parties with plenty of fun and eye candy. But other than this, there were a few laughs, especially the "Democrat" comment, a few personal dramas, a secretive gay attraction and a lot of splashing. Movie lacked a focal point and basic message, except to say that not even white, religious, conservative, suburban families are perfect.

Accurate but Unfocused

[cameron-barringer · 7/10 · 6 December 2021]

Not sure what I think about this movie. It spends next to no time with the title character, choosing to spend it on the plethora of side characters while almost entirely ignoring the premise that probably draws most of the audience for this movie: a cute guy coming to terms with his homosexuality.

And yet, its characterization of church goers isn't as much of a caricature as many think. All of their judgemental opinions and holier-than-thou attitudes are things that I personally experienced growing up around church goers.

I'm not really sure what this movie set out to be, but at least it was honest.

Frustratingly Disorganized

[daveny914-99-704725 · 1/10 · 31 January 2022]

Firstly, people referring to this as a "middle-class" boy's coming out story are the problem w the world. LOL Let's just let that stand out for its own worth. Delusional.

The film is a buckshot of over-dramatically delivered issues crammed into 90 minutes of rich white Christian piety.

Very confusing character portrayal (the mother corrects herself to say *twice* that something "happened to" her and then proceeds to explain how SHE cheated).

The scene sets up as if a rape is about to be disclosed and leaves it very awkward to watch.

Rape is also uncomfortably brought to the surface when one of the teenage girls begins to freak out on her bf(?).

It's obviously about their first time together and she's experiencing the compounded Christian guilt and shame... and the dialogue begins to take this dark turn as she's screaming at him almost as if she's about to accuse him of forcing himself on her.

Thankfully, by the end of the film they're snuggled together in the same chair. Whew! THAT certainly got much better.

It's all pretty messy and unenjoyable, but the particularly poor handling of such major issues as suicide, rape, sexual discovery, etc. Leaves a uniquely foul taste.

Wow!

[avenuesf · 9/10 · 6 May 2016]

I see a lot of films, and this is without a doubt one of the best I've seen in quite awhile. It presents so beautifully how conformity and organized religion stifles and twists and how badly the real person in all of us wants to be recognized for who we really are. The performances are so spot-on that it's almost eerie; having grown up in a Midwestern family very similar to this one I felt as though I knew every one of the characters.

The plot involves Henry Gamble, whose father is a preacher, who is given his 17th birthday party by his family and friends. Henry is realizing he may be gay, and as the party progresses throughout the afternoon and night everyone begins to show the various struggles they also go through being human and trying to adhere to the rigid expectations they've created for themselves.

What I found so impressive about this film is that all of the characters are fine, likable people who care about each other. Some of them, particularly the adolescents, are much more accepting of their differences and support each other; others aren't capable of doing that, especially as beautifully illustrated by a bitter, fearful mother who refuses to let her repressed daughter enjoy any of the party and never lets her out of sight. The daughter is heartbreakingly portrayed, and the image I couldn't seem to shake after the film was over was her testing the water in a swimming pool, wanting so badly to dive in.

It appears that HGBP has been released to pay-per-view and isn't being considered for a general release to theaters. This is a very timely film for 2016 and it would benefit so many if this project could receive the exposure it deserved. It's depressing to think that "Captain America: Civil War" will be bringing in crowds this weekend but very few people will know a wonderful film like this even exists.

I hope Steven Cone, who also wrote the amazing screenplay, continues to have the opportunity to make films. This is someone to pay attention to, as he is clearly a talented guy.

The Awkward Christian Pool Party

[pspringstone1 · 7/10 · 27 April 2022]

This isn't my favorite Stephen Cone film (try The Wise Kids or Princess Cyd), but I appreciate the vibe it's capturing. The repressed setting definitely brought me back. Like Dramarama, it's filled with awkward teen pool moments. If you didn't grow up in a repressed Christian atmosphere, I'm not sure you'll get it.

Had potential, tried to go too many directions

[xonthintai · 3/10 · 24 August 2018]

It was like the writers tried to cram seventeen stories into one movie. One lady is super against everything, apparently, and brings up human trafficking, one lady cheated on her husband and doesn't love him, Henry seems to have a crush on his best friend and then asks the random kid who everyone seems off around to kiss him, the grandpa seems pretty chill about people being gay, one guy might be a pedophile??? Two guys are concerned about a whole generation and try to fix the problem with a song that seems to make everyone uncomfortable, and the possible pedophile cuts up his own face because ??? If they had picked like, two of these ideas to run with, it could have been a good movie, but it flashes from point to point with practically no flow or reason, and there's no real exposition on the characters or why they act certain ways towards each other.

A Delicate and Honest Slice of Life

[afkiff · 8/10 · 14 November 2016]

This is a really lovely film by a filmmaker I had not heard of. Never in a rush to get anywhere, Stephen Cone's film weaves its way so naturally through these intersecting lives, as they jump in and out of the pool at Henry Gamble's 17th Birthday Party. Everyone has a crush on someone else, no one is satisfied, and yet there's nothing melodramatic, just subtle body language, and flashes of accidental honesty. I was immediately intrigued - from the first innocent conversation between two teen boys casually exaggerating the size of their members, to the prophetic line Henry announces to his family, as he looks at the time on the morning of the party, "I was just born." The family is very Christian, dad is the local pastor so there's prayer before meals, and they don't touch alcohol, which makes the homosexual subtext (among other secrets) at the beginning of the movie all the more intriguing. Coming out movies had their heyday, and to do one nowadays requires it to be a lot more, which this movie is. Mr. Cone's delicate hand, and his subtle message of compassion is never overwhelmed by the enormous, talented, relatively unknown cast, or the inherent drama of teenage angst.

Almost skipt it due to the intro

[momomojojo · 6/10 · 26 September 2021]

I did not know what movie it is in my library and just starting to turn it on. It was ugh the American Christian movie kind. I almost skipped it due to it was those kind of movie but I have seen some really good ones with the same purpose, producer or financial invester. When the movie went on it become more better it become more complex. The realitionships, the interactions, overarching plot.

The amount of square meter that it needed to produced this and compare to other major movies it means gold mine.

The acting the story telling the flow of the movie. The complexity of a family relationship, of your network, morals of individuals and groups makes the depth really deep. Recommend all children and youth a movie that they must see, to have a better perspective and preparation in their future.

Dissapointment a bit in the end.

Liked the movie at first...

[regiretro · 3/10 · 23 March 2020]

It's a low budget movie with too many characters. The characters were likable but their subplots were kind of irrelevant to the story. The ending made no sense at all. Some guy randomly cutting his face out of nowhere. You hope the film goes somewhere but then it totally doesn't. Henry asks Logan to stay for a sleepover. They end up laying in bed together and Henry asks him if they can kiss... end of the movie.

It felt forced and uncomfortable to watch. They had no chemistry at all. Disappointing...

Opening and closing shots are perfect

[justahunch-70549 · 7/10 · 1 July 2023]

Many of the devout Christian characters in this film really creeped me out as they seemed like they were in a 1960 movie. I suppose some of this is realistic, but it's hard for me to believe that people actually live such Stepford Wives kind of lives. This also shows the hypocrisy of some of these types as while they're all pretending to be the epitome of good, they're sneaking booze, having affairs, having out of wedlock sex, turning gay, etc., etc. In the midst of these phony close minded people, though some with good intentions, this is essentially the story of a young man coming out and he is a rather delightful young man. The opening close up shot of him is the perfect image of pure innocence as portrayed very well by Cole Doman In his film debut. The film is nicely shot, its inventive with an unusual scenario for such a topic, it has a nice cast with just about a perfect ending.

Watch Psycho-Christians Swim! And Eat! And Swim!

[Orpheus_Dude · 1/10 · 21 October 2017]

Unwatchable piece of excrement.

I am puzzled about who made this movie and why? Is it supposed to be somehow entertaining (and if so, to whom)? Enlightening (ditto)? Somewhere between takes of (mostly) attractive young people in a pool for so long its amazing their skin isn't shriveled beyond recognition, the idea of having a plot or telling a story got lost. Even creating a coherent atmosphere quickly goes missing.

All that's left is stereotypical Christian yammering with such original lines as "Hate the sin, love the sinner." And - gasp! - hiding wine-in-a-cardboard-box under the kitchen sink and - gasp! - drinking it! And don't let the insanely-overemphasized gay angle fool you: it account for about two minutes.

Go forth and seek redemption: watch a decent film made for adults with brains. Don't waste the 82 minutes of which this mess can rob you unless you are really quick on the fast-forward button.

Growing up gay in the south

[leewstone · 10/10 · 10 December 2016]

If you grew up gay in the South at least semi-recently, this movie will probably resonate with you. I watched this movie on a whim while bored and looking for something a little more risqué, and though this movie certainly failed to fulfill on the latter, it more than captured my attention otherwise. The movie was visually intriguing, the music incredible, and the artful combination of the two left me feeling completely immersed in some beautiful, quasi-reminiscent experience. I'm actually quite stunned by how deftly the writer and director were able to echo my own experiences growing up in a family that both loves you and is in many ways disgusted by you as well.

It's intriguing that other reviewers find this movie dated or otherwise inaccurate. I'm not sure what churches they go to, but very few clergymen these days go without. We have pastors with million-dollar homes, with fleets of cars, heck there are more than a few pastors with private airplanes. Also, I'm only 32 and 17yo me would have felt perfectly at home in this movie.

This movie isn't for the average viewer these days that likes to be spoon-fed every single detail. On the contrary, I found that HGBD challenged the viewer to reexamine their subconscious biases regarding these stereotypes and perhaps give the 'other side' another look.

Great job!

Boring, obnoxious, embarrassing, overall bad.

[landenmeadors · 3/10 · 16 July 2020]

That's it. That's the whole review don't watch this garbage, anything else would be better.

Nicely executed.

[paulcreeden · 8/10 · 11 November 2016]

I watched this on Netflix as a lark. I was quite surprised to find it both enjoyable and meaningful. It is atypical of gay-content films as a genre. The 'gay' is more 'by the way' than 'hey, Mary".

Really liked the beginning and end. Cole Doman's face holds all the innocence of a somewhat pampered and conflicted middle class boy his age. The contrast between Henry and Logan, the awkward and out gay boy, is well done. The balance provided by smart-ass lesbian characters is not overplayed. The contrast between the twisted lives of the adults and the openness of the youngsters is also well written. The way Henry's older sister acts out that contrast is quite good.

This film is outstanding for its quiet subtlety about religious bias and its constriction of human vision and compassion. It unfolds gently with the exception of a slightly contrived crisis involving an ostracized gay man. I recommend it to non-religious people (like me) who may lump all religious folks into a single category.

Strong start but wobbles with trying to tie it all up

[camcullensmith · 5/10 · 21 September 2021]

NON SPOILER PART: The movie as a whole tends to shy away from its own message. So whilst they do chuck a lot at the wall with storylines it all felt a bit lacking of cause and effect.

Act one and two feel like they are building up to something big. The mother character has some pretty bonkers expositon about the marriage issues which is fun, and there are tid bits of interesting character developments throughout. Probably could have done with a bit more on the whole Ricky situation. The conflict between the Christian and athiest teens was also fun and fairly well acted.

SPOILER PART: My biggest problem was with the end, all the while we are seemingly building up to something. I'm still not sure whether the outing scene actually happened, or whether Bob was just talking about Logan? It cuts straight to Logan after the drunken outing and then nothing is mentioned again until the mother is having a pretty unprompted separation convo with the father.

Also, yes there is the argument of the "poeticness" of it all. However, It cuts to black before the final and only gay kiss. That was infuriating, probably would have given a 7 if they showed it at least. What a massive F You to the questioning/gay kids watching who will be desperate to see the actual romantic act in what is actually pretty bare bones when it comes to celebrating acceptance.

Dull with an uncomfortable underlying atmosphere.

[matthewhuk · 3/10 · 14 May 2021]

Didn't really work for me. Opening scene was the best part, even though it was really hard to make out the dialogue, (a theme persisting throughout).

Unfortunately after the promising opener it slid rapidly down dull hill, despite the one redeeming feature of some nice eye candy with the lead actor especially, however that didn't distract from the uncomfortable underlying atmosphere (not helped by the dark incidental music) soon making its presence felt despite it being a supposedly celebratory birthday party.

I turned it off after bearing 30 minutes of action (or should I say very much lack of action, as all events just seem to unfold around the family pool) with the increasing feeling it would cumulate in an awkward coming out scene and no doubt emotional conflict from the disapproving Christians.

A few week attempts at trying to be arty with the cinematography was not enough to distract from the overall amateurish cringeworthy American soap opera feel complete with perfect bodies, perfect smiles on perfectly mediocre actors.

If you're expecting a heartwarming, feel good coming out story, emphasis on "story" with some varied locations thrown in to add variety then best to look elsewhere!

Stephen Cone Country--if you liked "The Wise Kids"...

[vallejo-39149 · 8/10 · 27 November 2016]

I saw "The Wise Kids" a while back and liked it very much, so when I began HGBP, I found myself thinking, "Hmm, reminds me of TWK." No kidding. I think this is a step up in sophistication, though, and with perhaps a harsher look at evangelical subculture, which is apparently Cone's world, like Faulkner's southern county whose name I won't try to spell right now. His metier. Cone likes to describe a whole world in his films. Can't wait for the day he actually gets money to do a BIG picture! By "harsher" I just mean that the damages of a rigid approach to piety are delineated rather sharply and, perhaps, even a bit melodramatically in one scene, though maybe not. I feel like I'd like to see the film again to really understand the family and friend relationships in the film. All in all, I found myself much more involved than I thought I would be. If you want a film that feels like a slice of life, with affection for its characters (except maybe, for the more narrow minded of the Christians in the film, young and old) though maybe not your life, I would recommend this.

Horrendous

[jerry-70896 · 1/10 · 6 April 2019]

This is the worst gay-themed movie I have ever seen and that is saying a lot. I am a 69-yo gay man who has probably watched well over 100 gay-themed movies. I am not a snob either. I like some gay films that have been largely panned but have usually found some good in them. But this movie has all the depth, quality, interest and value as a book of jokes about beloved dead pets. About the only person who may find this movie of any interest is a closeted gay in rural south. But I would recommend that that person would better spend their time packing up their car and driving as far away as possible from their present home instead of watching this mess. They may also take a cue from one of the characters and get away from this movie's type of environment before they do themselves some harm. Total waste of my time.

Breathes and flows with life

[stroggos · 9/10 · 15 March 2017]

A simple setup: One boy's birthday pool party. Everybody plays along and pretends to be happy. But beneath the surface, people's emotions are boiling. While people are having a fun time, deep secret come to light.

HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY manages to make statements about religion and about homosexuality without becoming overly political. It manages to convince you of the dark power of peer pressure and church without becoming overly judgmental. It manages to make you feel sexual oppression first-hand, focusing on a subjective perspective of what people really feel rather than what they show to feel. The movie weaves lots of different characters together without becoming incoherent. Many of the characters are just there for a few lines, but they seem real nonetheless. Some of them look like you would want to get to know them better. Others make you feel pity.

Throughout all of this, HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY breathes with life and flows from one thing to the next without becoming trite. Watching this movie truly feels like being at a day's long summer party that slowly progresses through people's complex interactions. Carried by superb acting and a vision of what it means to be human, everything comes together in a grandiose yet subtle fashion. Mind blown.

A crushing bore

[dlmiley · 4/10 · 23 July 2021]

After a promising start, this movie goes into many directions and introduces too many ancillary characters who we know nothing about, nor to do we care to know. It assumes we know the back story about each character - it may have made more sense as the last episode of a soap opera but not as a feature film. As a lawyer might say, "it assumes facts not in evidence"! Finally, screenplay is poor and the actors delivery hovers between stilted and merely adequate. Avoid this one.

Ummm....

[russelzj · 2/10 · 25 April 2018]

Awful movie......just awful. Please don't waste your life watching it.