Get Your Stuff (2000)

A wealthy professional gay couple, who wish to adopt children, see their lives turned topsy turvy when they take in two misbehaving brothers, supposedly just for one night.

Director:

Max Mitchell

Writer:

Max Mitchell

Stars:

Cameron Watson, Anthony Meindl, Elaine Hendrix

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Watson	...	Phil
Anthony Meindl	...	Eric
Elaine Hendrix	...	Cat Hardy
Grady Hutt	...	T.J.
Blayn Barbosa	...	Brian
David Faustino	...	Ron
Kelly Packard	...	Jeri
Lisa Ann Walter	...	Nancy Perry
Jim J. Bullock	...	Tom
Denis Simpson	...	Neal
Kimberly Scott	...	Gloria
Patience Cleveland	...	Lillian
Jasper Cole	...	Adam
Jason Boegh	...	George
Kiko Ellsworth	...	Blake

Storyline

Social Worker Gloria finds brothers T.J. and Brian, once again, abandoned by their alcoholic mother. With nowhere else to turn, she delivers them to a gay couple (Phil and Eric) on a waiting list to adopt an infant. While 8-year-old Brain is ready to give this new situation a go, 12-year-old T.J. has already been hardened by past rejections to give ANY situation a go. Both boys must either accept this situation or be split up in group homes. After several calls, T.J. gets his drunken mother, Cat, to drop by, and she ends up staying as well. This puts a strain on the gay men's relationship, forcing one to leave while the other remains to fix the problems with the boys and their mother.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | gay couple | alcoholic mother | couples counselling | bouquet | 

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Taglines:

The perfect designer couple meets the foster kids from hell!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 2000 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Pasadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revision Studios, Wey-Man Productions, Peoples Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Kiko Ellsworth.

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Goofs

In the shot following Brian saying, "She'll quit, I'll help her," he's suddenly patting Gloria's shoulder with both hands, which he wasn't doing in the previous shot because both hands were in his lap.

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Quotes

Phil: [trying to think up a job Cat could do] She's a hooker. That's retail.
Eric: I thought that was wholesale.

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Connections

References Leave It to Beaver (1957)

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Soundtracks

Can't Keep a Good Woman Down
(uncredited)
Written by Diana Williamson and Jean McClain
Performed by Pepper Mashay

User Reviews

Mix And Match

What do you get when you mix a successful gay couple with two foster kids from the streets? Well, you could get Get Your Stuff, a cute film about the good times and bad times that might happen if you mix the two mismatched ingredients above. Farce? No, it never reaches that state, but it is frequently funny.

The story is about Phil (Cameron Watson), a couples counselor and Eric (Anthony Meindl), a lawyer. The two want to adopt a baby (mostly it seems from the prodding of Eric's mom), and are just approved to be foster parents in the meantime. Through some coaxing and borderline blackmailing, they agree to take in T.J. and Brian for one night. That becomes one more night and one more and, well, you get the picture.

The kids are actually decent actors and, at times, out-act the adults. T.J. (Grady Hutt) is the optimistic one and tries to get his brother to straighten up so they can have a home. Brian (Blayn Barbosa), on the other hand, is not as accepting and wants nothing to do with Phil and Eric until their case worker, Gloria, talks them into working the couple to make themselves more appealing.

The film deals with all these problems with a light touch -- never wanting to truly offend anyone. So they are played up for laughs; however, the message still gets through. In fact, it takes its toll on Eric who wanted nothing more than a baby and not an entire family of problems and promptly leaves in the film's worst scene that includes Phil screaming and pulling a gun out on his clients and doing the same to Eric as he drives off.

But that type of scene is, thankfully, not the norm. Most of the picture is feel-good and enjoyable. More so when Kimberly Scott is on the screen. She plays Gloria with sass, determination and heart. The movie is made better by her tough love portrayal -- especially the scenes with the kids. There is one at the beginning of the film where the kids arrive at the house while Phil and Eric are having an anniversary party. Brian goes for the wine and argues that kids in Europe drink it. Gloria responds with, "They can also speak three languages. When you can speak three languages, then we can talk."

Get Your Stuff doesn't set the film world on fire, but it is a fun jaunt. It's something to pass the time in world that touches on reality, but doesn't actually ground itself there.