I just saw Breakfast With Scot last night at the Seattle Intl. Film Festival. I was fully prepared not to like it at all, as most gay themed films of the last several years have been so disappointing.
Yes, it is a little predictable, in the sense that you ultimately know how a story like this is going to turn out. Novelty for the sake of novelty doesn't help stories either, and this is a solid well told story. The small turns of the story were not predictable though. I particularly liked that this Canadian production did not reach for the obvious over the top emotional climax an American production would have. For example, it resolves Tom Cavanaugh's work conflict with far less drama then I would expect from a gay themed film. The script deflates the situation in an interesting and realistic way, recognizing that the film is foremost about the relationship between Eric and Scot, and not about Eric's closeted work situation.
The acting is really really solid. The cast feels like an ensemble, not a group of actors vying for screen attention. It takes awhile to realize that Tom Cavanaugh, with his usual non-showy performance, is the adult lead. Noah Bernett, as Scot, hits it exactly right. A very tough character for an actor of any age to get right. Some criticize the script, saying that the character is way too flamboyant for a boy this age. But that is exactly the center of the book, and the film, for this character to be so unapologetically out there and flamboyant that he challenges gays even more than straights. He's not supposed to be a typical gay kid. (In fact, part of that challenge is that he (and we) do not even know for sure what his ultimate sexuality might be.) As it is, he is sort of a child genius of fun fashion and cosmetics. His character is supposed to make us uncomfortable, and challenging to our assumptions.
Cinematography and production design are first rate. I heard that the overall budget was well under 4 million, if so, then bravo to the production crew, it looks like more.
