Alex Strangelove (2018)

Alex, high school class president, nerd and a straight A student, has been dating Claire a long time. They decide to sleep together but then he meets a gay guy and he's confused.

Director:

Craig Johnson

Writer:

Craig Johnson

Stars:

Michael Abela, Daniel Doheny, Brendan Archer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Abela	...	Personal Story
Daniel Doheny	...	Alex Truelove
Brendan Archer	...	Personal Story
Gianna Jean	...	Camper
Madeline Weinstein	...	Claire
Joshua Barragan	...	Personal Story
Antonio Marziale	...	Elliot
Kai Wes	...	Personal Story (as Kai Bigwood)
Daniel Zolghadri	...	Dell
Bradley Birkholz	...	Personal Story
Nik Dodani	...	Blake
Von Bowen	...	Personal Story (as Von Dell Bowen)
Fred Hechinger	...	Josh
Annie Q.	...	Sophie Hicks
Kimberly Butler	...	Personal Story

Storyline

Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) is a well-rounded high school senior with a wonderful girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein) and a bright future ahead of him - and with plans to achieve his last teenage milestone by losing his virginity. But things get complicated when he meets Elliot (Antonio Marziale), a handsome and charming gay kid from the other side of town, who unwittingly sends Alex on a rollercoaster journey of sexual exploration, kicking off a hilarious and moving adventure of love, sex and friendship in our liberated and confusing modern times. Written and directed by Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins, Wilson), produced by Ben Stiller, Nicky Weinstock, and Jared Ian Goldman.

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Plot Keywords:

sexual confusion | gay interest | gay character | coming out to girlfriend | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | 

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Taglines:

Love can be confusing.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alex Strangelove

Filming Locations:

West Gate Motor Lodge, Nyack, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Netflix, Red Hour Films, Mighty Engine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jesse James Keitel, who portrays the character of Sidney, is also credited as a makeup artist, specifically "Additional Make-up for Sidney," meaning he did most of his own make-up for his multiple appearances on screen, with many different looks.

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Quotes

Alex: I'm sorry I was such a shitty boyfriend.
Claire: No. No, you're the best gay boyfriend a girl could have.
[they both laugh]
Alex: That's funny.

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Crazy Credits

Right before the credits, Alex is seen telling people on the internet that he is gay. He is then accompanied by clips of real life people coming out. One of the notable clips is of popular YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen, a beauty guru, whose video garnered over 17 million views.

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Connections

References The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

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Soundtracks

The Woman That Loves You
Performed by Japanese Breakfast

User Reviews

Authentic coming out rom-com with broad appeal

This is an accurate depiction of coming out. Other reviewers seem offended by the focus on his relationship with a girl, but I don't understand that. It's very realistic and an aspect of the coming-out experience. I think this movie did a very good job of highlighting the roles of those people and other friends in the lives of lgbt.

I also really appreciated the later-in-life realization of his sexuality. Yes, some people 'always know,' but some people don't, and others are in huge denial and that can really suck. These people need representation, too, and this is a great movie to do it with.

Even the poor reviews give the acting good marks. I think I can speak from experience that the story is very authentic. No aspect of it rings untrue, and it manages to be genuinely hilarious at just the right times. 8/10