The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
Columbia TriStar (2000)
Comedy, Queer Themes/Interest
In Collection
#99
6*
Seen ItYes
(03/31/2013 Ravens Anniversary)
043396056114
IMDB   6.9
90 mins USA / English
DVD  Region 1   R
Ben Weber Patrick
Andrew Keegan Kevin
Matt McGrath Howie
Mary McCormack Anne
Nia Long Leslie
John Mahoney Jack
Justin Theroux Marshall
Dean Cain Cole
Timothy Olyphant Dennis
Billy Porter Taylor
Zach Braff Benji
Robert Peters Cop
Diane McBain Josephine
John Brandon Mickey
Nora Burns Female Shopper
Chris Payne Gilbert Larry
Director
Greg Berlanti
Producer Mickey Liddell
Joseph Middleton
Connie Dolph
Sam Irvin
Writer Greg Berlanti
Cinematography Paul Elliott
Music Christophe Beck


In the palm-shaded oasis of West Hollywood, we meet Dennis, a promising photographer. As he prepares to celebrate his twenty-eighth birthday, he laments, ' I can't decide if my friends are the best or worst thing that ever happened to me.' The gang includes Benji, the punkish innocent with a penchant for gym bodies; Howie, the psychology grad student who thinks too much and lives too little; Cole, the charismatic actor who accidentally keeps stealing everybody's guy; Patrick, the cynical quipster, and Taylor, resident drama queen, who, until recently, prided himself on his long-term relationship. Providing sage advice and steady work is Jack, the beloved patriarch whose restaurant is a haven for them all. When tragedy strikes the group, the friendships are put to the test. Written by John Cooper

A group of gay friends in West Hollywood lean on each other to work their way through gay life, not always with success. They gather around Jack's Broken Hearts restaurant and lounge, Jack acting as their father figure and the coach and head cheerleader behind the inept Broken Hearts softball team. The group of friends includes Howie who can't break the physical or emotional ties with his ex-boyfriend, Marshall, even after Marshall starts dating someone else and despite Howie being the one to call their relationship off. Patrick has self-image issues. He has to make a major decision when his lesbian sister asks him to donate sperm to her lesbian lover. Cole is the narcissist, who treats men like playthings to throw away, never having been thrown away himself until he hooks-up with movie star Kip Rogers. Taylor is going through the many stages of dealing with a break-up with his long term partner, who had a history of cheating on him. Benji, attracted to muscle types, is in desperate need of acceptance from others at almost any price. The emotional core of the group is Dennis, an aspiring photographer. Dennis has hit a stage in his gay life where he wants something more than just meaningless sex. When he meets Kevin, a not even out gay young man, Dennis tests his new resolve. But Kevin needs support of his own as someone just coming to terms with his sexuality, something that Dennis may not be able to provide in its entirety. Written by Huggo
Edition Details
Distributor Sony Pictures
Chapters 28
Release Date 03/06/2001
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles English; French
Audio Tracks English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
HDR N/A
No. of Discs/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Purchase Date 03/03/2010
Location Personal Library
Owner Deitz
Store Amazon.com
Purchase Price $16.49
Condition New
Tags Ravens Anniversary
Links The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy at Movie Collector Connect
IMDB
Amazon US
DVD Empire
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy at Core for Movies
TheMovieDb.org

Features
Director's and Producer's Commentary
Deleted Scenes with Director and Producer's Commentary
DVD-ROM Weblink to Official The Broken Hearts Club Website
Theatrical Trailers
Interactive Menus
Scene Selections

Notes
It's amazing, and encouraging sign of the increasing acceptance of gay folk (especially on the coasts) that this film now seems somewhat dated. It is, however, a pleasant romp, worth seeing. BTW--Some of my nonNYC-centric acquaintances hated "Friends"; just couldn't relate to it at all. John. May 2013.

A GAY VERSION OF "FRIENDS" July 29, 2005.
By Charles Sutherland
In some ways, this film reminded me of the sit-com "Friends" when I first watched it. It does have some significant differences, but it still centers on a group of people who are variously in and out of relationships with each other and outsiders, some of whom make it into the group, and others of whom do not.
One of the leading characters is Dennis, who is having a mid-life crisis of a sort, not quite sure he wants to continue the pick-up life, and not sure he can continue it given his advancing age. This is driven home by the situation of his birthday party, in which he finds an attraction to J. Crew Guy, a nickname invented by his friends to keep people from having to remember names. Cole, the "star" of the group of friends, has invited his own catch to the party, and the rest of the friends are seething with jealousy.
There are lots of wonderful little scenes and bit pieces here. Most of the friends go to the same hairdresser or stylist, and pour their hearts out to her while having their hair cut. There is a wonderful montage of clips of the various friends getting their hair cut, all talking to each other, save one man who goes to an actual therapist, and complains near the end that the rest of his friends get their hair cut while doing this.
The friends center on a particular restaurant, owned by Jack, played by John Mahoney (Frasier's father in the sit-com "Frasier"). Jack also sponsors a softball team, on which all of the friends play. Jack is a long-term partner of a man only really known as "purple guy", because he always dressed in purple. Jack suffers a heart-attack, and the friends become much more enlightened about the value of friendship, relationships, and permanent attachments in an often changing and unpredictable world.
I identified most with the character is Patrick, the "less attractive" friend. At one point he describes his frustration living in southern California as the gay community is a bunch of 10s all looking for an 11, and if the light is dim enough and the guy is drunk enough, he (Patrick) might pass for a 7. I know the feeling very well.
One review I read of this film said that it is the first film since "Boys in the Band," put out in 1970, to feature every character in the film as a gay person. I hadn't thought about that the first time I watched the film, but it is true. There are no straight people here as major or even minor characters, only the occasional bit player, like the team members of the Hollywood Firefighter's softball team, who are not only better than the restaurant's team, but also a physical distraction, according to one team member.
Each of the characters represents a different sort of gay person - Dennis is the artistic, brooding sort; Cole is the wannabe actor, a bit too good looking for his own good; Kevin is the just-coming-out and not really ready to admit he's gay person; Benji is the always looking in the wrong place for love person, who gets involved a bit in drug use near the end. Howie is the mixed up, wants a commitment but cannot commit person. Finally, Patrick (my role model) is the not-quite-that-goodlooking, good friend but always single kind of guy. Jack and Purple Guy are the long-term, older couple who both father/mother the group, and model another way of being. Of course, that all assumes that you can find a partner who will last.
You will also get introduced to the phrase OGT - Obviously Gay Trait. For example, liking the music group The Carpenters is an OGT. Liking theater and Broadway musicals is an OGT. And so forth. There's just a bit of Carpenters' music around, too.

A FEEL GOOD MOVIE January 12, 2001
By EDWARD
Saw the movie and loved it, only a complete cynic wouldn't. Much more substantial than a movie of the week as some would have you believe. It's a romantic comedy and is as funny and moving as one would and should expect it to be. If you're tired of the heavy, depressing and gay themed movies - here's one that you will simply enjoy - a docudrama it doesn't pretend to be. The characters are all wonderful and at their present stage of life, their concerns, desires, hopes, fears etc. are true to who they are. In your lifetime you will have known atleast one if not all of these characters. For a comunity longing to see itself on the big screen, this may be a very small representation, but nonetheless a valid one. Does it provoke deep thoughts, well...no. Will you like it? Yes. If nothing else, by the end of the movie you'll be thinking as I did "thank God for my friends..." - it's message and true worth. Enjoy.

SWEET AND TRUTHFUL March 31, 2001
By R. Penola
Despite the many cliches you can see coming almost from the first frames of this small, ensemble comedy, this movie will win your heart. The screenplay, chock full of gay stuff we've heard and seen a million times before, slowly builds its case through its mostly appealing stable of characters, who actually have something significant to say. There are many funny moments, and the performances are uniformly superb, with a surprisingly deft turn by Dean Cain, easily the most glamorous member of the cast. The ruminations on the lack of real substance in the on-again off-again relationships of a tight group of L.A. gay men will strike a resonant chord, and their words often have the sting of truth, especially in the many edgy scenes between lovers who barely know each other. The covers of Carpenters hits work only intermittently, and this film would have been elevated greatly by the inclusion of some real Karen vocals, particularly since her voice is discussed early on, in a scene that sets up the basic emotional journey of the movie.