Moustroll
Good movie but grossly overrated
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Matho
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
nycritic
When a movie sports supporting (and even bit players) who are more interesting than the schmuck who happens to carry the load of an entire plot, something is sorely missing. Even so, a movie has to be made, and men like the title character -- Jeffrey (Steven Weber, looking at ease in a part that gives him one note, that is, to look and be lost and drowning in self-pity) -- do exist (I have known several and the only thing to do is to run the opposite direction and never look back in case one turns into a pillar of salt) and their drama, or lack thereof, is the stuff that could induce anyone to plant a bullet through their temples to be done with the pain.Now, let's see. Jeffrey's pain is that he's sworn off sex altogether. About this time he meets the Man of His Dreams (Michael T. Weiss, oozing dark masculinity). The catch: this Man is HIV-positive. So the dilemma lies: to be with a man who may or may not survive such a deadly disease (and risk his own life, since a moment of passion may be the dividing line between life and death) or to turn around and continue looking for Mr. Goodbar, even when Mr. Goodbar is right there for the asking.The premise makes for a a story that should be much, much darker and introspective, but Paul Rudnick has decided to make it a romantic comedy, and it works for the most part. Again, and going back to the top of this article, it's the supporting characters and bit players who make the adventures of Jeffrey worth experiencing: consider one surreal scene where Jeffrey calls his parents, who are extremely, implausibly, hilariously in tune with the times (when in fact they shouldn't) and go into frank discussions about Jeffrey's (lack of a) sex life. Looking at them, all 1950s excess, yammering in gay lingo, is enough to have anyone rolling on the floor.Other scenes are of equal hilarity: Patrick Stewart interrupting Kevin Nealon (as a reporter) announcing the sex change of a bit player (then unknown Gregory Ibarra) whose mother (Olympia Dukakis) has a whale of a time posing for cameras, and Nathan Lane as a priest who (unsuccessfully) tries to seduce Weber at church in a rather bizarre moment. Of the cast, however, Bryan Batt is the one who almost walks away with the movie as Stewart's lover, also dying of AIDS, and has some pretty outlandish scenes which make his character memorable. And of course, any movie that lampoons Mother Theresa has to have my vote, especially when it manages to pepper an erstwhile campy romance scene. One of the better entries of the Nineties not to feature gay men as unable to have sex lives and wallowing in corners, and a hoot to watch.
Indiana Tyson
Have to say that I felt sick after watching this film.....one big fat fluffy mess. Its just jumping on the band wagon of the caring 90's "fad" of political correctness. Not even Sigourney Weaver could save this celluloid abomination. What a waste of time. It was disturbing to see elderly parents discussing gay saunas with their son....Im not a puritan at all....but it was just stupid and not even funny. The actor playing jeffrey...whoa..... was one of the worst performance I've ever seen !....I was told by a friend who is HIV positive that he actually walked out of this film at a screening 15 minutes into it because it was so agitating. I decided to hire it and see for myself why so many people, mostly gay, say that this is the worst movie they have ever seen.....now I know. Watch "The boys in the Band" (not really AIDS related) and "The Band Played On" (AIDS related) if you want to see something thats decent and at least watchable. Avoid this one....Im sure the director gets embarrassed when he looks back and realises what a mess this stupid film was.
maltcavet
This is the movie that I always say is the funniest one I've ever seen. It's funny because it doesn't rely on Ashton Kutcher or bad parodies or stupid clichés -- the jokes are tight, unique and, most importantly, have meaning. Any comedy that can make us cry at the death of a Broadway extra from Cats (the poor much maligned Cats) but have us laughing at the one man's desire that he feels he can't have, gives us a depth of meaning not seen in comedic film in quite a while. We've become to dependent on having comedies without a meaning, or a point, or a way of laughing at something as terrifying as the AIDS crisis. Sometimes we want to laugh at that which scares us -- it gives us power over it.
Claudio Carvalho
In New York, while having sex with his partner, the condom bursts and the gay waiter and unemployed actor Jeffrey (Steven Weber), afraid of AIDS, decides to have no more sex in his life. In the gym, he meets the handsome gay Steve (Michael T. Weiss), who is HIV positive, and they fall in love for each other. However, Steve does not want to have an affair, believing that sex is dangerous. "Jeffrey" is a dramatic romantic comedy, with a very well structured screenplay, good cast and direction. However, this low budget movie is recommended for gays only. I read many good professional reviews about this film, and I decided to watch it. I recognize it is a good movie, but not for my taste. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Jeffrey, De Caso Com a Vida" ("Jeffrey, In an Affair With Life")
