Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

WILLIAM i am really touched by this film, which, in others' opinions, might not be a very good one. through the whole movie, i was always hoping the two guys could be together living a peaceful and happy life. but what they do in this film are out of the ordinary, a public writer and a gay-right activist. this made their life much harder than the average, because they received much more attention from the outside. i like the role of tommy, who is so brave to fight for his life, for what he was born to be, and for what is originally not his very choice. i can feel that his love was so deep, and this even made me a little bit jealous of their relationship which i do not have now. i do hate the ending, which was so tragic. if a film is to teach us how to give love and take love, why it needs to be sorrow in the end? why it is not good for every couple to get their happiness?

bon-ami-2 The first half of it is interesting, a beautiful love story. The middle part is touching. And the final part really made me think. To think about life, time and love. It is one of the very few movies that makes me think after viewing it. Though, because of living environment, I cannot understand some parts of it, such as Nixon and Republicans. If I could, I probably will give it a higher score. So it is hard for me to write much about the essence of the plot. I was so astonished when I saw Americans paraded for gays' rights already in the 1970's. But so far, it is good enough. It consists unawareness, happiness, twist, death and not being able to control.

Merwyn Grote We have seen this before; it is known as "a very special episode," or at least it is when it pops up on TV sitcoms. It is when the comedy suddenly gets serious or the comedy disappears completely so that a sermon and platitude can be served up. It happens unfortunately in even the best of sitcoms; actors who obviously are intelligent, talented and charismatic, comfortably playing characters who are interesting and ingratiating, suddenly have to pander to some misbegotten need to "get real" and educate the viewer. The jokey attitude and contrived situations that somehow are acceptable in a comedy, become transparent when applied to the attempts at dramatic honesty. Even a bad sitcom can be funny, but there is nothing worse than a bad "serious" sitcom.At first it seems as though THE TRIP can slip by solely on the charms of its two protagonists. One is Alan Oakley, a pleasant, nerdy, somewhat goofy, wannabe writer, who claims to have a purely journalistic interest in exploring "the homosexual lifestyle," since he also claims to be both straight and a Republican. He crosses paths with Tommy Ballenger, an idealistic, no-nonsense gay activist who wants to explore more than just Alan's lifestyle. The story begins in 1973 when everyone is on shaky ground when it comes to gay protocol. Thus, whether he knows it or not, Alan is something of a tease in the way he pursues Tommy's friendship, and a lustful Tommy is left uncertain if he is being the prey or the predator in this vague game of cat and mouse.Despite an amateur sitcom-like script by writer/director Miles Swain, the story draws you in, thanks largely to the chemistry between Larry Sullivan as Alan and Steve Braun as Tommy. Their mating ritual is sweetly awkward and it amuses, even as it is apparent that their coy flirtations are far from spontaneous. THE TRIP seems to be charting a course along the familiar road of a typical opposites-attract movie romance, albeit from a gay perspective, but Swain seems as uncertain about his intentions as Alan does about his homosexuality.So the film breaks down into three episodes and the story jumps ahead in time and makes desperate attempts at being serious, first in 1977 during the Anita Bryant years and then again in 1984 during the early outbreaks of AIDS. The clumsy attempts at being a romantic comedy ("It's my parents! Quick hide in the closet!") fall by the wayside as THE TRIP makes even clumsier attempts at political statements. Telling their story against the panorama of the gay rights movement is a great idea, but like those "very special episodes," THE TRIP unsuccessfully tries to shift from funny to poignant, but hasn't built up the necessary supply of good will to justify the demands on the audience.As THE TRIP goes from sitcom to soap opera to unbelievable melodrama, Alan and Tommy find themselves at the mercy of convoluted plot twists that just don't make a lot of sense. The film can't pull off trying to have it both ways, being seriously sentimental and outrageously funny; as the road gets bumpier, Swain's sometimes desperate attempts at humor just aren't enough to absorb the shocks.Good traveling companions certainly can help. Most are broad clichés (Jill St. John as Alan's boozy mom, Sirena Irwin as the kooky fag hag, Alexis Arquette as, once again, a swishy party boy, etc.), but Sullivan and Braun sidestep the stereotypes and play nicely realized characters. They both have a flair for comedy and even overcome the heavy-handed drama well enough to make you care. Sullivan in particular gives an endearing performance as a man who isn't quite prepared to be swept up by love or social revolution. He more than anything else makes THE TRIP worth taking.

l-phelan "The Trip" is one of the best romances I've ever seen. After a seemingly endless barrage of horrible gay films, I was actually taken aback by how good this film turned out to be. The story features well written, witty, and humorous dialog that moves the plot line believably through the years that the story encompasses. The performances are uniformly good, but Larry Sullivan is a real stand out as Alan Oakley. His performance lends credibility to the character he is portraying as he grows through landmarks of history (gay historical landmarks in particular). After purchasing this film on DVD, I did an Internet search and was disappointed that this gifted actor has not done more films. Wake up Hollywood! Sullivan is pleasing to look at, talented, and has a certain magnetism that draws the viewer into the story. The enormity of his appeal is hard to describe, but I have no doubt that the right vehicle would make him into a major star. Other stand outs in the film are Steve Braun (who reminds me a lot of a young Brad Pitt) who does an excellent job as Alan's gay activist lover, and Sirena Irwin as Beverly (a woman just slightly ahead of her time). Veteran actors Ray Baker and Jill St. John give substantial supporting performances, and Julie Brown gives a memorable quirky cameo performance as an 80's Madonna attired receptionist. Alexis Arquette plays "Michael" a slightly stereotypical funny slut (a year working as a bartender in a gay bar taught me that there are many people who are this "over the top" in real life). Overall, I recommend this film not as an excellent "gay" film, but as an excellent film in general.