Search - Just One Time on DVD

Ah, the Frailty of Manhood!

T. Halkin | Munich, Germany | 07/02/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There are times that Lane Janger (writer, director and lead of this film) looks terrific when captured at the right angle, and other times that he looks tired and ragged around the edges. The same could be said for his film. There is potential here, and it shines through occasionally, but unfortunately not consistently.Despite the fact that the ultimate effect is cute (isn't that a terrible word to describe a film?!) and charming, I found myself scratching my head once or twice about the basic premise of this sometimes enchanting little ditty. I guess Janger is trying to warn us that no fantasy lives up to the reality. OK...an age-old piece of wisdom...no arguments here, BUT he never REALLY lets his two lead characters experience their fantasies. They just seem to get lost and frustrated on the road leading up to it.Anthony (Janger's character) wants to see his beloved fiancée, Amy (played by a very winning Jennifer Esposito), have sex Just One Time with another woman before they get married and HAVE to put their fantasies to bed. That's where the first question arises: why do married couples have to stop having fantasies? OK, small detail, let's move on...Amy does not want to grant her beloved Anthony his somewhat cliché, pubescent, masturbatory fantasy, and tries to get around the problem by one-upping him: if he has sex with a man for her, she'll give herself to a woman for him. Now pride and egos start getting in the way of anyone calling the nonsense off. Enter Guillermo Diaz: your ... excuse for a romantic comedy's gay sidekick. Not to say thatMr. Diaz plays his role poorly; he's actually adorable! That said, his role is no more than a convenient plot devise: the sweet, non-threatening, virginal gay neighbor, who enters on cue, but never causes too much discomfort, either for Anthony or the viewer. Same goes for the conveniently lesbian neighbor played by Joelle Carter, who is planted there to give Amy her brush withhomosexuality.Whereas Amy at least gets a lesbian kiss of free will out of it all, before she throw up her hands and screams, "bring on the bands and ring the wedding bells", Anthony stays annoyingly heterosexual. Oh, he does have a kiss, but it's aggressive and full of anger and frustration. When he wakes up the next morning next to his token gay friend, he's horrified at the idea that something might have transpired. Thank God, his bedmate is able to clear that fright up within 30 seconds! Actually, a rather insulting bit of tripe, but if we more emotionally self-assured and mature homosexuals are generous enough to forgive heterosexual men their occasional lapses of taste and decorum for the sake of defending their obviously fragile manhood, then you might actually enjoy the 94 minutes that this film has to offer."

Charming And Yet Annoying

T. Halkin | 05/22/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Anthony and Amy are about to get married. He's, a macho firefighter, wants to fulfill his fantasy of sharing his lovely lawyer girlfriend with another woman before the nuptials. What?! The tables turn! We are seeing stereotypical "straight" males! Well, wait! She wants him to do the same and sleep with a guy! This is a sitcomish, romantic comedy and is somewhat charming. It pushes some buttons and has a good-looking cast it's just that it could've been a bit better. The issue of homophobia is handled well and I give them credit.I'd recommend it...."

Somewhat likeable but par for the course...

Jon Rydin | Chicago, IL United States | 08/01/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Lane Janger wrote, directed, and starred in this half comedy/half-baked drama that tries just a little too hard to succeed.Janger plays Anthony, a cute NYC fireman who, a week before his impending nuptials to Amy (Joelle Carter), gets her to agree to fulfill his fantasy about having a threesome with another woman. She does, but with a turn-the-tables of her own -- she agrees to it only if Anthony does the same with the sweet and puppyish Victor (Guillermo Diaz), who has a crush on Anthony.Sounds fun, yes? Well... for awhile, at least, it is. Anthony and his fire buds (including the dreamy David Lee Russek) take Victor to a gay bar on their "date", and his buddies end up having a surprisingly great time. In the meantime, Amy is testing the waters with Michelle (Jennifer Esposito), the sexy lesbian across the street. A romping good time so far. Unfortunately, the second half of the film gets weighed down in boring, cliche-ridden emotions... and that takes away from the films' appeal.The cast is sexy, it delivers some laughs, and handles the issue of homophobia quite nicely... but the film would have been better if it would have played up the light-heartedness, and downplayed the sap.The DVD features an originally good interactive menu with the standard extras."

Very cute if very predictable....

Todd C. Spears | Valley Village, CA United States | 06/28/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Just One Time" is a very cute movie - even if it tries too hard to please everyone. Unlike a large part of recent gay cinema with downbeat endings, this film plays to the part of the audience that longs for the happy ending. And I freely admit that I am one of those people. My only real problem was that the movie tried so hard to please that it left most of the tension out of the ending. All the characters are fairly likeable, and the acting is fairly good as well (if a tad over the top at times). If you're looking for a cute date movie that doesn't try to be great cinema this is a good choice."