“I’m Not Gay: A Musical”

Directed by Scott L. Semer, “I’m Not Gay: A Musical” stars Sydney James Harcourt, Alan Mingo Jr., George Dvorsky, Gracie Bryant, Jahi Kearse, Adrienne Walker, Griffin Santopietro, Manuel Herrera, and Brad Bradley. The movie is about a compulsive MMA fighter who moves to Fire Island and pretends to be gay to buy the house of his dreams and exorcise his demons.

I was very interested to see this movie because it is newly released and was directed on Fire Island. Not many movies are filmed on Fire Island so that alone sets it apart and is exciting news – but is the flick any good? I am happy to report that “I’m Not Gay: A Musical” is very entertaining.

One of the best aspects is the way the movie was directed. This is Semer’s directorial debut, and he proves himself to be a very promising up and coming director. All the song and dance sequences are very well shot and impeccably choreographed. The way Semer uses colors to emphasize mood and to convey the character’s state of mind to the audience is interesting.

The movie also utilizes a lot of split screen techniques to show the viewer separate events that are happening at the same time. Even though I didn’t really think that this technique was particularly necessary, it reminded me of the way Brian De Palma directs his movies.

You can tell that this was a very personal film for Semer because almost every scene in the movie is filmed with a lot of love and dedication.

The movie is also very well acted. The two performances that stood out the most were Sydney James Harcourt and Gracie Bryant. I thought the two of them had a very believable father-daughter relationship, and I think that they had the best character arcs in the film.

It was also pretty cool to see Griffin Santopietro in this movie, especially since I am a massive fan of the show “Cobra-Kai” (2018) and the movie “Terrifier 2” (2022). Alan Mingo Jr. is very good as well. His character has a pretty important role in the film, and I thought he portrayed the character beautifully. Even though the film has its standouts, there is not a single bad performance here.  Not all performances are going to blow anyone away or stand the test of time but everyone did a great job with the material that they were given.

Although entertaining, I do not think “I’m Not Gay: A Musical” is a perfect film. My biggest issue with the movie is its story line. It’s an idea that has been done multiple times before and, in some cases, it has been done better.

The movie also has multiple themes to it, and because of that, some scenes lose momentum. If the themes had remained more focused it would have made for a stronger story. The film also has a very loud and abrasive musical score that dominated in almost every scene. I don’t really know why this score was utilized so much, but I think that it would have been way better off without it. Finally, the film feels very rushed. There really is not a lot of down time or moments where you can really connect with the characters.

Despite these issues this is still a very entertaining movie. “I’m Not Gay: A Musical” has its flaws and is hardly a cinematic masterpiece, but if you are a resident of Fire Island or are just looking to break out the popcorn and see what’s on Amazon Prime, it is a lot of fun and you will not be disappointed.