Straight Up (2019) Movie Review
Straight Up bills itself as a romantic comedy drama with a twist. That is certainly one way to describe it. This fast talking rom-com follows the story of Todd (James Sweeney), a young man with OCD who is struggling to navigate his sexual identity. He meets with his therapist to talk through his issues, many of which he creates for himself. Todd’s friends, Ryder (James Scully) and Meg (Dana Drori), certainly think that Todd is certifiably gay. Todd’s main issue with being gay seems to be his aversion to bodily fluids and things being inserted into certain holes.
One day his world is flipped upside down when he meets a young actress named Rory (Katie Findlay) at the library and they become friends that morph into something else. Rory and Todd are so compatible it’s insane. Their witty banter is capable of giving you whiplash if you’re not prepared. Gilmore Girls is mentioned early on in reference to Rory’s name and it’s an appropriate reference because this screenplay is incredibly reminiscent of the early 2000’s television show. A lot of credit should go to Sweeney and Findlay for keeping up a rapid fire pace. This is one movie where I would love to see the bloopers because I’m betting there were a lot of them. No one can nail that pacing without making an enormous amount of errors.
Despite Todd and Rory’s obvious compatibility, there is one thing their relationship is missing and that’s sex. It’s something that Todd seems perfectly happy living without and initially so does Rory. But that lack creeps up on them and causes issues. It reminded me of a quote from The Holiday when Cameron Diaz and Jude Law are discussing relationships and say, “Sex makes everything complicated. Even not having it, because the not having it makes it complicated.”
At first I thought Straight Up was going to veer into an interesting conversation about asexuality, but when Rory begins to push back on wanting to be in a sexual relationship, we divert back to Todd’s sexual identity as a gay man. What makes Straight Up charming is the screenplay and the friendly (and at times angry) banter between Todd and Rory. They have the “finish each other’s sentences” type of chemistry. It’s basically like they share a brain. This rapid fire dialogue heavy movie won’t be for everyone. I can see how it would be annoying to listen to their constant back and forth. But if you can stomach the pacing and constant talking, Straight Up examines some interesting themes about relationships, sexual identity, and friendship.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like Gilmore Girls
2. You’re interested in exploring sexual identities
3. You like witty banter
