The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 29, 2000

DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001

Plot 411: A group of gay friends face the trials and tribulations of love and loss together.

Review: On the surface, this may sound . . . well, gay. But this movie ended up being so much more than I expected. Dennis (Timothy Olyphant) is at a point in his life where he needs more than just the occassional hook up. When he meets Kevin (Andrew Keegan), he thinks that maybe he can help this newly out-of-the-closet guy avoid the bitter and cynical world that he and his friends live in. On the other hand, Dennis' friend Cole (Dean Cain) is just fine with a new boyfriend every few weeks. In fact, Kevin was one of his flings. At the center of their world is Jack (John Mahoney), a restaurant owner and boss who has been in a steady relationship for years. He serves as sort of a role model for all relationships. Dennis, Cole and their friends all work at Jack's and bring their laughter, tears and heartbreaks there. I don't want to really get into details as far as the story arc is concerned, but there are tons of issues and themes that you'll be able to relate to whether you're gay or straight. This movie is a rarity in that it portrays homosexual men as regular people. None are stricken with AIDS. None are struggling too much with their identity. They're all just regular people living and working in this world and trying to find love and happiness. The movie really is a rom com, just not one cut like all the rest. This is what makes this movie great. Also in this film are Zach Braff, Matt McGrath, Ben Weber, Billy Porter, Nia Long, Mary McCormack and Justin Theroux.

Watch It: Because it's a slice outta life with real characters and dialogue that you can relate to. Plus, the guys are hot even if they are playing gay characters.

Skip It: If you're uncomfortable about gay scenes in general. Although there aren't any nude scenes that I can remember, there's a bunch of dude-on-dude kissing and people do end up in bed together.

She's The One

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: August 23, 1996

DVD Release Date: October 3, 2000

Plot 411: Two brothers face the ups and downs of love in New York City.

Review: Edward Burns is Mickey, a cab driver and the elder of two brothers whose life was turned upside down when his fiancee Heather (Cameron Diaz) cheated on him. Francis (Mike McGlone), Mickey's younger brother, is a successful, though very arrogant, stockbroker and constantly trying to prove his worth to Mickey. Drama unfolds when it's revealed that Francis is cheating on his wife Renee (Jennifer Aniston) and Mickey has married Hope (Maxine Bahns), a girl he picked up in his cab. As the plot developed, I found myself cracking up at the dry humor shared between the brothers and their father, played by John Mahoney. Mahoney constantly refers to his sons as girls in a way only a manly man of a father could do. Their blue-collar upbringing contrasts with Francis' superficial outlook on life. It was so blatant that I was confused for a while as to the time period of the film. I thought it might've been set in the '80s, but all the clothes were definitely from the '90s. I don't ever remember seeing this rom com in theaters and am not sure how successful it was in the box office, but I enjoyed many of the scenes specifically because of the dialogue. The blunt banter between characters made for some hearty laughs in a way that only New Yorkers could do it. All the actors were shockingly young looking. This was an eazy, breezy film to watch with some good laughs and nothing too heavy. Also featured in this film was an extremely young-looking Amanda Peet and Leslie Mann with her sexy-sounding voice.

Watch It: For a not-so-serious rom com starring actors that were up-and-coming at the time.

Skip It: If you really want to see these actors at their peeks. I gotta admit that some of the performances were kind of bad.