The 10 Year Plan

Modest and nice. This can be the fair definition of this film who , not very impressive or inspired, has the gift to not be boring.

It is very strange to see as virtue the absence of originality of a film. But, in this case, just works in beautiful way. A story of friendship and a plan reminding old fashion romances. Romance as embroidery of a lot of cliches, dialogues and situations more than familiar and a sort of spring air. Inspired and, in few scenes, less inspired dialogues, fine humor and just fair turns.

One of films, very easy, very comfortable, perfect after a tough day. Its real good point - Michael Rothhaar as the neighbor.

Bad acting, cheesy clichés, stilted dialogue, beautiful male eye candy. It's a pretty mediocre film, but I watched it to the end because it was nice just watching hot guys mooning over each other. Of course, they had the chemistry of, well, two C-grade actors that had just met, but whatchya gonna do?

I found the predictability of the plot enjoyable and the actors fun to watch.

Of particular note, the protagonist's portrayal as an obsessive compulsive romantic felt authentic (even though hyperbolicly acted) as a type of person seeking love something I could connect with. The movie didn't try to change that part of the main character even while it showed pit falls that the anxious style of attachment commonly develops.

The main characters being super cute helps a lot for the enjoyment of this movie and all in all, I found it to be a completely enjoyable "alone on a Friday night with a bottle of red wine" sort of movie.

So two best friends scribble down a contract on a napkin that states that should they both be single in ten years, they are to marry each other. One of the pair, "Myles" (Jack Turner) is a successful lawyer, but also more of a loving and romantic sort of lad who always ends up getting dumped. When that happens, he habitually meets up with his pal "Brady" (Michael Adam Hamilton). He is a much more confident guy, a cop, who picks up men effortlessly but who isn't remotely into anything longer-term than fifteen minutes. Both are out, proud and accepted by their friends and at work where just about everyone else thinks that they are really made for each other, but can't see the wood for the trees. Then "Myles" meets "Hunter" (Adam Bucci) with whom he feels a connection, only for his pal to meet him too, and... This whole film is cheesy and predictable but the two lead efforts are quite engaging and it's the sheer (albeit optimistic) normalcy of the film that makes it a bit different. Nobody cares that they are gay, indeed the dynamic between "Brady" and his partner "Richard" (Moronai Kanekoa) delivers some quite pithy patrol-car banter as the former's sexual successes are frequently the topic of conversation whilst his pal fares less well with the ladies. It's quite a fun look at the shallowness of gay lifestyles, and in that it can be a little lazily stereotypical, but it's still quite watchable as the conclusion looms ever larger without the merest hint of doubt!

The 10 Year Plan has some of the plot premise of the great MGM musical It's Always Fair Weather. That was the one where the 3 army buddies agree to meet at a Manhattan bar in 10 years to see if their plans for the future have worked out. In this film two roommates make a bargain that in 10 years time if the romantic Jack Turner hasn't found the man of his romantic dreams he and roommate Michael Adam Hamilton will take their roommate status to a different level.

With the marriage decision a film like The 10 Year Plan could be made with the ultimate goal of romance the ultimate commitment of marriage for a same sex couple. These two roommates have differing views however. Jack Turner is an incurable romantic waiting for that perfect Mr. Right to wine, dine, and romance him into a happily ever after ending. Michael Adam Hamilton believes in Mr. Right Now, he's got a lot of wild hedonistic oats to sow.

I think you can see where this is going. One unexpected bonus was the fact that Hamilton is a cop, completely out and with a partner Moronai Kanekoa who is also quite hetero and completely comfortable with it. Imagine that, things are indeed changing despite whatever roadblocks the religious right throws our way. I found that aspect of the film more interesting than the main plot.

Nothing terribly special about the film itself. But the making of it is terribly profound.