'Breakfast With Scot' opens Friday in Fort Lauderdale

 

Breakfast With Scot, a film about a gay couple (Ben Shenkman, left, and Tom Cavanagh) who take in a flamboyantly gay 11-year-old boy (Noah Bernett), opens Friday at Sunrise Cinemas Gateway 4 in Fort Lauderdale. The comedy was shown closing night at this year's Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and the audience enjoyed it very much.

Here's Miami Herald movie critic Rene Rodriguez's review from April 2008:

Heartwarming is the operative word in Breakfast with Scot, a crowd-pleasing comedy that makes up for its formulaic, sitcom-ready premise with likable performances and an inviting sense of humor.

Eric (Thomas Cavanagh), a closeted ex-hockey player turned sportscaster, and Sam (Ben Shenkman), a lawyer, lead a happy, low-key life as a gay couple. Then a convoluted series of events forces them to take in 11-year-old Scot (Noah Bernett), Sam's nephew, who is as flamboyantly gay as they are not.

Fond of show tunes, makeup and feather boas, Scots gargantuan wimpiness alarms the ex-jock Eric, who decides to help the kid butch up by teaching him to play hockey. Director Laurie Lynd keeps Breakfast with Scot from edging into after-school special territory by keeping the films focus on its characters and not the lessons theyre learning. The films none-too-subtle messages about homophobia and the importance of being true to oneself go down easier with the plentiful humor, which occasionally even ventures into gross-out territory.

Breakfast with Scot is notable for being the first film endorsed by a major sports league: The NHL allowed the filmmakers to use the Toronto Maple Leafs logos and jerseys, which caused a minor controversy among hockey fans last fall. But its hard to imagine even the staunchest jock grumbling about the decision once they see the way theyve been used here. Breakfast with Scot isnt much on originality, but it is sweet enough to overcome the most cynical skeptic.

Cast: Thomas Cavanagh, Ben Shenkman, Noah Bernett

Director: Laurie Lynd

Screenwriter: Sean Raycraft. Based on the novel by Michael Downing.

Producer: Paul Brown, Howard Rosenman

Vulgar language, adult themes. 98 minutes.