Defying Gravity (1997)

good back-story, and good acting

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Blistering performances.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I can't believe it's been almost 20 years since I saw this film (from a Super 16 print) in a dingy little San Francisco theater. It only played for a week and I went to see it again almost every night. No, it's not "Star Wars" but at that time gay cinema was dominated by depressing AIDS-related tragedies and horrible stereotypical gay caricatures. "Defying Gravity" was one of the first full length films to show us a fairly ordinary guy who just happens to like other guys. Candidly, I was always put off by the gay bashing plot point, but I'll cut the writer some slack for needing an strong dramatic element to move the characters from point A to B. Sadly, only a short time after this film was released the real life Matthew Shepard murder occurred. I know it's easy to find fault with these low budget affairs that have to be shot in two weeks with no rehearsal and no more than two takes. But if you know anything about film making, you really have to respect the entire cast and crew for pulling off anything remotely entertaining under these conditions. It's a shame Daniel Chilson didn't make any more films after this. He created a character that was immediately likable. I just saw a big budget gay film this weekend where I didn't care about any of the main characters, even after 90 minutes.

Even with all the flaws, this has always been one of my favorite movies. I've had it since it first came out on DVD and its one I always enjoy watching.A lot has been written about the acting, production flaws, etc.. especially Daniel Chilson's performance (more later). I have to ask, what was the director doing, or the camera person, or the editor, or writer, etc...? It seems to me much of this stuff could have been taken care of at some point. But I get it, the film was low budget, a quick shoot, and some of the support personnel were green as well as many of the actors. I didn't find the flaws much of a distraction to the story as some did. I thought the storyline was absolutely real and believable. Many of us have lived it. And maybe you have to live it to really understand the pressures of a stifling group of hetero peers where any hint of anything less than straight can lead to getting ostracized. I thought Chilson knocked out it of the park. And he did it with his facial expressions. Of all the times I've seen straight actors play gay, this has to be one of the best. Watching Griff's face light up when he sees Pete in the library, the sincerity and love in his face during the hospital scenes, and the scene after the credits, wow, it all looked real to me. And the guy was actually shaking with anxiety when he sat down for the first time in a gay coffeehouse. I remember that happening to me. I'm glad they didn't try to gay up any of the main characters for a change. Many of us are the stereotypical male and we don't have split personalities depending on who we are with.I thought Seabass Diamond did a great job too. Man, I've met that "character" a couple times in real life.Don Handfield was also excellent. He really played the part well, and I bought into Pete's affection for Griff. The only character I had a real problem with was Todd toward the end (and not because of Lange's acting). The scene in the frat house when Griff was moving out and Todd said "I want to go with you!" was a bit strange to me. I know they developed him as a bit more progressive than the average frat rat. I understand the love and loyalty between two best buds, the deep concern Todd had as his best friend was unraveling, even Todd's complete acceptance of Griff's sexuality (possibly made easier since he wasn't the object of Griff's affection), and finally Todd's realization their friendship has changed forever. But the guy is a frat rat with a beautiful girl he wants to marry. Move in with two gay guys in a relationship? Maybe I took it too literally or I'm a product of my generation, but I couldn't get that.My favorite line: When Griff introduces himself to Pete's roommate while picking up some of Pete's clothes for the hospital, and she interrupts "I know who you are". You know she's thinking I not only know who you are, but I REALLY know who you are. Overall I thought it was a great coming out flick for its time and (as others have noted) possibly made more believable and honest because of the flaws, young and green actors, and the green supporting crew. One thing I haven't seen many comments on was the racial aspect of the film, which I thought was (intentionally or unintentionally) quite glaring. There was Doogie's outburst in class. Then Griff didn't want his frat bro's to see him talking to Denetra at a time when neither was suspected of being anything other than straight. Why? And how was it Griff and Denetra had no contact for almost a year, which became clearly evident at the end? Did Griff and Pete, even as a gay couple, settle back into their affluent all white college life?

When I saw this film the first time I had an uncontrollable urge to smile to myself and go "agghhh" rather like granny when she looks at a particularly embarrassing baby photo of me. The film has many flaws but I watch it over and over again. The plot is well developed although quite predictable as it progresses. This is however not a thriller. There is some quite good acting from Nicklaus Lange and Don Handfield. Daniel Chilson looks right for the part and tries his best. He is however on a few occasions fairly wooden and ill at ease. I can well understand that his film acting experience had been (still is?) a little low level. The film is professionally produced with good production values.The script was OK. It dealt with plot development well but some of the dialogue was appalling. Do intelligent people talk this way in America? Some of the characters were ghastly stereotypes of gay people. The camp pink shirted activist was I think cast for effect but he made my toes curl! I know these are flaws but don't let that put you off. This is a "feel good" film and rather made me think of "Beautiful Thing" (time shifted slightly and moved to America). I recommend it to all

Sometimes you just have to forgive all the faults and glitches and go with the flow. I liked this film in spite of its low-budget feel and empty moments, because there is a difference between profound emotion and cheap sentiment, and the script of Defying Gravity reflects the former. In spades.Another pitfall avoided by this writer and director is that of going over the top in caricaturing his leads or allowing the story to become preposterous. The parts dealing with college fraternity life are spot on, including subtexts. (I know this for a fact.) If anything, the more extreme moments of drama are underplayed rather than the opposite. So there is a little political correctness involved -- so what? The moment that Griff turns to Todd on that mountaintop and confesses his feelings for Pete, everything of lesser import in this story vanishes. What remains a mystery is how an actor like Daniel Chilson who shows such promise in this role did not go on to much greater accomplishment.The heart and soul of any straightforward love story is its reflection of the highest and best motivation humanly possible as regards one person's feelings for another. Everything base and immoral is swept aside in a tide of total devotion and deep introspection, hence the notion of defying gravity. I do not know whether this film was made for television or general release. I wish I had stumbled across it sooner. It is a simple, unsophisticated, unpretentious gem.