+ Best TV Movie of the Year + Best San Francisco Title of the Year
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| The neat, very California-colored poster for Andrew Haigh's Looking: The Movie |
Looking: The Movie is the TV movie conclusion to the great HBO Looking TV-series in two seasons, created by great filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend (2011)) and Michael Lannan (Looking (2014-15), writer). They have co-written the script, and Haigh has directed it.
Patrick returns to San Francisco after a 9-month relocation to Denver, near his birthplace, for the wedding of Augustín and Eddie, catching up with old friends and lovers and contemplating where his future ought to be.
Jonathan Groff (Frozen (2013)) is back as our sensitive, recognizable protagonist Patrick, surrounded by lovely friends Dom (Murray Bartlett (Stubborn (2015))), Doris (Lauren Weedman (Rainbow Time (2016))) and Augustín (Frankie J. Alvarez (Madam Secretary (2015), TV-series)), - the latter probably being the one who has changed the most in the course of Looking.
Also reappearing are Russell Tovey (The Night Manager (2016), TV miniseries), who makes an emotional and touching return as Kevin, and hunky Raúl Castillo (Sweets (2015)), very well-acting and sweet as Richie once again. Tyne Daly (Judging Amy (1999-05)) makes a welcome appearance as a Justice of the Peace; Chris Perfetti (The Night Of (2016), TV miniseries) is good as the unbearable Brady, and Daniel Franzese (Killer Pad (2008)) is charming as Eddie.
Looking: The Movie focuses on tying up all of its stories in a nice way and showing us the directions that they might be heading from here. The coming-back-home-and-meeting-everyone-once-more premise works well in this respect, but it doesn't make the TV movie conclusion stand out as the most innovative in Looking's history. - Nearly no new characters are introduced.
What we do get is more of our beloved 'friends' and a central focus on Patrick, which comes to an appropriately melodramatic highpoint, which I rather enjoyed.
I am still sad and disappointed - mainly aimed at the public for its lack of interest - that Looking got canceled and ends like this. I think it could definitely have lasted several more great seasons on TV, and this bitterness can't stay completely out of my review here.
But damn it if the movie doesn't try its best. It's warm, enthusiastically acted, uplifting and optimistic, a rare piece of contemporary drama and a soft present the LGBT community and the rest of the world should have embraced more during its TV run.
Related posts:
Andrew Haigh: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess
Looking - season 2 (2015) - Patrick, Dom, Augustín and Co. reach the height of their potential
Looking - season 1 (2014) - Look for something real with your new Frisco friends
2011 in films - according to Film Excess
Weekend (2011) or, The Nottingham Romance Blues
Watch a trailer for the movie here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: None - TV movie
= Unknown
[Looking: The Movie premiered June 2 (Frameline FIlm Festival) and runs 85 minutes. It was shot in San Francisco. At the July TV premiere on HBO, the ratings were 0.28 mil. North Americans, which is very far from impressive, - however, many have shifted to streaming now, which is unaccounted for here and may well counted be in the millions. Looking: The Movie is fresh at 87 % with a 6.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Looking: The Movie?
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