I Think I Do (1997, Sloan)
July 8th 2010 02:44
I Think I Do (1997, Sloan)
Written July 7, 2010
I Think I Do is another film I’m re-watching in an attempt to see if it holds up over the years. Like many of these films, it falls into the 90’s gay independent film genre. We begin on Halloween night in Washington D.C. and follow a group of college friends, two of which are best friends Bob (Alexis Arquette) and Brendan (Christian Mealen). Bob is gay and from one look of lust we know he is crazy about Brendan. Brendan is seemingly straight yet when rough housing a moment of electricity occurs but Brendan walks away before anything can begin. Cut to Bob and Brendan arriving at a Christmas party, the tension between them evident, expressed in the form of bickering. This escalates to another scuffle which turns violent and concludes with Brendan sleeping with Sarah (one of the individuals in the group of friends who has lusted for him for quite some time). The action then jumps to a few years later as everyone gathers for long-time couple Carol (Lauren Velez) and Matt’s (Jamie Harrold) wedding. In true 90’s Indie film fashion, we are greeted to title cards with sentences such as ‘happy fucking Valentine’s Day’.
Bob now has a boyfriend (who wants to them to get married) and a thriving career. Naturally, his life is thrown into turmoil when Brendan shows up to the wedding festivities and seems to be flirting with him. Sarah, of course, is still lusting after Brendan. Bob’s reactions to Brendan’s shy smiles are hilarious and Arquette displays some great comedic timing.
The cast is for the most part strong, with Alexis Arquette in the lead, who was doing some great work in the late 80’s, early 90’s as well as Lauren Velez, best known for her roles in Oz and the original Broadway production of Rent.
The chemistry between the actors is organic, and even though we aren’t greeted to a lot of character development, the aspects of their personality unfold naturally and for the most part it’s as if we’re watching real friends onscreen rather than actors. Sadly, the actor who plays Brendan does suffer for some poor line delivery and off-timing but this is minimal, spaced out, and thus easy to overlook. On the other end of the spectrum, the scenes between Bob and his soap opera actor boyfriend Sterling are very comical.
I Think I Do works within the function of its genre and beyond; it’s enjoyable, fun, and cute. It’s also ahead of its time and refreshing in the gay marriage aspect. Unlike films nowadays which feel the need to infuse an agenda anytime gay marriage is mentioned, rather than it being something natural, films in the early 90s, such as The Wedding Banquet and I Think I Do never talk about the politics surrounding gay marriage; it just is. Currently, with the state of the U.S., it’s difficult to separate this now, particularly in the medium of film.
I was happily surprised when re-watching this film after at least a 10 year absence. It isn’t wooden or corny and the clichés of the romantic comedy genre actually work. And one cannot forget to mention usage of The Partridge Family songs as the main soundtrack; smile inducing and amusing. Within the framework of the plot and action, nothing feels terribly forced and you never once feel as though you’re enduring something tedious and full of monotony. In any romantic comedy, these are the goals and if you can avoid them, you win. Honestly, the best words to describe the film are “purely entertaining”; if you’re looking for something to satisfy and make you smile yet don’t require complete originality there are far worse ways you can spend 90 minutes. I’m proud to say I Think I Do remains a personal favorite of mine.
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