Product: Gods and Monsters (1998)
Rating: 4.0
Gods and Monsters, and Fathers and Sons
Anyone who rents this movie should put aside their homophobic fears; Don't pass this Oscar material film because of its sexual nature. Yes, there are quite a few scenes that may make the weak at heart flinch ! The real story or hidden message is not so much the gay attraction Whale has for Boone or the disgust Boone feels towards homosexuality. They both have a longing or yearning to have some type of normal male sibling companionship that they did not have with their own fathers ! Both characters had fathers who were tough and mentally abusive towards Boone and Whale. Boone's father thought he was a weak coward for being discharged from the marines while Whale's father ( and mother) ridiculed his talent for drawing and placed him in a factory to work at a young age. This is the common ground that both men share. Also, Boone gives Whale a mental jolt or flashback everytime Whale sees him of his days past as a young man (rejuvenation) while Whale (whether intentional or not) shows Boone how to be almost a gentleman and not a knuckledragger without class. However, the true (non-sexual) hidden agenda Whale has in mind for Boone and himself is a real exciting twister !The only downfall of the movie is that it is slow paced ( for some reason most Oscar material is; a thinking filmgoer's movie). Fraser deserves 5 stars for taking such a challenging role and losing the comical, big goofy guy role for a change. His young and fresh acting skills contrast with the other veteran actors for good intent and purpose to really add depth to the characters and story (his youthful persona contrasting with the seasoned and experienced). With all this said and including the top notch performances by all the actors this dvd version receives 4 stars ( bit of a slow movie, though).