Gypsy 83
Tags: gothic

Plot synopsis:
25-year-old Gypsy Vale (Sara Rue) and 18-year-old Clive Webb (Kett Turton) are two goths living in Sandusky, Ohio. Gypsy's parents, Ray (John Doe) and Velvet Marlene Wallace, once were in a band together, and Gypsy now aspires to be a famous singer, like her idol, Stevie Nicks. She is hesitant, because of the disappearance of her mother, to leave her father alone in Sandusky to pursue her dreams.
While checking updates on a Stevie Nicks fansite, Clive discovers the Night of a Thousand Stevies event in New York. After a long and heated discussion with Gypsy, her father reveals that her mother didn't just disappear, or die: she left to follow her dream of becoming a famous singer. Despite this, Clive finally convinces Gypsy to go to New York.
Along the way, Gypsy and Clive encounter a diverse host of characters and obstacles. They pick up a hitchhiker named Zechariah, who claims he is running away from the Amish life. Together, the three decide to stop and spend the night at a rest stop. While there, Clive expresses his attraction for Zechariah, but Zechariah says that he's attracted to Gypsy. Clive is embarrassed and runs away. Gypsy is surprised and flattered and as a result, she and Zechariah end up sleeping together. Afterward, Zechariah says that he's made a mistake and needs to return home. Enraged, Gypsy throws him out of the bathroom where she is staying at the rest stop. Meanwhile, Clive is accosted in secret by Troy, who's also spending the night at the rest stop with his fraternity brothers, and the two have a sexual encounter. The next morning, while Gypsy and Clive are trying to console each other and make sense out of the events of the previous night, the two are egged and mocked by the fraternity brothers as they leave the rest area while Troy sits silently.
They miss the auditions for the Night of a Thousand Stevies, and Gypsy learns that her mother committed suicide four years earlier. The sympathetic Mistress of Ceremonies, also her mother's best friend when she was in New York, allows Gypsy to perform a song she wrote for her mother at the end of the show.
In the end, Gypsy stays in New York to pursue her musical aspirations like her mother, and Clive returns to Sandusky to finish high school but plans to come back to New York after he graduates.

Review: Gypsy (Sara Rue) is a 20-something girl working a dead-end job in an Ohio suburb, where she lives with her clueless but loving father (John Doe, of seminal punk band X).
Her best friend, Clive (Kett Turton), is a creative gothy teen in the process of coming-out.
When they find out about NYC's "Night of 1,000 Stevies" they decide to put their lives on hold, skip town, and road-trip it so Gypsy can compete in the karaoke contest and maybe meet her musician mother.The trailer for this movie was lame, and I'll admit I only rented it because I'm a Stevie fan and I always wanted to check out Night of 1000 Stevies.
In fact, "Gypsy 83" ended up being the most original, heartfelt, and well-scripted coming-of-age movies since 1997's "All Over Me."The characterization is nothing short of brilliant.
The story revolves partly around their relationship, and it is an honest portrayal of a "straight-girl/gay-boy" relationship that goes beyond the sexist and homophobic notion of the "faghag." On their trip, they bump into a handful of colorful characters that are catalysts for the personal growth of the leads.
Gypsy's tough-as-nails comebacks ("try being a freak in the real world, you catty c*nts!" to a bunch of gay goth boys in NYC) make her an admirable character that is easy to root for.
But this is forgiven as it is a set-up for two very sensitive and well-written scenes.Music is also a key element used to illustrate Gypsy's coming-of-age.
We later learn that Gypsy's mother, Velvet, taught her to play and sing Stevie Nicks songs when she was a little girl.
Likely due to copyright issues, all we get are remixes and karaoke renditions of "Talk to Me." There are classic songs by The Cure, a sexy siren song sung by Karen Black, and an achingly gorgeous original by Sara Rue (who rather sounds like a young Stevie but has a voice all her own).Like the equally brilliant "All Over Me" before it, the lead characters face brutal situations, as well as amazingly happy situations.
While not as bleak as that movie, "Gypsy 83" is a beautiful film about accepting and loving yourself and coming to terms with tragic events from your past.
The acting is in top form, all the actors did a wonderful job bringing a realness to their character.I feel Stevie's management made a big mistake by not allowing ANY of her songs in the film.
It would've added a little bit more to this otherwise perfect tale.I bought the DVD yesterday and watched the extra features, I especially loved the "Battle of the Stevies" (although, there is no audio), it brought back memories when I went to "The Night of 1000 Stevies" several years ago.
It's sort of a coming-of-age film which covers love, loss and sexuality.
I recommend watching the deleted scenes as they showcase more of Clive's back-story and Kett's acting skills.
I could relate with their behavior in their situation, unlike a lot of young-adult characters, they didn't make decisions ridiculous and stupid enough to make me hate them (the actions of teens in main-stream films such as How To Deal and the likes are so stupid they anger me if I am ever forced to watch them).
This is a road movie that traces the emotional growth of two unlikely best friends: A brazen and outspoken girl in her early 20's who calls herself "Gypsy 83" and her just-about-to come-out-of-the-closet male best friend named Clive, as they travel from Sandusky, Ohio to New York City to attend the NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STEVIES competition---a showcase dedicated to obsessed fans of musical superstar Stevie Nicks.
The first thirty minutes of the film are deceptively low-key, and then, just as you're ready to predict the rest of the plot, Karen Black arrives as a washed-up Karaoke lounge lizard, and---WHAM!---we're off in a different direction.
By the time that Gypsy and Clive pick-up an Amish hitchhiker in Pennsylvania, who's running away from home, and who may or may not be gay, you know you're in a for quite a treat.
And when Gypsy and Clive finally do arrive in NYC, the last 40 minutes or so of the film are so relevatory, so heart-warming, and so well-acted...
GYPSY 83 is a film for goth audiences, for male and female audiences of all ages, for gay and straight audiences, and for anyone who's ever been a fan of 70's music..
We get to watch the young people in this film go for their dreams, then the disappointment they have to live with when their dreams hit a bump in the road of life.
I still enjoy it to this day, though I am a bit long in the tooth for vinyl and leather.Having made those disclaimers, I encourage anyone who takes a look at this in a video store but isn't sure that it is good, to pick it up, take it home, and get an excellent look at what it means to be young and outcast in a community that just doesn't understand you, nor cares to try.
This film is a very strong and unforgiving look at the lives of two very realistic characters and their attempts to find somewhere they can be happy.It is wonderfully acted by Sara Rue (whom I never saw as a dramatic actress or solid romantic lead until this film) with strong performances from John Doe and Kett Turton.
I haven't seen the majority of his body of work, I will make a concerted effort now to do so.There is a lot of commenting on Sara's appearance in this film.
She has the talent and skill to carry off most any role, and it is past time that members of the entertainment industry recognize that a woman with more than the optimum weight can still be quite appealing to the eye.I don't know if the director, Mr Stepens, intends to continue making films, but I do hope he continues.
It is not going to change the way LA or New York do business, but whoever said those are the only places for movies to come from..
Sara Rue and Kett Turton--with a little help from Karen Black, John Doe, and Anson Scoville ( as the sexiest Amish man since Harrison Ford)--make being different ( Goth, fat, gay, whatever)seem like redemption.A little road picture becomes, with good writing, direction, and superb performances, a modern-day Canterbury Tales, where the "Night of a 1000 Stevies" is as important a destination as St Thomas Becket's grave.The journey is itself the important part of the story, and each character that Gypsy ( Rue) and Clive (Turton) meet helps to change them as they, in turn, alter the lives of those they meet.Do not expect true love and happy endings because like all journeys of self discovery, nothing is perfect and believing, opposite from the adage, is finally seeing.Rent this DVD; see this movie.
EDGE OF SEVENTEEN was far from being just another teen movie, just another GAY teen movie; so GYPSY 83, too, is far from being another coming of age film.
I think it says that we are all essential: frat boys, rednecks, broken-down karaoke singers, Stevie Nicks impersonators, fat girls, hunky Amish farmers, Mary Kay sales queens, and Foto Hut booth girls.Sandusky, Ohio IS Oz. Todd Stephens knows it.Oh, and don't miss Karen Black's incredible sultry jazz singing.
Don't listen to that naysayer above, she obviously has no taste.If you want to see a great film that has gay themes, coming of age themes, Goth themes, or are a fan of the great Stevie Nicks, then this is a terrific movie to see.While there are two scenes of "sex" it's nothing more than you would see if you watched Desperate Housewives.Karen Black, heroine of the great 70's disaster films, also has a small role in the film, in which she's superb.
And referring to people as "fat" girls is utterly rude.Now as for the movie...I actually liked this one quite a bit.
While this may not be the best movie on the planet, it's always just a good watch..
First of all - I come from Poland and English language isn't my common language (so I'm sorry for all my grammar mistakes).I just watched this movie because my favourite actress Sara Rue plays in it.
I fell in love with this movie and with both main characters (Gypsy and Clive) - they are so amazing!
You will really like charming Clive.You don't need gigantic budget, tons of props and radical scenario for making a really good movie.I recommend this movie especially for all young rock and goth people!.
I even remember when they were inviting extras to come to New York City to be in the club for filming (of course I couldn't go at the time).
I was bummed that they couldn't get the rights to use Stevie's music for this movie...I think that would have made a slight difference.
I think the two main characters tho, Gypsy and Clive, gave a really good performance in this.
When the lead character, 18-year-old goth boy Clive, comments that he doesn't identify with gay people because he could care less about Judy Garland and Stonewall--ouch!
We were the guys who took the lumps so that kids like Clive could say exactly that--that Stonewall is irrelevant to THEIR gay lives.Nevertheless, I liked this movie; it's a companion piece to the director's excellent Edge of Seventeen.
I love Gypsy83, I told my friend about this movie and she wanted to see it right then..
I especially loved Kett Turton's role, because he made the character come alive so well, and even though he played a gay part, I could still relate to what he was feeling and going through.
All the things the characters go through really happens to young people (in a sense), and can be felt so well through their roles in the movie.
And even if you don't like the idea of goths you'll still love this movie because it's just a couple of teenage kids going out in search of their dreams.
They are real and genuine but still likable enough that they seem to become your friends through the course of watching the movie.
The scenarios depicted could actually happen but I was still just as surprised as the characters were to watch the plot unfold.
This is the first "Goth" movie I have ever seen that has accurately portrayed the culture and one that I could actually identify with.
"Gypsy 83" is the story of two goths: a gorgeous gay guy and a stunning bbw (big beautiful woman) who are best friends.
Stuck in a small US town, they try to make their lives less boring: Gypsy by singing with her dad's band and Clive through photography.
Two misfits from modern-day Ohio (25-year old Gypsy, who longs to be a songwriter but works at the Foto Hut, and Clive, only 18 but into Goth bands and Edward Scissorhands outfits) drive to New York City to find fame in the entertainment world.
Flimsy, low-budget movie built on the perception that audiences will be able to identify with these kids but, as played by Sara Rue and Kett Turton, they are twin terribles, selfish people who take a journey of self-discovery, only to realize they are indeed selfish.
The sloppy continuity and sketchy narrative aside, the movie tries to work in romantic complications and character-driven matters of the heart, but Rue (who looks like she's scowling even when she's smiling) approaches every scene the same way, with abject impatience.
Turton, playing gay, continually rolls his eyes and fingers his black lips, but there's no reason these two would be friends--they don't even like the same type of music.
Karen Black gives it a momentary boost with an interesting supporting bit (and we get just enough of her before director Todd Stephens moves on), but even for a fluffball comedy-drama, "Gypsy 83" is full of problems--not the least of which is the fact Rue's character adores Stevie Nicks, yet the only song she seems to know is "Talk to Me", which Nicks did not write.
I have always like Stevie Nicks because my Dad listened to FleetWood Mac a lot when I was growing up.I also liked The Cure when I was a little kid in the 80's.The score, or whatever you want to call it for this movie was really good.
The piano music at the beginning of the DVD is what first caught my attention.Now, call me "old fashion" if you want, but I could have lived with out the sex scenes, but other than that, this movie was surprisingly good.I wonder why it didn't come out on DVD earlier?
As previously commented, beware of a rather disturbing and drawn out sex scene during the film, you may want to fast forward.
Definitely could have gone through my life without seeing THAT!I also expected Stevie Nicks music given the main character's obsession with the artist and the fact that they were on their way to a Night of 1000 Stevies.
This was a movie I watched only because I was curious how to pull of a goth road film.
Nothing in the description beyond that appealed to me (I am a particular fan of road films).On paper, this movie should have been irksome beginning to end.
Heavily sentimental at times, Stevie Nicks obsessed girl with gay goth friend struggling with sexuality on their way to New York City...this is just not my world.
Largely on the strength of the alienation theme, but also, I have to say, in the way these actors nailed the parts, well...I mean to say, I really liked this movie.
I will probably watch it again.In The Razor's Edge (Bill Murray version), there is an excellent line I have never forgotten, which is, "It's easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain," and somehow this film has makes an equally quotable counterpoint when Gypsy says, "Try being a freak in the real world" to a bunch of mocking, catty, obnoxious goths.Anyway, uncle.
I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good coming-out movie, or just one of the better gay subject matter films of the past few years.
Mainly because they were free of cliché or being contrived.See or rent the film if you like Sara Rue, stories of young gay men, or the Goth subculture..
There is a love scene between Gypsy (Sara Rue) and a very a handsome fella named Zachariah(a rebel Amish).
Also a gay love scene between Clyde(Gypsy's best friend) and Troy(typical frat guy in denial.
In fact, the sex itself portrays the characters vulnerability and desire more so than anything.But this film was so much more than the love scenes.
I'm a sucker for a good coming of age tale that truthfully and poignantly describes: What it's like to face the realization of your own identity and the unfair twists in life.Sara Rue does her own singing and her voice is splendid!
10 minutes in and I was already hooked.Gypsy 83 is one of the most original and amazing movies I've ever seen.
The trailer simply didn't do it justice, which proves that you should NEVER judge a movie by it's trailer.Gypsy 83 is basically a story about two good friends, Gypsy and Clive, and their friendship.
The chemistry between them is amazing and it feels like they really are the characters they're playing.
They show great enthusiasm and they're actually doing they're best to portray the characters and they're doing it right.The plot of this movie is as original as it gets, and it's a heartwarming, but predictable (in a good way) plot.
It's not a very fast movie in the beginning and while that is a good thing to me, some people may find it hard to catch interest to the story.
I am so in love with Gypsy and Clive!
Like c'mon any movie should involve characters to form a friendship among each other.
Because it was that show that made me a fan after seeing her on screen elsewhere since she was a kid, yet I'm a straight man so I normally don't have any interest in gay cinema, but I don't mind independent films even if I don't get the chance to see as many as I'd like, just as I do with every other movie.Gypsy Vale(Sara Rue) is a 25-year-old fat goth girl who works in a Foto-Mat in Sandusky, Ohio, who's dreams of being the next Stevie Nicks have been put on hold.
Her only friend is Clive Webb(Kett Turton), another goth boy who's still in high school and is "Queer with a capital Q." Through the web they learn that a Stevie Nicks-themed karaoke contest is being held in New York City.
The backdrop of New York City, which includes the World Trade Center still standing as if nothing was going to happen to it at the end of the summer should be a clue to this, as should the fact that Rue has lost a lot of weight since then.All I'm going to say is that you won't find a happy ending, but Rue does bring down the house, and the movie with her performance of "Voice So Sweet"(or something like that), which is the only original song.
The main thing that is missing is the character development upon which to hang the rest of the movie's plot.
Big mistake - the film needs those scenes most importantly for the Clive character to fully develop.And about the time period thing again, the use of the Internet in the movie suggests to me that these characters would not have felt as disconnected as they seem to feel.
These two characters are looking for a way to fit in and to that extent I think the story rings a little hollow for many members of the Goth subculture.