The coming-of-age drama “Geography Club” offers the familiarity of self-discovery and the search for identity, its gay teen characters embodying how difficult—and glorious—that time may be for those considered “different.”
Russell (Cameron Deane Stewart) and Kevin (Justin Deeley) are a pair of hunky, closeted gay boys who hit it off quickly, easily passing off as straight and blending in with the cool kids. Their secret is discovered by the Geography Club, actually a cover for a handful of misfit students, gay kids who meet and hang out for support.
“Geography Club,” according to those who read the book, has many details that are different from the source material. As its own entity, it’s a pretty simple, straightforward movie that, while not exactly consistent and solid, manages to transmit obligatory feelgood messages.
Russell comes off as a tangible guy, fearful but hopeful, and fresh-faced Stewart ably makes him interesting through most of the movie. The other characters, Kevin included, are developed, albeit not as much as the main protagonist, and understandably so.
The film, however, feels short and mainly uneventful—the gay discovery situations and their eventual empowerment resolutions are quite predictable, save for a few details like the unusually accepting parent characters, and one teen's decision not to pursue a life of openness.
2 comments:
Dang, I've been meaning to read this book. I didn't even know there was a movie adaptation!
Yeah, I actually just found out when I was researching for my review.
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