Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) has a problem: his gangster brother-in-law, Carmine (Jerry Stiller), has put a hit out on him and there's nowhere in the city to hide except The Ritz, a bathhouse for gay men. But Guy's problems are just beginning. Googie (Rita Moreno), an aspiring starlet, thinks he's a big-shot producer there to see her act. Claude (Paul B. Price) thinks Guy is the love of his life. Detective Michael Brick (Treat Williams) is a honeypot, paid for by Carmine to catch Guy in a compromising position that would allow Carmine a legal defense for murder. And Chris (F. Murray Abraham) is just a guy trying to have a good time caught in the middle of all this nonsense.
I do not associate F. Murray Abraham with comedic roles and that is a damn shame because he is hilarious. He is so camp and so over-the-top and it is an absolutely joyous thing.
I am honestly shocked this movie seems to have fallen through the cracks. It should be up there with The Birdcage and To Wong Foo as gay classics. It is only available to rent or digitally buy (which you shouldn't do) from Amazon. A print copy will run you about $50. I got it on disc from Netflix and you don't know how tempted I was to just steal it. It's worth the rental, at the very least. And if enough of you show interest, maybe the price will come down?
Oh! There's also a brief cameo by John Ratzenberger in his film debut.
No comments:
Post a Comment