Produced by former Columbia head Dawn Steel’s new company (Atlas Entertainment) for Turner Pictures, Angus is heartwarming film about a young man trying his best to make sense of his angst-ridden teenage life.
A philosopher, dreamer and football player, Angus Bethune has an unconventional family life, his father Ivan (George C. Scott) is gay, and his mother Meg (Kathy Bates) is a lesbian.
Angus (played by newcomer Charles M. Talbott with a certain charm) is not alone in the world, as it might seem. He socializes with a quirky but unflinchingly loyal friend Rick (James Van Der Beek), and builds a hopeless crush on the prettiest girl in school.
As written by Jill Gordon, “Angus” could have been far more engaging, considering its unusual family set, one that’s relatively new in American films that right now are saturated with dysfunctional families of all kinds. But Patrick Read Johnson’s direction is pedestrian and too obvious for such offbeat material. A good cast, headed by two Oscar-winners (Scott and Bates), makes the film more enjoyable than it has the right to be.
Credits
New Line Cinema
Running Time: 98 minutes
Director: Patrick Read Johnson
Producers: Dawn Steel, Charles Roven
Screenplay: Jill Gordon
Camera: Alexander Grusynski
Editing Janice Hampton
Costumes: Jill Ohanneson
Music: David Russo
Production Design: Larry Miller
Cast:
Angus (Charlie Talbert)
Ivan (George C. Scott)
Meg (Kathy Bates)
Rick (James Van Der Beek)
If you want to know more about gay cinema, please read my book:
Gay Directors, Gay Films? By Emanuel Levy (Columbia University Press)
