Phillip J. Bartell Movies

The Eating Out series continues in the fifth installment of the popular gay comedy series. In preparation for their big trip to Palm Springs, Zack and Benji agree that they will both be free to date other men. But it all goes haywire when Zack has a run-in with his ex-boyfriend Casey, who in turn convinces his high school pal Peter to pose as his boyfriend. Before long, sexual tensions between Benji and Peter are at an all-time high, and Zack is starting to feel as if his relationship with Benji has run off the rails. Meanwhile, all Casey wants is a long-term partner. But with the sun shining and the six-packs glistening, it's hard to resist temptation during his wild beach vacation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man struggles to come to terms with the unexpected consequences of a secret love in this drama from director Javier Fuentes-León. Miguel (Cristian Mercado) supports himself and his family as a fisherman in a small town on the coast of Peru. Miguel is happily married to Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), who is pregnant with their first child, and the couple are well respected in their community and active in the local church. But there's a side of Miguel that he keeps hidden from most people -- Miguel is also in love with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), an artist who is spending time in the village, and the two have secretly been having an affair. Santiago drowns one evening while swimming, and his ghost visits Miguel, telling him that his spirit will not know peace until Miguel finds the courage to tell the community about their love. While some suspect Miguel is hiding something when nude paintings of him are found in Santiago's home, Miguel isn't sure where to find the courage to confess his bisexuality to his wife and neighbors. Undertow (aka Contracorriente) was an official selection in World Cinema program the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Audience Award for Best World Dramatic Feature. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The popular Logo series about the lives and loves of four gay African-American men gets the feature-film treatment with this road movie that finds longtime friends Noah, Alex, Ricky, and Chance traveling to Martha's Vineyard with their significant others for a weekend wedding retreat. Aspiring Los Angeles screenwriter Noah (Darryl Stephens) and his partner, Wade (Jensen Atwood), are about to be married in an intimate Martha's Vineyard ceremony, and to celebrate in style Noah has invited Alex (Rodney Chester), Ricky (Christian Vincent), and Chance (Douglas Spearman) to join the couple on a cross-country road trip from California to Massachusetts. However, the trip is far from the relaxing getaway that Noah had hoped for, because along the way secrets are revealed, hearts are bruised, and friendships are put to the ultimate test. Not only are Chance and Eddie beginning to feel the urge to scratch their seven-year itch, but playboy Ricky has a secret that's sure to rock everyone's world, and the appearance of a surprise visitor quickly threatens to overshadow the main event. Add a closeted rapper and a high-maintenance studio executive into the mix, and you've got the recipe for an endearing romantic comedy that's as poignant as it is hilarious. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and in this look at one of the most polarizing religious and sexual debates in America, filmmaker Robert Cary attempts to reconcile homosexuality with Christianity. Mark (Chad Allen) is a young gay man who has fallen into a dangerous cycle of hard drugs and risky sex. Recognizing that his sibling may not have the strength to pull himself back from the edge, Mark's brother checks him into the Genesis House Christian retreat in New Mexico -- a place far removed from the temptations of the big city. Genesis House is run by a deeply spiritual, middle-aged couple named Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted (Stephen Lang). After losing a battle with sin back when she was young, Gayle has dedicated her entire life to rescuing young homosexuals from their own inner demons. In order to help Mark through the process, Gayle assigns Scott (Robert Gant) -- one of the program's advanced "fifth phasers" -- as the newcomer's mentor. When Gayle notices that Mark and Scott's relationship is intensifying, she sees the development as a threat and fights back in order to prevent her carefully controlled world from falling apart. The spectre of damnation looming constantly over their shoulders, Mark and Scott are finally forced to confront the truth about their own true natures. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Love at first sight has some interesting repercussions a few months down the line in this offbeat romantic comedy. Ira Black (Chris Messina) is a wildly neurotic thirtysomething who can't get his life in gear -- the son of a pair of therapists, Arlene (Judith Light) and Seymour (Robert Klein), Ira still hasn't finished his grad school dissertation, he's been in therapy for 12 years, and can't bring himself to settle down with his longtime girlfriend Lea (Maddie Corman). When both Lea and his analyst inform Ira that they don't want to see him anymore, he decides he needs to make some changes. Ira joins a health club, where he meets Abby Willoughby (Jennifer Westfeldt), who is supposed to sell memberships to the gym but is much better at listening to people's problems. The two discover they have a strong and immediate rapport, and Ira asks Abby to marry him only a few hours later. Abby says yes, and soon the couple are wed. However, it isn't until after they've been married for a few weeks that Ira discovers Abby has been divorced twice already, and it makes him very uneasy about their relationship. Despite more therapy, Ira asks Abby for a divorce, and it sends shock waves through their families -- Arlene begins having an affair with Michael (Fred Willard), Abby's free-spirited father, while Seymour commiserates with Abby's mother Lynne (Frances Conroy), and eventually parents and children are all meeting together in group therapy for couples. Ira and Abby was written by leading lady Jennifer Westfeldt, who was also screenwriter and star for the independent hit Kissing Jessica Stein. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Curtis Hanson's adaptation of Jennifer Weiner's novel In Her Shoes stars Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz as a pair of very close but very different sisters. Free-wheeling irresponsible Maggie Feller (Diaz) gets through her life thanks to her remarkable looks and her lack of scruples. She constantly goes to her straight-laced, plain-Jane successful lawyer sister Rose (Collette) for financial help. The two sisters have been very close to each other in part because their troubled mother died when they were girls. Right about the same time that Maggie discovers hidden letters that reveal she and Rose have a grandmother, Maggie does something to betray Rose's trust. Maggie sets off for Florida to find the grandmother. A failed workplace romance forces Rose to rethink her career, a career that has been the center of her life. As Rose tentatively begins a new relationship and Maggie gets to know her grandmother (played by Shirley MacLaine), the two learn a dark family secret that helps smooth the path toward reconciliation. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Gay man falls for straight man who is pretending to be gay man to win the heart of straight girl in this raunchy and offbeat romantic comedy. Attractive but bitchy college student Gwen (Emily Stiles) shares an apartment with her friend Marc (Ryan Carnes), a gay man with a hyperactive social life. Keeping track of Marc's lovers has given Gwen a taste for gay men, or at the very least men who look and act gay. Kyle (Jim Verraros), who is also gay, learns about Gwen's unique preference at a party also attended by his straight and newly single pal Caleb (Scott Lunsford), who wants to hook up with her. Kyle gets the bright idea that Caleb should pretend to be gay in order to attract Gwen's attention, but this plan seriously backfires when Marc develops a major crush on Caleb -- and Gwen decides they make a perfect couple. Eating Out marked the screen acting debut of Jim Verraros, who was a finalist on the 2002 season of American Idol. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi