Search
What's Hot
NBC: Fall Lineup
Fox: Fall Lineup
ABC: Fall Lineup
CBS: Fall Lineup
The CW: Fall Lineup

50 Ways Of Saying Fabulous

2005, Movie, NR, 90 mins

50 Ways Of Saying Fabulous: Review

50 WAYS OF SAYING FABULOUS
starstarstarstar
New Zealand writer-director Stewart Main's adaptation of Graeme Aitken's 1995 novel is a cheery, at times fanciful tale of a chubby New Zealand farmer's son growing up in remote Central Otago and coming to terms with his feelings for other men. Twelve years old and overweight, Billy (Andrew Patterson) lives with his parents (Ross McKellar, Stephanie McKellar-Smith) and kid sister, Babe (Georgia McNeil), on a picturesque farm smack in the middle of New Zealand's South Island. Billy's best friend is his rugby loving cousin Lou (Harriet Beattie), whom he dubs "Brad" in honor of the space-traveling boy hero of their favorite B&W TV serial. Likewise, Lou calls Billy "Lana," after Brad's intrepid, pony-tailed partner, even giving him a blond fall to attach to his cap; whatever pleases both is simply "fabulous." Tough Lou protects Billy from school bullies like Arch (George Mason), and Billy breathes a sigh of relief when an even bigger target shows up to catch some of Arch's attention: Meek, lank haired Roy Shelter (Jay Collins) likes to draw and, like Billy, detests playing rugby. But not even Billy wants to be seen with him, at least not when anyone's around. When Babe overhears someone call Roy a "poofter," Billy asks Lou's mother, the opera-trained, university-educated Evey (Rima Te Wiata), for a definition. When she says it's a term the world uses to refer to sensitive, artistic types who prefer "culture to cows," Billy's life's ambition becomes clear: That's what he'll be. And he might not have to wait long: Roy has a crush on Billy and, after Billy lures Roy into the woods during Lou's birthday party as part of a cruel practical joke engineered by Arch, Billy takes the opportunity to fondle him. This tentative encounter leads to regular Saturday afternoon trysts at an abandoned shack, which come to an abrupt halt when a good-looking older guy — handsome, green-eyed farmhand Jamie (Michael Dorman) — arrives on the scene and throws Billy's adolescent libido into overdrive. Billy's a bit of an unlikable brat, Ray is downright creepy, Peter Scholes's soundtrack is cloying (is that a fife?) and the conflicts that drive Billy and Lou apart probably read better in Aitken's novel that they play on screen. But even though the landscape is as impossibly sun-kissed as an orange juice ad, the film is commendable for its non-exploitative and honest depiction of pubescent desire. Billy's longing to please the father who treats like the family curse, Lou's refusal to become the kind of ladylike woman her widowed mother would like and, most poignantly, Ray's cruelly unrequited love all feel daringly real. leave a comment --Ken Fox
Are You Watching?
50 Ways Of Saying Fabulous
Loading ...
Advertisement

Our Partners

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. American Idol
  2. NCIS
  3. Big Bang Theory
  4. Voice
  5. Person of Interest
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Jessica Simpson
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Kate Middleton
  4. Maria Menounos
  5. Kim Kardashian
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What To Expect When You're Expecting
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Dancing With The Stars
  2. The Bachelorette
  3. Revenge
  4. House
  5. Dancing with the Stars
more top videos