A chance meeting brings a nearly perfect couple together in L.A., except that he's gay and she's not. Compounding this is that he suffers OCD. As he house sits and she struggles to be accepted as an actress, their otherwise rightness is obvious, but friends - especially those in the gay community - believe in clear lines of sexuality being drawn.... (Full plot summary below)
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A chance meeting brings a nearly perfect couple together in L.A., except that he's gay and she's not. Compounding this is that he suffers OCD. As he house sits and she struggles to be accepted as an actress, their otherwise rightness is obvious, but friends - especially those in the gay community - believe in clear lines of sexuality being drawn.
Leave your thoughts about Straight Up.
| San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisOn the surface, Sweeney’s film is a playful examination of sexual fluidity, but underneath the gags, it’s really a universal, sweet movie about the modern complexities of finding a soulmate. It’s also a nice example of how independent films can breathe fresh air into genres like the romantic comedy. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreStraight Up wrestles with its messaging, which bogs the picture down. It takes a few predictable turns, and some predictably unpredictable ones. But Sweeney maintains the manic patter even when the pacing flags. |
| VarietyOwen GleibermanA little of this can go a long way (the film is sometimes a bit airless), but James Sweeney is a filmmaker with the rare ability to toss antically inspired dialogue right off the edge of his brain. Straight Up is the work of a startling talent. |
| Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinA sweet, funny and thoroughly winning romantic comedy that’s a kind of a bi-curious take on When Harry Met Sally for the Millennial crowd — or anyone else looking for some brainy, banter-rific fun. |
| RogerEbert.comNell MinowAn assured and refreshing first feature from writer/director/star James Sweeney. With the rhythms and conventions of a traditional romantic comedy, it is refreshingly unconventional in form and content, boasting a sharp script and a gift for cinematic storytelling. |
| TheWrapCarlos AguilarLighthearted in tone yet intellectually intriguing, the L.A.-set film ponders valid queries about identity, even if they’re almost entirely sustained by dialogue. |
| The Film StageGlenn Heath Jr.Often charming in the most confrontational way possible, Straight Up pays due respect to the endlessly creative ways people delude themselves into avoiding difficult realities. It may talk (and talk) a good game, but it’s in the quieter moments of silence when it speaks volumes about the perils of modern alienation. |
| Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerIt only works because Sweeney and Findlay have such an incredible spark between them. |
| IndieWireJude DryStraight Up is meticulous in building its hyper-stylized aesthetic, but doesn’t have much to say about the human condition. |
| The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichThe closing scenes of Straight Up are more contrived and constrained — an acquiescence to living inside the box, with one dramatic wrinkle that feels tacked on and ill-considered. The fiery talent that Sweeney displays throughout, both in front of and behind the camera, regrettably ends up ashen. |
