When forming a connection with someone, sometimes it doesn’t go the way you plan to– it’s a familiar romcom thread, something from the classics, but it’s a story that works. Trick is a witty comedy of errors with a similar thread, but through the various obstacles shy gay man Gabriel has in trying to get a one night stand, the romcom neatly introduces him, and us, to Greenwich Village’s gay community of the 1990s: the casual piano bars, the vibrant nightclubs, and the fun drag shows. It’s charming, it’s sweet, it’s humorous, and it has a lighthearted relatable struggle, one that focuses on the joys and pleasures of falling in love as a gay man.
"A highlight of the 1999 Sundance Film Fest, Jim Fall's charming romantic comedy deviates from mnny gay-themed by not dealing with AIDS or other "serious" issues, instead centering on "simple" matters like dating and getting laid."
— Emanuel Levy
Gabriel is a young, aspiring musical composer whose life seems stuck in the First Act. When his new musical number gets a critical reception, a theatre colleague, Perry, tells Gabriel that he needs to get a life before he can write about one – so he heads straight for his local gay bar.
Aspiring Broadway songwriter Gabriel has never felt the urge to kiss and have sex with someone he’s just met… at least until he runs into Mark, a go-go dancer at a local gay club. He’s hoping to seal the deal, though the two men keep getting interrupted.
It’s just so refreshing seeing a film unashamed of sexuality, especially in the more sex-averse mainstream film landscape of the early 2020s.
Jim Fall, Jason Schafer… I know it’s been years since you’ve talked about the sequel but PLEASE we are begging for it.
Berlin
1 win
Sundance
1 nomination
