Bobby (Farrell) and Jonathan (Roberts) have been friends since they were schoolboys. Bobby has lost everything -- his brother, mother and father are gone -- and takes refuge in the warmth and acceptance of Jonathan's stable, caring parents (Sissy Spacek and Matt Frewer).

Jonathan likes Bobby's outward courage and independence and, as an adult, takes his cue from his pal by being the first to strike out for New York where he can be open about being gay. Bobby has become the reluctant one while Jonathan revels in the city's pulse and nightlife, becoming roommates with the colorful eccentric Clare (Wright Penn), a hatmaker who secretly loves him.

Everything changes when Bobby joins his old -- and new -- friend. The trio struggles with shifting relationships and soon the tensions take their toll. Cemented in their love for each other, the three embark upon a search for their heart's home and their rightful claim to it.

Farrell, with a performance of aching sincerity and liking, makes us forget what tabloid fodder he has become and why we began watching his work in the first place. Roberts, taking a segue from the stage to screen, embodies Jonathan's frustration and confused love for a friend who continually usurps everything that he has. Wright Penn may be the weakest link with a role that is the catalyst between the two men, but she manages to find the despair in the dissatisfaction that Clare harbors.

For all of this, the most glaring problem is that there is such a mine of rich novelistic material that a brief 95 minutes never allows the film to fulfill its potential. There's something essential and emotional missing in this character-driven piece. It's more an admirably performed and observed study -- of a time, place and three very different people -- than it is the heartbreaking and engrossing story it could have been.

Add P-I Movie headlines to
My web site My Yahoo! Google More options