Madfabulous retells the real story of Henry Cyril Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey out in Wales, a guy who came back at the tail end of the 1800s to claim his aristocratic title, only for his over the top lifestyle to put him at odds with practically everyone around him. It's a genuinely gorgeous film to watch, worth checking out honestly just for the incredible outfits alone on its iconic queer lead. This version does stray from what actually happened growing up in his real life, but it still pulls in all the major chapters of his story and turns them into something visually rich and beautifully done. Nothing about his sexuality gets stated outright anywhere in the film, but it's pretty clear he's meant to read as queer, which should make this an easy watch for queer film fans. Back in the 1890s, Paget, the black sheep of his family, shows up in North Wales to take on his title as the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, and immediately shocks his uptight relatives with how mu...
The film is set in gayville, West Hollywood and follows life of gay friends. They hang out at coffee shops, clubs and each other's homes. We meet Dennis, a photographer who often holds the group together and hosts a lot of parties; Cole, a very handsome, charismatic actor and room mate with Dennis who often ends up with other people's boyfriends and can't stick to a guy for more than 2 weeks maximum and breaks their heart; Benji, the youngest member of the group, with a penchant for gym-bodied men, who finds himself going through some bad times; Howie, a psychology student who is known for over thinking every situation; Patrick, the cynic of the group, because of which certain members of the group do not like him because they think he is always negative; and Taylor, who has just broken up with his long-term boyfriend. A fatherly figure Jack guides them all and runs a restaurant for broken hearts and provides them with advice and jobs for some of them who work part-time as servers at his restaurant. Feathers shuffle when Benji brings his co-worker, the 23-year-old Kevin. As most times he ends up staying with Cole who breaks his heart and then starts dating Dennis, who is really not sure what he wants form life. Meanwhile Patrick's sister and her lover asks him to be surrogate father of their baby and Howie is dealing with how to get over his previous boyfriend, a very good looking man who he is still sleeping with but somehow they an't figure out where it is all gonna go. Tragedy strikes when John, who also sponsors a softball team, dies due to a heart attack after winning a softball game.
What's striking about the movie is the ordinariness of its characters and what they talk about. The humour in the film is natural and sarcastic but never bitchy (something that most gay men are known for). The lighthearted tone is set right at the beginning, as a group of friends plays a game to see who can act the straightest the longest. The film also discovers that gay men, like straight men, spend an extraordinary amount of time thinking about sex. And that they can be insecure, unfaithful, lonely and deceptive. The movie is likable and goes on a steady pace but unfortunately it never has those peaks that could take this movie from good to very good. That key line "I'm 28 years old and all I'm good at is being gay" is like an announcement liberating gay movies from an exclusive preoccupation with sexuality.
It is a heartwarming, glorious, happy feel good movie , that made me miss my gay friends a lot. (7/10)
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