I enjoyed Boys. The story is somewhat slight, but the performances were good. It's a fun look at the drive that can grip teen athletes. The teammates have real camaraderie as friends and the family drama rang true even it was sketched rather hastily. There isn't a lot of drama, but it's nice to see a film about gay youth which isn't entirely focused on coming out drama or gay bashing.

A woman standing next in line to me last night decided not to go as the people lining up were revealed to be almost entirely gay men. She asked if the film was recommended or if the appeal was mostly just seeing youth on screen. I sheepishly admitted I didn't know much about the movie.

However, I do think the appeal of a movie like this goes well beyond the voyeuristic. There's an element of fantasy of course. Would that I could have been involved in a friendship and romance so open when I was that age. It's also very refreshing to see a story tackle what would have been strictly taboo when I was younger in such a straightforward manner. It's nice to think that youth today are able to watch a movie like this and see their lives now reflected on the screen in a way my life never was when I was younger.

Yeah, Boys was a nice surprise -- beautifully shot, well done, small scale, PG-13ish -- and a real SIFF bingo: foreign + gay + sports + coming of age + small town.

A minor correction: isn't it Dutch, not Danish?

Meh. Humorless, dry, cliche-ridden, and generally dull. Stylistic flairs were too heavy handed (drink every time a shot is out of focus or an extreme close up) and a whole subplot regarding his brother was useless and dumb.

The bonus points were that this wasn't about swishy gay teenagers. And there was no best female friend. I just wish the movie had more life, drive, and originality in it.

Good, but not as good as Obvious Child