Is It Just Me? Blu-ray features poor video and mediocre audio in this poor Blu-ray release
Frustrated by his ongoing failure to meet Mr. Right, Blaine stumbles upon what might be his perfect match in an online chat room-Xander, a sweet, hunky guy who's recently moved to LA. Smitten, Blaine then finds that he's been chatting to Xander under his go-go dancer roommate's profile, setting in motion a convoluted comedy of errors with romance as the ultimate objective.
"Is It Just Me?" is a perfectly kind and affectionate premise decorated with all sorts of clichés. It's a noxious brew of the sincere and the predictable, showcasing some seriously lazy screenwriting from a filmmaker who appears to have his heart in the right place. While it leans toward elements that concern an earnest questioning of the gay dating scene, writer/director J.C. Calciano is too distracted by the movie's oppressive sitcom interests, always trying to crack a joke or construct a labored misunderstanding when the picture is far more confident focusing on two like-minded souls finding each other in the petting zoo of Los Angeles. Conversations and confessions should be leading the way, not rejected ideas from "Three's Company," which weigh the feature down, making it impossible to entertain in full.
A columnist for the USA Togay weekly newspaper, Blaine (Nicolas Downs) is a meek man disinterested in the L.A. gay dating scene, finding his tastes leaning more toward romance than one-night-stands. Frustrated, Blaine is prepared to go dateless for the rest of his life, watching roommate Cameron (Adam Huss) take on all manner of strangers, showing pride in his promiscuity. Playing around with a chat site late one night, Blaine meets Xander (David Loren), a shy Texan who's craving a soulmate. The two hit it off over the phone, spending hours trading stories and interests, with Blaine finally striking gold in terms of an interesting, loving man. Trouble arrives for the writer when he realizes he accidentally used Cameron's account (and his good looks) to meet Xander. Panicked, Blaine begs Cameron to pose as him for Xander, hoping to win over the transplanted cowboy with a sheer blast of in-person charm, working out the full deception down the line. Xander, baffled by Cameron's flippant behavior and Blaine's flirtations, is left to wonder if true love is really out there for him, turning to his older roomie Ernie (Bruce Gray) for consolation.
"Is It Just Me?" is another case where an easily solvable problem is employed as the foundation of the plot. The entire script is built upon a simple miscommunication, finding Blaine and his boyish good looks accidentally employing Cameron's pronounced sex appeal to win over Xander, established here as an easygoing fellow likely to find the whole blunder hilarious. Instead of simply calling his love interest and straightening out the confusion, building on their already easygoing back-and-forth, Blaine decides to mastermind an elaborate act of dishonesty that's ridiculous and illogical, revealing Calciano to be a filmmaker desperate for any type of comedic device to use, more eager to make a movie instead of thinking one through clearly. The pieces don't fit, permitting an influx of stupidity to wash over the production after a promising opening act. Blaine and Xander are conceived as intelligent, reasonable men. Calciano can't quite match that introduction, passing out lobotomies to make the premise stick.
It's difficult to find anything funny in "Is It Just Me?" It's a comedy without a strong wit, too reliant on formulaic disruptions to make a cheap impression, with only a few supporting turns managing to land some chuckles, including a winning supporting turn from Gray, playing Xander's wizened and wily voice of reason. Interestingly, the feature is far more palatable when it doesn't reach for yuks, summoning a surprisingly effective air of tenderness during select moments. The phone-based courtship between Xander and Blaine is especially welcoming, spotlighting two lonely men making a connection, sharing their interests in romance and respect in a California culture that practically demands throwaway sexual encounters. It's a refreshing look at love, sold with two charming performances interested in preserving the sensitive mood of mutual attraction, which, of course, leads to some phone sex, but everything preceding the shared masturbatory showdown is actually quite friendly and unexpectedly sincere. I wish Calciano showed interest in maintaining the spark of seduction throughout the entire movie, elongating the dating rituals instead of contorting the pairing into a profoundly worthless gimmick.
Once the profile accident occurs, "Is It Just Me?" becomes a decidedly labored endeavor, finding Calciano doing whatever he can to keep the central screw-up in place, allowing him to milk the mix-up for the rest of the picture. What was once kind of sweet turns unquestionably sour, pushing comedy on performers uncomfortable with the tonal change, while taking the story into go-go bars to shoehorn some skin into the effort, perhaps finding Xander and Blaine's flirtations too chaste to appease the target demo. The script also places a lot of attention on misunderstandings, looking to divide the lovebirds further once Cameron is brought into the mix, trying to have some fun with a player who doesn't actually want to play with his roommate and the Texan he's been enlisted to deceive. The jokes are easy to predict, erasing a majority of the laughs from the sleepy script, which is all too content to mimic other creative efforts to see itself to the end.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio, 720p) presentation isn't quite up the HD muscle I'm positive most potential viewers are on the hunt for. With reduced resolution from the source materials, the viewing experience is subdued when it comes to fine details, lacking robust clarity with important facial textures and production design nuances. Colors appear in fine shape, carrying a primary palette with a firm hold, offering some potency to select interiors. Skintones are suitably pink, though they don't always carry desired freshness. There's a pronounced element of grain that grows a bit noisy at times, swallowing a few low-light encounters entirely. Crush is present, solidifying fabrics and hairstyles, also preventing a few evening encounters from revealing their particulars in full.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is working from an inherently thin sound recording, capturing rare moments of distortion and a few tinny exchanges. Dialogue sounds satisfactory, holding the emotional speeds of the picture without being swallowed by more forceful environments, including a few stops at a dance bar where the low-end offers a healthy thump to accentuate the nightclub celebration. Atmospherics kick up when the action heads outdoors, with a feel for bird response and breezes. Scoring also feeds out into the rear channels, with a softer acoustic mood creating an accurate position on a few forays into a more delicate tonality, with acceptable separation.
Note: A Director/Cast commentary is promised on the "Is It Just Me?" packaging, but has not been included on the disc.
Deleted Scenes (26:26, HD) provide a sex chat line adventure for Blaine, some quality time between the writer and his female BFF (some of it out of focus), an extended interaction with the editor of USA Togay, post-movie chat time with Xander and Ernie, and further chicanery from the trio as they first get to know one another.
Interview with Cast (17:12, HD) sits down with Downs, Loren, Huss, Gray, Michelle Laurent, and Bob Rumnock to discuss the challenges of the feature, their take on the central misunderstanding, and the benefits of working on a low-budget movie. The conversations feel genuine without the promotional push, and it's always interesting to see the actors away from their characters.
Group Interview (3:23, SD) collects Downs, Loren, and Huss to dissect the interpretation of the script and the development of the characters.
Dating Tips (2:46, SD) return to Downs, Loren, and Huss, who remain in-character to perform this tongue-in-cheek guide to romance in Los Angeles.
Auditions (13:15, SD) capture Downs, Loren, and Laurent as they compete for roles in the movie, shown here working out a few scenes inside a casting office.
TLGay.com Promos (1:54, HD) pair Downs and Huss for two in-character bits used to promote TLA's website.
Photo Gallery (25:23) presents numerous publicity and BTS stills, exposing production effort.
And a Theatrical Trailer (1:42, HD) and Unofficial Trailer (1:00, HD) are included.
"Is It Just Me?" keeps promising a tender look at the labors of love, trying to remain gentle while it works out a wheezy plot. The characterizations are initially generous and the performances solid, but the shift of focus from communication to tomfoolery crashes the production, confusing its intentions with suffocating contrivance and a lack of a decent comedic imagination. It's sweet, but only for roughly 1/3 of its run time. The rest is better suited for network television.
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