User Reviews

Apparently I'm not the only one who saw the similarity between the massage scene in this movie and and the one in Living Out Loud. Not that I'm complaining. I was actually impressed with how well Jared Allman channeled Holly Hunter here, expressing vulnerability while losing none of his raw masculinity. Let's call it an "homage", not the only one in the movie, and quite well done.

Overall this is a very entertaining movie. It satirizes Hollywood, but respects it as well. On the surface it can appear disjointed with its storytelling, but not much more disjointed than real life can be sometimes. Riddlehoover continues an impressive run of fun yet thoughtful films, and comparing him to W.A. seems less of a stretch as time goes on.

Yes, it's a short film, but a sweet one, with great familiar characters and fun new ones. Be sure not to miss Thashana McQuiston's expression in the mid-credits scene.

Okay, More Scenes From A Gay Marriage was fantastic and had me laughing. Where the first movie, Scenes From A Gay Marriage had quiet humor with an introspective feel, MSFAGM was full of laughter and drama, with a side of angst that really hit me square in the heart. The ending was happy with a poignancy that brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was hilarious how MSFAGM gently poked fun at the Hollywood movie business and how "based on a true story" movies can be so far from the truth. The chemistry between all the characters was even better in this sequel, and I adored Darren and Luce's friendship. Funny, sweet, and poignant, MSFAGM is a great weekend film that I enjoyed immensely.

My first viewing of 'More Scenes...' was enjoyable enough but the film seemed to rely on a retread of its predecessor. In subsequent viewings, however, more and more nuances emerged that establish complexities of plot, theme, character, and filming style. The first film, 'Scenes...', is delightful, tender, and straightforward--something of an homage to Woody Allen's 'Manhattan Murder Mystery' but in a sweet, gay milieu: 'Nashville Infidelity Mystery'. It concluded happily, capped by a romantic screen kiss that rivals any other.

The sequel begins with scenes from a 'remake' played by different actors (Charlie David and Rett Terrell): the story of 'Scenes...' has indeed become the basis for a film, cribbed from the main character's phone calls to its director, a former flame. In real time, the couple--Darren (director-writer Matt Riddlehoover) and Joe (Jared Allman)--appears and announces to their shocked friends Greg (Cliff Burr) and Luce (the remarkable Thashana McQuiston) that they're splitting up. The remainder of the film deconstructs their reasons for, and misgivings about, that decision, interweaving incrementally expanding memories of the frictions that resulted from the publicly 'remade' version of their romance. 'More Scenes...' has a complex texture and darker tone than its predecessor as it details the relationship from the touching ending of the first film through the action of the second. It has an immediately recognizable authenticity as it depicts the doubts and problems that plague many loving relationships. The final affecting reconciliation is coupled with a bittersweet note of regret and forgiveness that is finally offset by the fleeting comic relief of an off-screen one-line sexy codetta.

After a second viewing, I found the characters' real, human predicament genuinely moving. Riddlehoover's use of subtle and interesting narrative techniques demonstrates a deepening sophistication, making this brief (70-minute) sequel a necessary and emotionally satisfying closure. The opening 'remade' scene is accompanied by an arrangement of Django Reinhardt's 'Clair de Lune' rather than the more appropriate 'Where are you, my love?' that opens the first film, a subtle indication that the tropes added by the main character's 'ex', whether charming or regrettable, are largely inaccurate; but it is these very exaggerations and mistakes that fuel the couple's unhappy separation. The ending is set to the hypnotically intense 'I'll Find You' by Samantha Church, which continues as the credits roll on the left side of the screen while various soundless images from both films, summing up the relationship, appear on the right. 'More Scenes...' is not simply an amorous comedy, but a tight, absorbing piece of film-making which requires several viewings to be fully appreciated. Matt Riddlehoover, as usual, shows himself to be an immeasurable asset to gay film.