Synopsis
Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. The seven are: Bobby, Gregory's "significant other"; Art and Perry, two "yuppies"; John, a dour expatriate Briton; Ramon, John's "companion"; James, a cheerful soul who is in the advanced stages of AIDS; and Buzz, a fan of traditional Broadway musicals who is dealing with his own HIV-positive status.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Jason AlexanderBuzz Hauser
- Stephen SpinellaPerry Sellars
- Stephen BogardusGregory Mitchell
- Randy BeckerRamon Fornos
- John Benjamin HickeyArthur Page
- Justin KirkBobby Brahms
- John GloverJohn & James Jeckyll
Recommendations
- 90
The New York Times
One reason the film version of Terrence McNally's play Love! Valour! Compassion! is so moving is that this complicated group portrait never loses its slippery emotional footing. - 90
Film Threat
The best thing the filmmakers did was to pull a cast out of the stage productions. Importantly, the actors convey a sense of history and comfort with each other. - 80
The A.V. Club
While director Joe Mantello (who also helmed the stage production) often uses the opened-up space of the movie well, he doesn't always avoid some of the common pitfalls that come with adapting plays. - 75
ReelViews
It's rare for homosexuals in mainstream motion pictures to be presented as individuals rather than icons; Love! Valour! Compassion! defies tradition by proffering its characters as real people with believable problems. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Yet Love! Valour! Compassion! has power and insight, and perhaps what makes it strong is its disinterest in technical experiments: It is about characters and dialogue, expressed through good acting--the very definition of the "well-made play." - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
McNally adapted his Tony-award winning play for the screen, and for once a movie is an improvement on the stage version. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Most of the cast (along with director Joe Mantello) have been recruited from the stage play, and they all do a fine job of trimming their performances for the screen. - 50
Austin Chronicle
Yet, the problem goes beyond the film's staginess (although there's plenty of that to go around). It could even have something to do with the delicate difficulties involved in the successful transfer of stage camp to the more intimate level of film.
