Synopsis
What makes a voice “gay”? A breakup with his boyfriend sets journalist David Thorpe on a quest to unravel a linguistic mystery.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- David SedarisSelf
- Dan SavageSelf
- Jeff HillerSelf
- Margaret ChoSelf
- Susan SankinSelf
- Bob CorffSelf
- Tim GunnSelf
- Michael AiringtonSelf
- George TakeiSelf
- David ThorpeSelf
Recommendations
- 75
The A.V. Club
It’s a serious topic, but the resulting documentary isn’t an especially severe sit. Do I Sound Gay? is a briskly entertaining 77 minutes, and frequently as mouthy as its title. - 75
RogerEbert.com
What it does explore makes it a satisfying, lighthearted look at one man’s search for perceived vocal machismo. - 75
Philadelphia Inquirer
While Thorpe ostensibly explores the sibilant consonants and careful enunciation that characterize what we have come to think of as "sounding gay," his film is really about his identity. - 70
The Dissolve
Do I Sound Gay? gets into the mysteries of homosexual attraction and eroticism, and suggests that if Thorpe wants the kind of long-term relationship that Takei, Sedaris, and Savage have, he’ll have to get over his fetishization of the macho and learn to accept himself. That’s a poignant, powerful conclusion, all from asking one question. - 70
Village Voice
Thorpe offers charming, intimate glimpses of his life, including memorable chats with friends and experts, and he's adept at drawing winning quotes from interview subjects — one of the most moving moments comes from George Takei. - 70
The New York Times
Mr. Thorpe’s explorations of a painful subject are an exercise in healing. His discovery of how many gay men share his anxiety and discomfort leads him to greater self-acceptance. - 63
New York Post
The film looks back at “gay voice” throughout popular culture, starting with films of the 1930s and with TV icon Paul Lynde; it also plays a disheartening clip of a young Louis CK bellowing “f - - - - t!” in a routine. - 60
Variety
Thorpe’s documentary can sometimes seem a bit intimidated by the various cans of worms it pries open, but it’s nonetheless a breezy, funny, often quite clever film more concerned with minor epiphanies than big answers.
