#REVIEW: “SPOILER ALERT”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong

I despise movie spoilers almost as much as I dislike movie trailers, which I only watch after I’ve seen the film. Whether you go to the Cinema to see a movie based on a title or a Performer or a Director, your viewing experience should engulf you with surprises and plot twists, rather than have you sit in your seat waiting to hear that punchline to a joke you saw in the trailer or know in advance that a main character in the movie dies due to a misguided and self-congratulatory comment made on social media. That said, I was thrilled to know in advance of seeing SPOILER ALERT, that it was based on Michael Ausiello’s best-selling Memoir “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies”. I thought I had brought enough tissues with me…spoiler alert…I hadn’t.

Multiple Emmy winner, Jim Parsons, plays Michael, a Journalist for the now defunct TV Guide magazine. He occasionally lapses into memories of his childhood as if it were an ’80s Television Sitcom; the fat child and his single mother. These infrequent scenes, pivotal to the plot, are brilliantly-executed by Director Michael Showalter (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Big Sick). One night, the relatively reclusive Michael agrees to join his friend and go to a gay bar where he sees Kit (Ben Aldridge) on the dance floor with a woman. They share tentative smiles and half-hearted waves, but the attraction is palpable. When Kit’s very inebriated dance partner tells Michael that “you are so his type”, the courtship begins. In restaurants or walking together on the sumptuously-captured Manhattan streets, their banter is easy-going and witty. Kit is a Photographer who doesn’t own a television set, hence Michael’s job writing about shows and celebrities is foreign to his way of life. The first attempt with intimacy in Kit’s apartment (which he shares with a monosyllabic roommate) is awkward and when Kit finally goes to Michael’s apartment, he is confronted with shocking revelations. But love conquers all and SPOILER ALERT encapsulates beautifully the first 13 years of their relationship. Until Kit’s Cancer diagnosis dramatically changes everything.

SPOILER ALERT succeeds on so many levels. Screenwriters David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage must be commended for eschewing the cliched, cinematic gay tropes (there is no flamboyant gay best friend) and the bitchy repartee that harkens memories of the late, great Joan Rivers. Michael and Kit are fascinating men with distinct, personal interests. One loves weed, the other rarely imbibes alcohol. One is more insecure, the other reeks of confidence. Two of many comedic scenes stand out. Kit, who hasn’t come out yet to his parents (portrayed by Sally Field and Bill Irwin), asks Michael to go to his apartment and “de-gay” it before their visit from upstate New York. What would a straight person see that would automatically indicate a person is gay? Owning mainstream Hollywood movies on DVD? Pretentious artwork hanging on the walls? Michael’s dilemma is hysterical and when Kit, overwhelmed with spewing double-talk, finally admits the truth to his parents, they react with confusion, accusations, and complete acceptance. Another segment, played as an homage to the similarly-themed “Terms of Endearment”, had the tears of sadness that were unabashedly, consistently moistening my cheeks change to tears of joy.

Showalter’s innate and remarkable ability to bring out the best in an Actor is witnessed in full force here. Antoni Porowski (from “Queer Eye” on Netflix) is remarkably effective in what is essentially a cameo role. Two-time Oscar winner Sally Field (who worked with Showalter in the criminally-underseen “Hello My Name is Doris”) registers strongly with the complexities her character goes through and is equally matched by Bill Irwin. I had never seen, nor heard of Ben Aldridge prior to this Movie and I left the theatre just wishing he was a friend of mine. His performance in SPOILER ALERT is extraordinary and he carries dramatic intensity with the exceptional assurance he does with the Comedy. Not only will I finally buckle down and watch “Fleabag” in which he plays “Arsehole Guy“, a campaign for Best Supporting Actor is due. The ultimate success of SPOILER ALERT falls firmly in the hands of Jim Parsons and his performance here exceeds expectations. Always a powerful force, whether it be Comedy (“The Big Bang Theory”), Limited Series (Hollywood) or Feature Film (“The Boys in the Band”), this is his most concentrated and impassioned performance to date. It is also the most natural performance I’ve seen of his. I remember thinking, as I watched the Movie, that I don’t think I’ve ever seen Parsons laugh and he does so here with gusto! We watch Michael transition from insecure to joyous to grief and strength rapturously.

It has been a banner year for LGBTQ-themed movies. Put SPOILER ALERT on the top of your list. And puts loads of tissues in your pockets.

Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada release SPOILER ALERT December 9, 2022.