QFEST REVIEW: BearCity 2: The Proposal

POSTED: Thursday, July 19, 2012, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: LGBTQ | Movies

QFest closes with the mild growl that is BearCity 2: The Proposal. This episodic comedy, about a group of mostly hairy, heavy gay men, works better when it is dramatic. Anchored by a solid performance by Gerald McCullouch as the thoughtful Roger, the film opens with his character proposing to his 23-year-old bear-loving boyfriend, Tyler (Joe Conti). Tyler has his doubts about marriage, but he agrees to get hitched. So, Roger, Tyler and their friends — commitment phobic Fred (Brian Keane) and his goofy partner Brent (Stephen Guarino), and plus-sized Mike (Gregory Gunter) and his hot partner Carlos (James Martinez) — head to Provincetown for a wedding during Bear Week.

Dumb subplots abound about Fred wanting to make a documentary on bears, and Mike and Carlos being too busy on the phone to be with each other. And, of course, the expected trust and jealousy issues arise when Roger reunites with his ex and Tyler confides in Big Dan (T. Doyle Leverett). The humor is mostly at the expense of physical schtick — a whale-watching trip that gets naughty before it goes awry, or a foam party that devolves into a slapstick fight. This does a disservice to these characters, who all appear to be very comfortable in their own skin. The relaxed cast members actually make the sensitive moments about Roger and Tyler’s wedding jitters, or the relationship issues between Fred and Brent moving. Unfortunately, there is no subtlety when Kathy Najimy (as Brent’s mother) bulldozes her way through this film trying far too hard to be funny. (She’s not). BearCity 2 features plenty of fur and skin, and more daddy jokes and bad — unbearable — puns than necessary, but when the film charms its ingratiating.

City Paper Grade: C+

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