Long-term couple Simon (Derek Meeker) and Jason (Douglas Myers), along with their friend 45-year-old muscle bear Cooper (Derek Long) and his boy du jour Ace (Stephen Twardokus), meet annually for a three-day weekend at their luxurious hunting lodge, away from their hectic city lives. Looking to spice up this long-standing tradition, they add a special twist to this year's retreat: each of them must invite one attractive single friend to their mountain getaway.
Arriving are a frisky former college roommate, an often naked yoga instructor, an uptight co-worker, a closeted 25-year-old self proclaimed "geek" (Chris Carlisle), male model types of various ages, and high-priced rent boy Andre (Daniel Rhyder), who actually knows five of the others through his work. But this combination of new and old friends creates more tension than anyone ever anticipated. After 72 hours and multiple sexual couplings, new relationships form while others are lost. It's readily apparent that their plans to shake things up have succeeded. One couple becomes closer, one couple grows apart, and love blossoms for another. Wasn't that the plot for "Love! Valour! Compassion!"?
This drama is about gay relationships, borrowing and paying homage to both "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Boys In The Band". It does a good job tackling topics such as ageism, monogamy vs. "open" relationships, how the AIDS epidemic has affected gay baby boomers, self-image, and spirituality. The plot is somewhat light overall, although the acting is above average, and the production values and direction are very good for a low budget film. Viewers comments are mostly positive but unusually bland about this mixture of sexual intrigue, humor, and drama. The DVD includes extensive extras, including deleted and extended scenes, bloopers, a music video, a director commentary, and cast interviews. Austin Wintory composed the original music, and Rob Williams wrote the screenplay and directed.
