Jan (Charles Busch), an effete ex-dancer male nurse from Denmark, takes a new job with Mrs. Aronson (Polly Bergen), a terminally ill Manhattan woman raising her parentless precocious 13 year-old grandson Gil (P. J. Verhoest). He is a slightly effeminate boy with a love for old Hollywood movies, writing stories about great heroines, dressing like Marie Antoinette, and refusing to learn swimming or any outdoor activities in favor of watching "Gone with the Wind". Although Gil and housekeeper Betty (Dana Ivey) are certain that Grandma will dislike Jan as much as they do, Jan suits Mrs. A perfectly, cooking her healthy foods and soothing her in a way no previous nurse has been able to do. Jan also becomes a role model for Gil, and tries to tame some of his acting-out and conflicts with his grandmother.
Though Jan has no interest in kids, he eventually finds himself drawn to Gil, and is concerned about what will happen to the boy when his grandmother passes away. He is surprised by this, as he is both a bachelor and a gay man. In fact, he is really concerned about Gil's somewhat flamboyant developing personality, certain that this will cause problems as he gets older. Feeling protective, Jan tries to put a damper on the boy's enthusiasms, aware that a very different life awaits him in Florida at summer's end, and that he had best start acting less like a queen and more like a "serious person". Spending the summer by the Jersey shore, the emotionally reserved Jan finds himself oddly cast as a mentor to Gil in having to prepare the sensitive boy for life with his cousins in Florida. A deep friendship grows between these two solitary people. By the end of the summer, Gil has developed a new maturity and independence, while the enigmatic Jan has revealed his own vulnerability.
Other characters include the outrageous gay hairdresser Lee (Carl Andress), his associate Crystal (Alexa Eisenstein), and Jan's love interest Gilles (Simon Fortin). This is a tight comedy with an edge and it is a solidly entertaining movie. It has a fine story, good cast, and enough thoughts about connecting isolated individuals to make the movie touching. Spanning the ages from young teenager to middle age to elderly, they are all needy souls trying to find solid ground. Each one is lonely and wants acceptance and love. The story is how the three learn from each other, give and take, and find the niche that proves the summer was not wasted. It's a coming-of-age film, a heart-warming gay tale of evolving sexual identity and self-discovery that feels both familiar and completely original. Andrew Sherman composed the incidental music. The screenplay was written by Carl Andress and Charles Busch, who also directed.
