Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Bodo A simple setup: One boy's birthday pool party. Everybody plays along and pretends to be happy. But beneath the surface, people's emotions are boiling. While people are having a fun time, deep secret come to light.HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY manages to make statements about religion and about homosexuality without becoming overly political. It manages to convince you of the dark power of peer pressure and church without becoming overly judgmental. It manages to make you feel sexual oppression first-hand, focusing on a subjective perspective of what people really feel rather than what they show to feel. The movie weaves lots of different characters together without becoming incoherent. Many of the characters are just there for a few lines, but they seem real nonetheless. Some of them look like you would want to get to know them better. Others make you feel pity.Throughout all of this, HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY breathes with life and flows from one thing to the next without becoming trite. Watching this movie truly feels like being at a day's long summer party that slowly progresses through people's complex interactions. Carried by superb acting and a vision of what it means to be human, everything comes together in a grandiose yet subtle fashion. Mind blown.

waderobson If you're looking to see a lot of character actors do some great work, this is the film for you. This movie has more characters and subplots than "The Poseidon Adventure." The opening scene with birthday boy Henry Gamble and his BFF Gabe seems promising for the first 2 minutes, but then goes nowhere. And even though he's the title character, we'll see less and less of Henry as the film drags on. Most of the characters are likable enough, but we don't spend enough time with any of them to care. There's probably a message about intolerance or unconditional love here, but its lost in a cacophony of clichés: "God love everyone: criminals, addicts, gays ... " or something to that effect. The actors and crew turn in a beautiful piece of work, but the script seems to have been written by a committee intent on being all things to all people. Too bad because the premise is fresh and interesting.

ilustra-neuropixel It seems that Mr. Cone has seen too many movies he liked because he is trying to use camera angles that seem to make no sense what so ever. I mean... interesting they are but that is all about them. To start a movie with the conversation about the size of the d**k without having anything to start from in the first place, to me is porn. 'Wannabe' art but ends up being porn. And that's bad enough. But when you involve actors or 'wannabe' actors in it then I can only think the director has a hidden message that the only person to have access to... might be just himself. I truly hope this is not true! I truly hope the actors or the team, at least, know about this message. If this is not the case then Mr. Cone does movies to be paid for. And my questions is: what happened with Mr. Cone we know from 'Wise kids'? Was that a mistaken-art-success? Because we see there as well the 'Mr. Cone wannabe director' but he shows love for the script and for the characters and building of the characters. He shows love for the plots and pure courage in creating them! Where did all that go?The story of the movie: the birthday of a Christian teenage. The rest of the story is so incoherent that only Mr. Cone might be able to put it here but I am not sure about that either, now that the movie is out. I have a special sensibility for the collaboration between gay-Christian themes. And of course, there is a certain conservative respect that has to come with this collaboration. Which existed in the aforementioned 'Wise kids' movie. I have no clue what happened with this here either. The respect for the conservative Christianism disappeared. There is a feeling that covers the movie and is very exaggerated in some small parts of it: that feeling is 'the bad is coming'! And indeed, it comes!

avenuesf I see a lot of films, and this is without a doubt one of the best I've seen in quite awhile. It presents so beautifully how conformity and organized religion stifles and twists and how badly the real person in all of us wants to be recognized for who we really are. The performances are so spot-on that it's almost eerie; having grown up in a Midwestern family very similar to this one I felt as though I knew every one of the characters.The plot involves Henry Gamble, whose father is a preacher, who is given his 17th birthday party by his family and friends. Henry is realizing he may be gay, and as the party progresses throughout the afternoon and night everyone begins to show the various struggles they also go through being human and trying to adhere to the rigid expectations they've created for themselves.What I found so impressive about this film is that all of the characters are fine, likable people who care about each other. Some of them, particularly the adolescents, are much more accepting of their differences and support each other; others aren't capable of doing that, especially as beautifully illustrated by a bitter, fearful mother who refuses to let her repressed daughter enjoy any of the party and never lets her out of sight. The daughter is heartbreakingly portrayed, and the image I couldn't seem to shake after the film was over was her testing the water in a swimming pool, wanting so badly to dive in.It appears that HGBP has been released to pay-per-view and isn't being considered for a general release to theaters. This is a very timely film for 2016 and it would benefit so many if this project could receive the exposure it deserved. It's depressing to think that "Captain America: Civil War" will be bringing in crowds this weekend but very few people will know a wonderful film like this even exists.I hope Steven Cone, who also wrote the amazing screenplay, continues to have the opportunity to make films. This is someone to pay attention to, as he is clearly a talented guy.