The Trip

Archive: Gay Themed

The Trip

In the early 70s boy (gay activist) meets boy (young Republican). The attraction is instantaneous but the young Republican has yet to realize he's gay. His sexuality is disposed of a few scenes of pained and comic embarrassment. Then the two guys settle down for a life of partnered bliss (or whatever we called it back then).

Anita Bryant starts her pioneering campaign to repeal and prevent early gay civil rights legislation (and gay bars around the country stop serving screwdrivers). Before coming out the young Republican had written a book that is in some unspecified way homophobic (this never seems quite believable, the guy seems to nice and tame to demean a housefly). The book had languished at a publisher's office for years but is now published without anyone's name on it. Our young Republican had never let his lover read the book and now won't admit that he wrote it.

Eventually he's outed as the books author and boy loses boy. Alone and distraught the young, well, really he's the young ex-Republican, turns to and eventually becomes the lover of an old family friend. The family friend has the role of the conniving bitch of older movies: he'd both arranged for the book to be published and revealed its' author's name. A clever is implausible plot to bring the young man into his arms.

Alan, to actually use the ex-Republican's name finally learns this and thanks to the efforts of his mom and ex-girlfriend flies down to Mexico to see his former lover, Tommy.

Tommy is dying. Alan wants to bring him back to the US for treatment. But the evil bitch boarding agent won't let Tommy on the plane. So they begin the road trip segment of the movie. The best part is when Tommy connives Alan into performing a striptease in the desert which ends when a busload of Baptists drive by.

Almost back in America Tommy dies.

There's no denying the clichés: hiding the fact that your roommate is your lover from mom and dad (but mom always knows anyway). The standard romantic movie plot devices stretch your patience a little at times but I thought it was funny and enjoyable.