7 Queer Movies to Stream this Pride Month

June 6, 2022
TOMMY

The Birdcage (Streaming on HBO Max)

Up first, we have one of the great Queer films of all time, The Birdcage. Based on the 1973 French musical and 1978 film of the same title ("La Cage Aux Folles"), The Birdcage stars gay icon Nathan Lane, the late, great genius we never deserved Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest (who can do no wrong imho), Christine Baranski, and a young Calista Flockhart in one of her first major roles. The movie is so brilliantly fabulous and so unfathomably funny; it's one of the few movies I can always watch start to finish without ever growing tired of it. It has everything I could hope for: Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, and Gene Hackman all in drag, Robin Williams giving a crash course in great American dance styles, Dianne Wiest exploring the intricacies of naked gay Greek men fucking, and some of the funniest, most quotable lines in movie history. If you have never seen it, what are you even doing with your life?

Another Gay Movie (Streaming on Amazon Prime)

The '90s and early 2000s were full of so many hetero rom-com love stories that the market became saturated with what devolved into an exhausted trope. Enter: the spoof era. We had Austin Powers, Scary Movie, Not Another Teen Movie... the list was seemingly endless. But eventually all of those became a little played out, too. Not only were they predictable, but they were also all woefully... well... straight (to say nothing of the rampant homophobic jokes). To remedy all of that 2006 brought us Another Gay Movie starring Michael Carbonaro as Andy, the young homo figuring out what his version of gay is going to be ("Isn't anyone... bottom... curious?"). The movie is campy, silly, hilarious greatness that pokes fun at the muddled mess that is the process of figuring out our sexuality. Another Gay Movie also showcases some wonderfully gay cameos like Graham Norton and Scott Thompson. Carbonaro also went on to become one of the most famous magicians in the world, currently hosting his own residency in Las Vegas at the iconic Penn & Teller theater, "Michael Carbonaro Lies On Stage." Gay in real life, Carbonaro is also married to Peter Stickles, who is one of the stars of the iconically Queer movie Shortbus. #Segue...

Shortbus (YouTube)

2006 was a big year for the yet-to-be Carbonaro-Stickles Household, because in addition to Another Gay Movie, theatre-goers were also treated to John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus, which is one of the greatest Queer indie films in history. It gave an unapologetically honest - and unapologetically Queer - look at sex, our emotional relationship to it, and how it shapes our psyche. The movie stars Peter Stickles (HereTV's The Lair), Paul Dawson, Sook-Yin Lee, PJ DeBoy, and Lindsay Beamish, among others, as well as a few cameos from director Mitchell during some sex scenes. Part of what makes this movie so incredible is that it also shows actual sex with full penetration. The movie premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in France and was by and large received with great critical praise, save for some prudes who took issue with the explicit sex shown. The movie was re-released in theaters with a new 4k restoration for its 15th anniversary this past January and a larger theatrical release is rumored to follow.

Best Day Ever (Streaming on Amazon Prime)

Oh, fine, let's stick with the segues, shall we? Speaking of indie Queer films, another gay movie that features Peter Stickles is 2014's Best Day Ever. The movie stars Mel England (Electricity The Play) and Tom Saporito (Found Footage 3D) and tells the story of David (England) as he nears 50 and fears his time to find love has passed. Until he meets Shane (Saporito), that is. I don't tend to love gay indie love stories because they're overly saccharine, but I enjoy Best Day Ever. Don't let the awful trailer fool you: the movie is a really sweet story, and the actors are all good. Though the real ace in the hole is Ace Lundon, who is a real-life gay legend from the film and TV publicity world having been a PR rep to the stars back in the '50s. The movie also stars Nate Moore as a dbag ex-boyfriend, but damn he is a hot dbag ex-boyfriend. Best Day Ever is available on Amazon Prime.

All That Jazz (Streaming on Roku)

Though he wasn't gay, Bob Fosse is unquestionably one of the great Queer icons of the last 50 years. He choreographed and directed the likes of The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1972), Cabaret (1972), and Chicago (1975). All of those properties have remained some of the greatest Queer musicals of all time, and have been the soundtracks to many a closeted young'n. All That Jazz tells the story of the man behind the magic, though the character is called Joe Gideon instead of Bob Fosse. Gideon is played exceptionally brilliantly by Roy Scheider (known to most as the sheriff in Jaws). The movie is made all the more incredible by the fact that it is written and directed by Bob Fosse himself! He pulls no punches against himself and shows all the drugs, sex, and cigarettes that were behind the creation of some of the great movies and musicals of our time. All That Jazz was nominated for a whopping nine Academy Awards, taking home four for: Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing.

The Way He Looks (Streaming on Amazon Prime)

When he won the Best Picture Oscar for Parasite, Bong Joon Ho famously said, “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” I remember hearing that and immediately thinking of the movie The Way He Looks, because it's a Brazilian film with English subtitles and is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's about a blind, gay teenager who is coming of age into young adulthood, and realizing he has feelings for the new kid at school, but is unsure of whether or not he's gay, as well. He and his best Judy befriend him and become an inseparable trio. I won't give away details, but the movie is funny, sad, exciting, and very gay. I'm sure there's a dubbed version available, but it's genuinely worth it to watch this movie in Portuguese with the English subtitles turned on.

Paris Is Burning (Streaming on HBO Max)

If you're a fan of FX's hit show POSE or HBO Max's Legendary, then you are likely somewhat familiar with the history of the drag ball culture. But if you're unfamiliar with those shows, then something you may not know is that before there was RuPaul's Drag Race, there was an entire world of badass, Punk Rock faggots who were unafraid to show the world how fabulous they were at a time when it just wasn't acceptable. Like most other great cultural shifts, the world of the Balls was spearheaded by Black, Latinx, and Trans artists who were pushing boundaries in a racist and Queerphobic world. They were inventing voguing before Madonna was making millions from it, they were spilling tea before you even had your first sip, and they were the shadiest fuckers you could ever hope to meet. They were (are) also tightly knit chosen families who would not hesitate to cut someone who came for their chosen siblings. Paris Is Burning showcases all of that in all its layered, Queer glory, and isn't just an incredibly Queer documentary, but is also regarded as one of the best documentaries ever created.

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