US
2006
99 minutes
Director: Russell P. Marleau

An openly gay teen is faced with high school hell in The Curiosity of Chance, a throwback to the John Hughes-styled comedies of the 1980s.

Imagine John Hughes' Pretty in Pink if Ducky were the film's star - and gay. This loopy, unlikely teen comedy more than fulfills that fantasy, tracking the exploits of a charming, queer dandy in the stultifying world of high school during the tacky '80s.

Though it's set "somewhere in Europe," Brickland International High School is much like any secondary educational institution: full of teenaged barbarians that just want to drag a guy down. Popular kids, fashionistas and bullies sporting thin ties and mullets make for a grim welcoming committee as Chance glides into school on his first day decked out in top hat and cane. His fashion sense and quick wit are almost all he needs to deflect ennui and homophobic threats, particularly from football jock Brad Harden, who predicts that exposure to fags will soon have all the real men fantasizing about Patrick Swayze. Luckily (and naturally?), Chance befriends the school's other biggest misfits, sassy Twyla and nerdy Hank, who help him through the thickets of high school hell. A "chance" night out at a local drag bar, a little detective work and an unlikely allegiance with straight dreamboat sports jock/wannabe musician Levi, and Chance seems poised to rock both the school and his own world. Brisk, colorful and awash in classic '80s pop music, this quirky feature from Russell Marleau is a gay bubble-gum delight. - SHANNON KELLEY

October 19, Opening Night Party,
Lobby of SouthSide Works Theater after the movie
Must have ticket for Opening Night Movie