EastSiders

The lives and loves of a gay couple in Southern California take center stage in this snappy, soapy feature film version of a web-based series from writer-director-star Kit Williamson. They're young, good looking, and they like to drink: Cal (Williamson), an aspiring photographer, and Thom (Van Hansis), an aspiring writer, have been together for 2.8 years. Cal works in an art gallery and Thom works in a bar. EastSiders focuses on a six-month period during which everything falls apart. When Cal's mother (Traci Lords) travels from Arizona to visit, Cal's possibly inherited attraction to alcohol becomes clear, although his consumption can't match his mother's. After Cal finds out that Thom has been seeing Jeremy (Matthew McKelligon)—a multilingual marijuana enthusiast of indeterminate profession—Thom vows to stop seeing him, but doesn't, so Cal spills the beans to Jeremy about their relationship, bringing the affair to an end. But Thom can't stop thinking about Jeremy, and Cal is no angel either, enjoying a fling with his boss, Paul (Sean Maher). Cal's best friend, Kathy (Constance Wu), also has romantic woes. She's been seeing Ian (John Halbach) for months, but when Kathy finds out that she's pregnant, she also proves to be ineffective at sharing crucial information with her partner. Somehow, the actors manage to inspire sympathy for these dissembling characters who make mistakes, tell lies, and say some pretty cruel things, but are always there for each other in the clinch. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)