Shared Rooms

Rob Williams's holiday comedy revolves around a group of gay friends living in Los Angeles. Married couple Cal (Alec Manley Wilson) and Laslo (Christopher Grant Pearson) have no desire to be parents, especially since they never see their friends who have kids anymore. But then Cal's gay 17-year-old nephew, Zeke (Ryan Weldon), turns up unexpectedly, looking for a place to live after his mother kicks him out. Before long, Cal and Laslo find themselves acting like surrogate parents. Photographer Sid (Justin Xavier Smith) doesn't want to spend Christmas alone, so he makes a date with fellow nudist Gray (Alexander Neil Miller), a writer, through a hookup site. They end up spending several days together during which Gray discovers that Sid is a recovering alcoholic and Sid learns that Gray was kidnapped as a child. Julian (Daniel Lipshutz), who is single, also faces the prospect of a lonely Christmas since his roommate, Dylan (Robert Werner), is always out of town, so he rents out his room through an Airbnb site geared towards gay men. Just as he's getting to know Frank (David Vaughn), his latest customer, Dylan returns home early. With no place else to sleep, the two share a bed, which would be innocent, except Dylan has been harboring a crush on Julian for years. The various storylines eventually merge when Cal and Laslo host their annual New Year's Eve party. A slight but often enjoyable holiday film, this is a strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)