Treading Water

“You're dressed like a longshoreman,” Casey's mother says, castigating her twentysomething daughter on her unfeminine garb prior to a family get-together. “I am a longshoreman!” she replies. Literally, that's true; but the L-word Casey's disapproving mom really has in mind is "lesbian," and the conflict over Casey's sexual orientation lies at the heart of this rather schematic drama revolving around whether she should officially come out of the closet by bringing girlfriend Alex to meet the folks. While the performances by a cast of largely unknown actors are pretty good, and the romance is handled in a naturalistic way, the willful intransigence of the homophobic mom feels dictated more by an issue-oriented script than realism. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director-producer Lauren Himmel and costars Nina Landey and Angela Redman, a two-minute extended love scene, a text bio of Himmel, and a brief trailer. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a somewhat flawed film.] (T. Rich)