Paul Rudnick has adapted his own off-Broadway hit with this witty if slightly flawed comedy. Jeffrey (the chipper Steven Weber), a gay aspiring actor, has come to a momentous decision: In the age of AIDS, he's going to become celibate. Then he meets the devastatingly handsome Steve (Michael T. Weiss). As these two men tentatively begin a relationship, Jeffrey learns of Steve's HIV-positive status, which only complicates his fear of commitment.
The success of Rudnick's play and film lies, partially, in creating a comedy centered around the subject of AIDS, and endowing it with an acerbic, even sardonic sense of humor. And when Jeffrey is funny (which it is most of the time), it is very, very funny. But in the filmization, certain dramatic scenes only magnify their less-than developed emotions. Patrick Stewart gloriously camps it up as Jeffrey's rich, designer friend Sterling, bringing unexpected depth to his role. Bryan Batt reprises his stage role as Sterling's PWA lover, and cameos include Sigourney Weaver, Kathy Najimy, Olympia Dukakis and a scene-stealing Nathan Lane.
