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Harvey Fierstein had a smash hit on Broadway with the stage version of this story about a drag queen, but whatever the magic there was doesn't show up in this film adaptation. (Fierstein allegedly couldn't line up an A-list or even B-list director in 1988 to tackle the gay story line, so he agreed to work with Paul Bogart, a ubiquitous television director but an undistinguished feature filmmaker.) Fierstein's performance is fine, but likely a shadow of his live work, while Anne Bancroft is very strong in the role of his character's mother. Matthew Broderick went against the tide of fear shared by most Hollywood actors at the time about playing gay characters. The times have certainly changed since then. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (46)

"A pretty person who goes after a ugly person gets cab fare"
In 1988, the film version of the Tony Award-winning, landmark play "Torch Song Trilogy", which was written by the outspoken and very witty Harvey Fierstein, was released to theaters. Written originally as three separate one-act plays between 1978 and 1979 ("The International Stud", "Fugue in a Nursery" and "Widows and Children First"), Harvey Fierstein combined them into the more familiar three-act play "Torch Song Trilogy" in 1981 since each one-act play focused on the life of a gay man named Arnold (played by Harvey Fierstein), who is a gay drag-show entertainer. In the first act, Arnold meets a stranger at a bar named Ed (Brian Kerwin). A precarious relationship develops quickly between Ed and Arnold, but Ed also wants to marry a woman named Laurel (Karen Young). In the second act, Arnold meets a young man named Alan (Matthew Broderick) at the club where Arnold performs. A long-term relationship develops between Arnold and Alan until an unexpected tragedy occurs. The third act focuses on Arnold taking care of a teenaged son, David (Eddie Castrodad) that he & Alan had adopted, as well as Arnold's ongoing difficulties with his mother (Anne Bancroft).

With excellent dialog, engaging personalities and superb acting, "Torch Song Trilogy" is a fantastic film, demonstrating not only the love that exists within gay couples, but also the very real difficulties that many gay men face in their daily lives, including the all-too-often difficulties with family members who cannot accept them for who they are. Harvey Fierstein's unique voice adds a special flare to his drag show performances, as well as to his arguments with his mother. Anne Bancroft's performance is superb and emotional. Matthew Broderick did a wonderful portraying Alan. Interestingly, he had played the teenaged son David when "Torch Song Trilogy" was being performed on stage as a play. Brian Kerwin and Karen Young also portray their roles well. Other significant characters in the film include Bertha Venation (Charles Pierce), Marina Del Rey (Alex Vera), the young Arnold (Benji Schulman) and Murray (Kevin Page). Overall, I rate "Torch Song Trilogy" with 5 out of 5 stars. It's especially great to be able to watch the film on widescreen DVD.

The great Harvey
I adore this movie for its lead performances and sheer sense of life. It's a one-of-a-kind film with the most unconventional leading man ever to appear in a Hollywood feature: the unforgettable Harvey Fierstein. Not only does Fierstein dominate every scene in which he appears, but he also wrote the screenplay adaptation from his original Broadway play.

The stage version of Torch Song Trilogy, as its title suggests, consists of three self-contained one-act plays. Performed together, the three plays tell the continuing story of Arnold, a Brooklyn drag queen extraordinaire. The movie follows the stage version fairly closely, but adds several new characters along the way, together with some fresh (and sparkling) dialogue in this most quotable of movies. All of the additions, in fact, improve on the original, and Ken Page and Charles Pierce in the roles of Arnold's fellow performers endow the movie with some marvellously campy moments.

The movie is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking. It also manages to be thought-provoking without being preachy. Anne Bancroft is superb as Harvey Fierstein's larger than life mother, and the many confrontational moments between the two are as powerful as they are truthful. Some have complained that Bancroft's performance is too over the top in a scenery-chewing kind of way, but I loved it. Besides, as gay friends in the same situation as Fierstein's character have told me, this is exactly how their mothers reacted to THEIR homosexuality.

Among the other cast members, Brian Kerwin does a fine job as Ed, the confused bisexual lover of Arnold, and Matthew Broderick is a winsome Alan, the young man who walks into Arnold's life at an unexpected moment in the movie. Broderick was no stranger to Torch Song Trilogy, having played the part of David, Arnold's adopted son, in the 1981 stage version. Here the part of David is played by newcomer Eddie Castrodad, who plays an almost-convincing 15-year-old despite the fact that he was in his early 30s at the time.

But it is Harvey Fierstein whose extraordinary presence, wit, and acting range hold this movie together. For those who have only seen his cameo roles in Hollywood fodder such as Independence Day and Mrs Doubtfire, his performance here will come as a huge surprise. He is unique; there is no other word for it.

The only blight on this otherwise splendid movie is Paul Bogart's flat, uninspired direction. His treatment simply lacks the magic touch this story so richly deserves, and it's a great shame that such an outstanding cast and script were let down by his TV movie approach.

But don't let that put you off buying this priceless gem of a movie.

The best gay film of all time
Every person that I turn on to this movie absolutely loves it and eventually adds it to their dvd collections as a result. Even after watching TST many, many times (and believe it or not, it is playing now!) I still believe it is the very best gay themed movie of all time..and I have seen them all...Superb acting, laugh-out-loud funny and very touching...Bancroft and Fierstein shine!

If you are straight (or gay in some cases) and can't stand gay people, don't even bother renting or buying this film. But, regardless of your sexual orientation, if you are a mature, openminded person, and respect all people for who and what they are, you will enjoy it.

Get it. You'll love it!

Warm and Funny and Heartfelt
I gave this 5 stars based on its original release date. Yes, it is a bit dated now, but it really does not hurt the film if you look at it as a snapshot of the time. Fierstein is just wonderful. I dare you to not love Arnold by the end of this movie. He is warm, funny, sentimental, loyal, and kind - and still not sappy; an oddball hero that you can't stop hoping for. (ugh- preoposition). Broderick is charming and romantic as the knight in shining armor. Kerwin is heartbreaking and has some beautiful scenes to work with here. Bancroft is a force-of-nature and while she is sometimes over-the-top, she still remains very human. A comedy, semi-period piece, love story about family,blood or otherwise, and the things that bring us together and ultimately hold us together. Quite wonderful actually.

The No.1 Classic Gay Drama I have Ever Watched.
Finally, I have seen a gay movie which is not merely about the misery of being dumped by a gay lover or trying to come out in a family.

Torch Song Trilogy is a biographical work about the life of the protagonist drag queen, Arnold. The movie starts humourously with the mother's discovery of the son hiding in a closet and trying to beautifying himself with her make-up. The mother yelled, "What are you doing in the ---". Then the mother knew what was going on.

The movie can be basically divided into three parts (that's why it's titled trilogy) - his career as a professional drag queen (or politically correct - a female impersonator), during which he knew a bisexual man; his falling in love with a middle class boy who is still uncontaminated by the world. He, however, was sadly, killed by hateful discrimination. Finally, the movie has a touch of adopting a (gay) son and brings out the issue of gay parenting. The movie ends with a fight, not a reconciliation, between the mother and the gay son. Each part of the movie tells you the life and the bumpy road Arnold was living through at the moment. The movie does not depict it in a pitiful way, or else, it lets the plot bring out the emotio spontaneously to the audience. The dialogues are clever, symbolic and witty. The acting is professional and does not go over the top. The director deals with the fantastic scripts carefully and the final scene of Arnold holding the three most valuable things in his life in a chair is simply self-effacing.

Torch Song Trilogy is a gay classic drama. There is nothing pretentious. The movie does not ask for your pity for Arnold's tragic life, but your understanding of what he has been through. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

"A pretty person who goes after a ugly person gets cab fare"
In 1988, the film version of the Tony Award-winning, landmark play "Torch Song Trilogy", which was written by the outspoken and very witty Harvey Fierstein, was released to theaters. Written originally as three separate one-act plays between 1978 and 1979 ("The International Stud", "Fugue in a Nursery" and "Widows and Children First"), Harvey Fierstein combined them into the more familiar three-act play "Torch Song Trilogy" in 1981 since each one-act play focused on the life of a gay man named Arnold (played by Harvey Fierstein), who is a gay drag-show entertainer. In the first act, Arnold meets a stranger at a bar named Ed (Brian Kerwin). A precarious relationship develops quickly between Ed and Arnold, but Ed also wants to marry a woman named Laurel (Karen Young). In the second act, Arnold meets a young man named Alan (Matthew Broderick) at the club where Arnold performs. A long-term relationship develops between Arnold and Alan until an unexpected tragedy occurs. The third act focuses on Arnold taking care of a teenaged son, David (Eddie Castrodad) that he & Alan had adopted, as well as Arnold's ongoing difficulties with his mother (Anne Bancroft).

With excellent dialog, engaging personalities and superb acting, "Torch Song Trilogy" is a fantastic film, demonstrating not only the love that exists within gay couples, but also the very real difficulties that many gay men face in their daily lives, including the all-too-often difficulties with family members who cannot accept them for who they are. Harvey Fierstein's unique voice adds a special flare to his drag show performances, as well as to his arguments with his mother. Anne Bancroft's performance is superb and emotional. Matthew Broderick did a wonderful portraying Alan. Interestingly, he had played the teenaged son David when "Torch Song Trilogy" was being performed on stage as a play. Brian Kerwin and Karen Young also portray their roles well. Other significant characters in the film include Bertha Venation (Charles Pierce), Marina Del Rey (Alex Vera), the young Arnold (Benji Schulman) and Murray (Kevin Page). Overall, I rate "Torch Song Trilogy" with 5 out of 5 stars. It's especially great to be able to watch the film on widescreen DVD.

The great Harvey
I adore this movie for its lead performances and sheer sense of life. It's a one-of-a-kind film with the most unconventional leading man ever to appear in a Hollywood feature: the unforgettable Harvey Fierstein. Not only does Fierstein dominate every scene in which he appears, but he also wrote the screenplay adaptation from his original Broadway play.

The stage version of Torch Song Trilogy, as its title suggests, consists of three self-contained one-act plays. Performed together, the three plays tell the continuing story of Arnold, a Brooklyn drag queen extraordinaire. The movie follows the stage version fairly closely, but adds several new characters along the way, together with some fresh (and sparkling) dialogue in this most quotable of movies. All of the additions, in fact, improve on the original, and Ken Page and Charles Pierce in the roles of Arnold's fellow performers endow the movie with some marvellously campy moments.

The movie is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking. It also manages to be thought-provoking without being preachy. Anne Bancroft is superb as Harvey Fierstein's larger than life mother, and the many confrontational moments between the two are as powerful as they are truthful. Some have complained that Bancroft's performance is too over the top in a scenery-chewing kind of way, but I loved it. Besides, as gay friends in the same situation as Fierstein's character have told me, this is exactly how their mothers reacted to THEIR homosexuality.

Among the other cast members, Brian Kerwin does a fine job as Ed, the confused bisexual lover of Arnold, and Matthew Broderick is a winsome Alan, the young man who walks into Arnold's life at an unexpected moment in the movie. Broderick was no stranger to Torch Song Trilogy, having played the part of David, Arnold's adopted son, in the 1981 stage version. Here the part of David is played by newcomer Eddie Castrodad, who plays an almost-convincing 15-year-old despite the fact that he was in his early 30s at the time.

But it is Harvey Fierstein whose extraordinary presence, wit, and acting range hold this movie together. For those who have only seen his cameo roles in Hollywood fodder such as Independence Day and Mrs Doubtfire, his performance here will come as a huge surprise. He is unique; there is no other word for it.

The only blight on this otherwise splendid movie is Paul Bogart's flat, uninspired direction. His treatment simply lacks the magic touch this story so richly deserves, and it's a great shame that such an outstanding cast and script were let down by his TV movie approach.

But don't let that put you off buying this priceless gem of a movie.

The best gay film of all time
Every person that I turn on to this movie absolutely loves it and eventually adds it to their dvd collections as a result. Even after watching TST many, many times (and believe it or not, it is playing now!) I still believe it is the very best gay themed movie of all time..and I have seen them all...Superb acting, laugh-out-loud funny and very touching...Bancroft and Fierstein shine!

If you are straight (or gay in some cases) and can't stand gay people, don't even bother renting or buying this film. But, regardless of your sexual orientation, if you are a mature, openminded person, and respect all people for who and what they are, you will enjoy it.

Get it. You'll love it!

Warm and Funny and Heartfelt
I gave this 5 stars based on its original release date. Yes, it is a bit dated now, but it really does not hurt the film if you look at it as a snapshot of the time. Fierstein is just wonderful. I dare you to not love Arnold by the end of this movie. He is warm, funny, sentimental, loyal, and kind - and still not sappy; an oddball hero that you can't stop hoping for. (ugh- preoposition). Broderick is charming and romantic as the knight in shining armor. Kerwin is heartbreaking and has some beautiful scenes to work with here. Bancroft is a force-of-nature and while she is sometimes over-the-top, she still remains very human. A comedy, semi-period piece, love story about family,blood or otherwise, and the things that bring us together and ultimately hold us together. Quite wonderful actually.

The No.1 Classic Gay Drama I have Ever Watched.
Finally, I have seen a gay movie which is not merely about the misery of being dumped by a gay lover or trying to come out in a family.

Torch Song Trilogy is a biographical work about the life of the protagonist drag queen, Arnold. The movie starts humourously with the mother's discovery of the son hiding in a closet and trying to beautifying himself with her make-up. The mother yelled, "What are you doing in the ---". Then the mother knew what was going on.

The movie can be basically divided into three parts (that's why it's titled trilogy) - his career as a professional drag queen (or politically correct - a female impersonator), during which he knew a bisexual man; his falling in love with a middle class boy who is still uncontaminated by the world. He, however, was sadly, killed by hateful discrimination. Finally, the movie has a touch of adopting a (gay) son and brings out the issue of gay parenting. The movie ends with a fight, not a reconciliation, between the mother and the gay son. Each part of the movie tells you the life and the bumpy road Arnold was living through at the moment. The movie does not depict it in a pitiful way, or else, it lets the plot bring out the emotio spontaneously to the audience. The dialogues are clever, symbolic and witty. The acting is professional and does not go over the top. The director deals with the fantastic scripts carefully and the final scene of Arnold holding the three most valuable things in his life in a chair is simply self-effacing.

Torch Song Trilogy is a gay classic drama. There is nothing pretentious. The movie does not ask for your pity for Arnold's tragic life, but your understanding of what he has been through. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Horrible sequel
Because I was nuts about the original with Michael J. Fox, I felt that I had to go see this movie when it came out. Although it stared Jason Bateman in the lead role this time (Fox had other committments) I figured that I would give it a chance and so went to the theaters.

College student Todd Howard may be more intially popular than his small town cousin Scott, but the revealing of the family secret is much less amusing this time because it is basically the same synopsis with a location and some character changes. This of course did not make a successful movie, and I venture to argue, may have actually hurt the franchise's chances.

To his credit, Bateman really tries to make this film work, but lacks Fox's same comic timing and the ability to play an average person blessed with a rather unusal family curse. The problem is, the sensitivity and confusion that Fox managed to convey throughout the first film never shows up in the hastily produced sequel. ... Read more