The Trip (2002 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.(April 2008)
Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

The Trip (2002)
Directed by	Miles Swain
Written by	Miles Swain
Starring	Larry Sullivan Steve Braun Ray Baker Alexis Arquette Sirena Irwin Jill St. John Art Hindle
Distributed by	TLA Releasing
Running time	95 mins
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Trip is a 2002 epic gay romance that traces the course of two men from their initial meeting in 1973 until 1984.

[edit] Plot synopsis

The time is the socially turbulent 1970s when radical politics and the emerging gay rights movement clashed with the rigidly conservative establishment. At a swanky L.A. party, lean and lanky Tommy (Steve Braun) locks eyes with the sexually and politically repressed Alan (Larry Sullivan). Tommy has long blond hair, and is openly gay with a glib sense of humor. While he's organizing for gay civil rights, the muscular, shaggy-haired Alan is a member of the Young Republicans and an aspiring journalist. He is working on his first book, a treatise on the evils of homosexuality, and invites Tommy over for dinner to interview him for the book. The sexual tension is so intense that Alan's kooky girlfriend Beverly (Sirena Irwin) quickly departs, leaving the two to begin a hot and steamy romance.

Fast forward to 1977 – Anita Bryant is organizing the "Save Our Children" campaign in Florida and Alan's book has been published and boycotted and used as a tool by the right-wingers. When word is leaked about who actually wrote the book, Tommy angrily leaves Alan and quickly becomes a "kept boy" of Peter (Ray Baker), a closeted wealthy gay man. Flash-forward again to 1984, where Tommy (Now ill with AIDS and living a rather secluded life in Mexico.) and Alan meet up again, making this life-long romance come full circle, though under tragic circumstances.

Relevant gay rights news footage, from Stonewall for example, historically sets each segment in the film, making the movie more realistic and educational. Alan and Tommy's plight to fight for the acceptance of homosexuality takes on metaphorical significance, while other characters in the film, like Tommy's best friend, Michael (Alexis Arquette), and Alan's mother (Jill St. John), bring the narrative humor specific to The Trip back into focus.