Chuck & Buck.(Artisan Entertainment; late July) The makers: Miguel Arteta, director; Michael White, writer The stars: White, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Lupe Ontiveras, Beth Colt The pitch: The socially retarded Buck fixates en his straight boyhood chum, Chuck, as the object of his affections. The reason we care: Once the arguments break out--is Buck a predatory homo? Is Chuck a latent closet case? Can friendship trump sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. ?--you're going to need to have an opinion. The inside scoop: "Most Hollywood movies that deal with arrested development, like Forrest Gump or Rain Man, infantilize in·fan·til·ize tr.v. in·fan·til·ized, in·fan·til·iz·ing, in·fan·til·iz·es 1. To reduce to an infantile state or condition: their characters' sexuality," says Arteta, who directed the equally quirky Stap Maps. But with Buck--who's played by White, one of the producers of TV's Freaks and Geeks Freaks and Geeks is an American television series, created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 TV season. Although the show, considered a comedy-drama, garnered much critical acclaim and a devoted cult following, repeated and the screenplay's author--"there's no confusion with his sexual orientation. He's gay, and he's much more comfortable with that than any-one else in the movie. But that's not the issue. The issue is that he has a problem with his friend." Yes, but when the film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, it earned a dubious rep as a gay stalker comedy. "is there such a genre?" says Arteta, laughing. "it's really the flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). to a stalker movie--it doesn't lead to suicide or homicide. Buck may be obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. , but he isn't really dangerous." "AMERICAN PIE" CONNECTION WE'RE CURIOUS ABOUT Chuck & Buck How did a couple of nice straight teen-comedy whiz kids brothers Chris and Paul Weitz--ever end up in what promises to be one of the edgiest DaY movies of the summer? With the $100-million-Drown American Pie (Paul directed, Chris produced), the Weitzes proved themselves adept at horny horn·y adj. 1. Made of horn or a similar substance. 2. Tough and calloused, as of skin. , hereto Dross-out humor. Add to that the fact that neither had ever worked as an actor before, and you have to assume some madly inspired casting director foisted them upon director Arteta to play Day simpleton sim·ple·ton n. A person who is felt to be deficient in judgment, good sense, or intelligence; a fool. [simple + -ton (as in surnames such as Chesterton, Singleton). Buck's heterosexual foils. But, no Arteta picked them himself. "At first we were tempted to cast name actors, but then we came to our senses," he says, laughing, "I decided just to cast my friends--Paul and t had Done to Wesleyan [University] together--because I thought it would make it fresher and more real." Besides, Arteta superstitiously Done to a palm reader in January [1999], and she'd told me I'd be working two brothers by March." |
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