I Am Michael (2015) Reviews

• Really not much

  barbagvido2017-04-20

  I Am Michael is a movie based on a true story about Michael Glatze, a gay activist who apparently turned straight. It stars James Franco, Emma Roberts and Zachary Quinto. Unsurprisingly, this movie caused a lot of controversy. But the movie is just so forgettable. This is one of the best roles of James Franco that I've seen and Quinto did a pretty good job too. Actually, the acting in this film is pretty good in general. But the script and the direction are what causes problems. It's like they are not really sure what story they wanted to tell, what message they wanted to show. They make a movie with this subject, but then again, it's like they couldn't decided if they wanted to show Michael happy in his new life or no. So you really don't know what is going on. I guess they didn't want to take sides, but hey, this movie was bound to cause some controversy, so why bother? And when the movie ends, not much really sticks with you and you forget a lot about it eventually. This movie did featured some talent, but what ruined it was bad decisions by the writers and a bland direction combined with cinematography that just makes the movie look kinda boring. I say skip on this one.

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• Effective Performances

  SLUGMagazineFilms2015-02-03

  Audiences are first introduced to Michael Glatze (James Franco) as he chastises a young gay teenager and declares moral individuals choose heterosexuality and God. However, this was not always the case with Mr. Glatze. Rewind the story a decade and we find Michael living happily in San Francisco with his partner Bennett (Zachary Quinto) as he works as the Managing Editor of XY Magazine, a popular gay lifestyle publication. Glatze encouraged gay communities to identify with their sexuality, but after a medical scare revolving around his potential heart condition, Glatze begins his journey exploring Christianity and abandoning his former beliefs and lifestyle. Franco beautifully portrays an obviously confused individual questioning his own mortality and willing to risk everything he's built his life around. Quinto offers the supporting shoulder as he is forced to move forward into an uncertain future with the love of his life. Director Justin Kelly effectively leads audiences though the life of a confused individual who abandons one life for another while outsiders both ridicule and praise his challenging choice. -Jimmy Martin

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• Anti gay movie, offensive, but still boring

  michalk92018-03-12

  I am shocked how bad this movie was. On so many levels! First of all, this is an anti gay movie. You have to be aware of that. I don't blame Zachary Quinto ,who is gay in real life, for playing in this film. I understand that as an actor you can't be sure what will happen with your character in post production. I definitely blame the director, writer and the editor for the direction of this movie. Imagine a young guy who just discovers he's gay, watching this movie. What message would he get from it? This is not only bad, this is dangerous. Exactly as Michael Glatze himself. I'm gay myself and I come from a very catholic family. Let me tell you this, the church has been trying to make me hate myself for being gay for years and they use the story of Michael Glatze as justification for their hate and hypocrisy. A movie like this just helps them. Btw. Michael Glatze got $75,000 for this film. I guess god is not enough, ha? So they not only made an anti gay movie, they also paid the person responsible for so many broken lives. So he has more money for "preaching" his hypocrisy. This is outrageous!

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• Still Trying to work out the ruddy point

  t-dooley-69-3869162017-04-12

  Michael is a young man that thinks a lot. We first meet him when he is working for a campaigning, gay magazine and he is with Ben whom he seems to love and has committed to. Then Michael's mother dies and he starts to think about his whole existence and what happens after death. This leads him on a spiritual path where he realises that he no longer identifies as 'gay'. Now that is all well and dandy but this film really takes its time. Michael is shown as a troubled man who seems to engender a lot of care, sympathy and warmth from those around him and this is despite him being as inspiring as a used shopping list. His continual whinging about his inner turmoil with God and his old beliefs wear very thin very fast. I kept thinking the plot might make a welcomed detour but alas and alack nay. It really was an absolute bind to get through and that is even with a very good cast, some excellent performances, high production values and good cinematography. It is based on a short story and that may be where the problem is in that there is just simply not enough 'plot' here to make a full length feature. The other major trip for me is that you have to care about the characters in order to be engaged and gain empathy and I stopped caring for Michael around half way through. The supporting cast are often more deserving and as such this just did not work for me at all.

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• Great Movie about Michael Glatze

  Westeire2015-12-28

  Great movie about Michael Glatze. Getting a lot of mixed reviews from the LGBT community, the reality is we have to be open to everyone and not just those who share the same views as us. It would have been easy for Kelly to direct a feature which depicted Glatze as a self-hating gay man who hurls himself back in the closet, but the truth may be more complicated (some have suggested Glatze may not have been gay in the first place), and the film attempts to present the facts of his life at the time without making judgments. Its a great movie. The movie may be uncomfortable viewing for some (Gay and Straight) but its a movie that is worthy in its own right.

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