Queerly Ever After #59: BEST DAY EVER (2014)

Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. There will be spoilers. Also, don’t forget to buy your Queerly Ever After merch right here.

It’s funny how a movie that is only 77 minutes long can feel like it drags on forever. Such is the case with writer/director Jeff London’s film Best Day Ever. Interestingly enough, I watched this movie after seeing the Christophe Honoré‘s, 2 hour and 12 minute long Sorry Angel, which never dragged.

Best Day Ever follows David (Mel England), an indie filmmaker about to turn 50, whose life is in a rut. In a dead-end relationship with gym-rat Greg (Nate Moore) and at a crossroads in his career, he’s verging on a mid-life crisis. That is, until Greg decides they need to take a break and his best friend James’ (Peter Stickles) cousin Shane (Tom Saporito) comes to visit from Indiana. As with any formulaic movie, David and Shane fall quickly in love despite David’s misgivings about their 15-year age gap. Honestly, at this point in their lives, such a gap is no big deal.

This movie is clearly very personal for filmmaker Jeff London, with David an obvious stand-in for him. While he has certainly learned more about screenwriting from his previous films, he has not seemed to have learned more about blocking, lighting, sound mixing, or cinematography. The flat lighting and lack of blocking make the already too long scenes feel endless, and the pacing of the script leaves much to be desired.

A Very Personal Film

David, as a character, constantly bemoans the reception his films get by critics. He does not appreciate his movies being labeled as schmaltzy. I imagine this is how London feels about the reception that his films receive. The thing is, if he doesn’t want to be labeled as schmaltzy, then he should stop making movies that are so sickly sweet they could give you a cavity. Now, I’m not saying movies can’t be sweet, I write an entire column about movies with happily-ever-afters, I’m a sucker for a good romance, or even a mediocre one, but sorry to say, London‘s films are just not good. To be perfectly honest, even though on a technical level Best Day Ever is better than London‘s previous films in this column (Regarding Billy and Arizona Sky), I actually preferred watching the other two, at least they were good for a laugh.

According to the film’s IMDb page, this movie is even more personal for London than one would first guess. It’s very obvious that David is a stand-in for the filmmaker, but what you don’t realize when watching the movie is that London himself, after being single for years he met, and fell in love with a man, presumably 15 years younger than he, who showed him how to live again. Knowing how personal this movie is to the filmmaker, I would love to have something nicer to say. It sucks to put your heart out there for it to be rejected. Unfortunately, it’s just a flat movie. Not bad enough for a laugh, not good enough to make you invested. David spends the majority of the movie bemoaning his impending birthday, great drama that does not make.

In Conclusion: Best Day Ever

Extremely long scenes, flat lighting, a lack of blocking, and a meandering story all come together to create this dull, tired movie. Contrary to the name, you will not have the best day ever when you watch this movie. Perhaps instead, watch the Spongebob Squarepants musical episode of the same name.

Best Day Ever came out in the USA on December 9, 2014. For all other release dates, see here.

Watch Best Day Ever