Breakfast with Scot (Unrated) ** ½ | Their spoonful of sugar helps the messages go down
Posted on Fri, Apr. 25, 2008
BY RENE RODRIGUEZ
It's breakfast time with, from left, Ben Shenkman, Noah Bennett and Thomas Cavanaugh.
Heartwarming is the operative word in Breakfast with Scot, a crowd-pleasing comedy that makes up for its formulaic, sitcom-ready premise with likable performances and an inviting sense of humor.
Eric (Thomas Cavanaugh), a closeted ex-hockey player turned sportscaster, and Sam (Ben Shenkman), a lawyer, lead a happy, low-key life as a gay couple. Then a convoluted series of events forces them to take in 11-year-old Scot (Noah Bennett), Sam's nephew, who is as flamboyantly gay as they are not.
Fond of show tunes, makeup and feather boas, Scot's gargantuan wimpiness alarms the ex-jock Eric, who decides to help the kid butch up by teaching him to play hockey. Director Laurie Lynd keeps Breakfast with Scot from edging into after-school special territory by keeping the film's focus on its characters and not the lessons they're learning. The film's none-too-subtle messages about homophobia and the importance of being true to oneself go down easier with the plentiful humor, which occasionally even ventures into gross-out territory.
Breakfast with Scot is notable for being the first film endorsed by a major sports league: The NHL allowed the filmmakers to use the Toronto Maple Leafs logos and jerseys, which caused a minor controversy among hockey fans last fall. But it's hard to imagine even the staunchest jock grumbling about the decision once they see the way they've been used here. Breakfast with Scot isn't much on originality, but it is sweet enough to overcome the most cynical skeptic.
Cast: Thomas Cavanaugh, Ben Shenkman, Noah Bennett
Director: Laurie Lynd
Screenwriter: Sean Raycraft. Based on the novel by Michael Downing.
Producer: Paul Brown, Howard Rosenman
Vulgar language, adult themes. 98 minutes. Plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gusman.
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