Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

runamokprods Sweet, well-intended comedy/drama examining sexuality and love. A company comes out with a pill to make gay men straight and Tim (a very good Jonathan Slavin) decides to try it, since there is a painful lack of romance in his life as a gay man, while a number smart women seem to like him. This leads to all sorts of complications, hurt feelings, lost friendships. Some of this is clunky, the plot relying a bit heavily on some thin ideas, cliché characters, and big coincidences. But it has a good heart, nice performances and ultimately is a real affirmation of self- acceptance, without pretending that is always an easy thing.

moonspinner55 Hapless 33-year-old gay man with only a few friends volunteers to take a new drug which promises to make him heterosexual. The trouble with this premise is, the central character (inhibited and wounded) would be unhappy in any sexual environment, either with a woman or another man. Writer-director John Baumgartner doesn't seem to take this into consideration, and so puts our hero into uncomfortable scenes such as the one where he gets intimate with a female co-worker (who is seen as desperate and deluded). Low-budget and self-conscious, the picture doesn't even have the energy to hint at any intriguing ideas other than straight-vs.-gay. Baumgartner sees the casual indifference of the bar crowds and gives us a glimpse of the man's office job and his lonely life, but the main issue ("What would life be like if I were straight?") is too facile and obvious as a story-hook. Why not make the guy a bigot who is forced to take a gay pill? The point made here is strictly a dead-end one, made even worse by one-dimensional people who don't merit much interest. * from ****

NJMoon Don't let the title fool you. HARD PILL is not one of those Showtime movies that tackles a modern morality issue at the expense of character, plot and general viewer enjoyment. Yes, the underlying story is of a young gay man who joins a medical study to test a pill to turn him straight. But the premise is really just a springboard to explore relationships and the wonderful pain and joy when human beings seek to 'connect'. A variety of characters in various stages of relationships are all forced to re-assess their tenuous links to one another when our hero agrees to go on the pill. The film is full of honest, intelligent performances with room for humor, sentiment and yes - even some social commentary. HARD PILL is a prescription for a thought-provoking and entertaining 90 minutes that went down well with me.

B24 Caught this film on cable TV by chance and, by waiting through the first thirty minutes for something interesting to develop, enjoyed it thoroughly.At first glance or upon first contemplating the underlying notion that Tim's angst was perhaps the result of some sort of malady for which there was a "cure," the unsuspecting viewer is drawn into a plot that seems thin but then becomes increasingly complex as new characters enter on the scene. What holds this together so well are clever asides in which one is clued into what's really happening or what the characters are really thinking. While that device may seem trite or forced in other films, it works well in this one.What I liked best about this "hard pill" was how believable seemingly oddball characters could be rendered without much bitterness or conflict, yet how engaging the plot could be -- wondering all the while how things would turn out. The ending was maybe a little too predictable based on early adumbration, but fine acting from a cast of virtual unknowns carries the day.I suppose there is no need to label these comments as containing a true "spoiler," but I need to mention that one leaves this movie with a feeling that everyone received their just deserts.No dessert needed.