Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
EAN: 9781573624381
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 1573624381
Label: Lions Gate
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 2.0 SurroundSpanishSubtitledFrenchSubtitled
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
MPN: 71180
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Lions Gate
Region Code: 1
Release Date: December 22, 1998
Running Time: 92 minutes
Studio: Lions Gate
Theatrical Release Date: July 24, 1998

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
First-time director Tommy O'Haver garnered a lot of critical acclaim for this contribution to the "new queer cinema." But he seems more clued in as to its weight than the reviewers. O'Haver rightly calls Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss a Tommy O'Haver "trifle" in the credits and he's on the money in estimating what his film is worth. For sure, the movie has much going for it; it's wholeheartedly enjoyable and packed with the usual dynamic that saturates most gay-themed films: what does one do when that object of desire is heterosexual? In this case O'Haver at least gives his protagonist, Billy, played by Sean P. Hayes, another obsession besides the Brad Pitt-lookalike, prophetically named Gabriel, who is enigmatically acted by Brad Rowe. This is because Billy is a photographer, as addicted to finding the perfect picture as the perfect man. His world is formed by old movies: From Here to Eternity and Imitation of Life are his criteria and the flirty foreplay by which to gauge whether or not a love will have stamina and staying power. Of course, Billy is bound to be disappointed by gay-friendly Gabriel, who is struggling in his own way as much as Billy. Full of the usual mix of second-string players who inhabit the gay milieu (e.g., the best female friend who has man trouble of her own, and the older, secure pal who has secretly held Billy in his sights for some time), O'Haver's film breaks the mold by keeping to a dark note. It resembles a Pedro Almodovar spectacle initially with its saturated look and primary-color palette. But three-fourths through, Billy and his gang walk into the contemporary gay equivalent of a Gidget movie. The shift is surprising and even sometimes funny. Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss has a lot going for it, but it's still just a trifle, and not a milestone in the genre. --Paula Nechak




Rating: - The Kiss
"Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss"

The Kiss

Amos Lassen

"Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" is the story of a struggling gay photographer, Billy (Sean Hayes), who is tired of being the other man. He falls in love with Gabriel, an aspiring musician and waiter who is in all probability straight. Billy tries to get Gabriel (Brad Rowe) to model for his new project which is a series of photographs based on famous Hollywood screen kisses. At the same time, Billy tries to ... Read More

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Rating: - My Life Exactly...Almost...
This DVD is a great one to have 'just because'. Not only is it witty in many of the right spots, but the heartstrings become comfortably taught during many of the more intimate/emotional portions of the piece - especially during this particular time in history when Gay Rights seem to be evolving each day; it's almost a look back to our (GLBT peoples') own struggle - it's comforting almost.

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Rating: - Fellini Meets Rob Reiner
Director Tommy O'Haver seems to have been unable to choose between making Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss a no-nonsense romantic comedy or a Fellini epic. (Check out the excellent director's commentary, where he mentions Fellini's Fellini - Satyricon as a potential model.) Whether this is a distraction or part of the movie's charm will depend on the viewer, but either way it's an enjoyable and worthwhile movie.

Although characterized as a "gay film", the dilemma the main character faces ... Read More

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Rating: - A romping good time!
I bought this movie because 1)I LOVE anything Matthew Ashford and 2) Sean Hayes is hysterically funny!

Poor Billy's life is a shambles. His career is nosediving and his love life needs a boost. Enter sweet (and sexy) Gabriel who transforms (without ever actually succeeding) in making Billy's dreams come true.

It is a story of unrequitted love and dashed dreams. You might cry at how, no matter what Billy tries, he can never seem to catch a break. We root for the underdog, ... Read More

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Rating: - A Pre-"Just Jack" Sean Hayes on a Modest Journey of Self-Discovery
There's nothing wrong with a pleasant film about a gay photographer struggling in LA with not only his career but his growing infatuation with a handsome, ambiguous model. Its modesty is its chief appeal and its chief limitation, as screenwriter/director Tommy O'Haver knowingly dubs the 1998 film a trifle in the credits. Cast before he hit big as Jack McFarland in "Will and Grace", Sean Hayes affectingly plays Billy with nary the supercilious flamboyance that has become his TV character's trademark. It's ... Read More

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