Gayby

Last updated
Gayby
GaybyMoviePoster.jpg
Directed by Jonathan Lisecki
Written byJonathan Lisecki
Produced by Amy Hobby
Anne Hubbell
StarringJenn Harris
Matthew Wilkas
Mike Doyle
Anna Margaret Hollyman
Jack Ferver
Jonathan Lisecki
Release date
  • March 12, 2012 (2012-03-12)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Gayby is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Lisecki and starring Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, Mike Doyle, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Jack Ferver and Jonathan Lisecki. It is based on the 2010 short film of the same name. [1] It debuted on March 12, 2012 at the South by Southwest film festival. [2]

Contents

Plot

Jenn, a yoga instructor, and Matt, a comic book store worker, are best friends from college who are now single and in their 30s. In accordance with a pact they made in their youth, the two decide to have a baby ("gayby") together, though Jenn is straight and Matt is gay. Jenn's grandmother created a trust fund for her that she will be able to access if she has a child, so Jenn is confident that she and Matt will have the finances to care for it. Jenn states that she wants to have a baby through natural conception, so the two begin awkwardly having sex.

Meanwhile, Jenn is concerned with the stunted life she is living, treated as an underling at her yoga studio. Matt is recovering from a devastating breakup with his partner of six years, Tom, who is a rising comic book publisher. Matt finds himself struggling with getting back into the dating game and constantly avoiding awkward run-ins with Tom.

The two friends resolve to reinvigorate their dating lives and achieve their long-term goals—Jenn pushes the idea of innovative "warm" yoga classes at her studio, while Matt works on his own comic book, "Gayby"—about the adventures of a heroic gay baby—to pitch to a distributor. Both receive advice from friends about their goals and the pregnancy attempts—Jenn from her gay co-worker Jamie and her aggressive sister Kelly, who is in the process of adopting a child, and Matt from his dry, witty friend Nelson, who helps with their fertility treatments, having been a surrogate father himself.

After dating around, Jenn has a night of passionate sex with her boss's brother, Louis. Meanwhile, Matt meets a divorced, newly out gay father, Scott, who buys comic books at his store. The two begin a relationship, but Matt is frustrated at how slowly Scott wishes to proceed. Jenn and Matt are later thrilled when they learn Jenn is finally pregnant.

Jenn is furious to learn that Louis has a girlfriend and that he cheated on her with Jenn. In trying to defend himself, Louis reveals that he was single, also mentioning that their condoms broke during sex and that he thought Jenn knew and was okay with it. Jenn is devastated by the possibility that the child may not be Matt's after all. Jenn's boss, upon learning that her brother cheated on his girlfriend again with Jenn, angrily asks Jenn to take a leave of absence from the yoga studio.

While attending Matt's birthday party, Jenn hesitantly reveals that the child might be Louis's, which devastates Matt. He asks Jenn to return his apartment key and refuses to speak to her. Falling into a depression, Jenn is visited by Kelly, who tells her that her adoption failed. She offers to raise Jenn's baby instead, arguing that Jenn is not fit—either in lifestyle or career—to raise a child on her own, and that she will block the trust fund if necessary. Jenn argues that she will be able to raise the child and give it a great life, even if Matt never forgives her and she is forced to raise it alone. Satisfied that Jenn has what it takes, Kelly reveals that the adoption went through and that her offer was a ruse to bolster her sister's conviction.

Jenn returns to work and offers to buy into the yoga studio with some of her trust fund money, securing her future and furthering her career there. Enticed by the opportunity to split the responsibility of studio ownership with someone and seeing that Jenn's "warm" yoga has become an immense hit, her boss accepts, and they resume their friendship.

Nelson reads Matt's comic and convinces him that it is worth submitting to a publisher. Matt finds closure with Tom by finally speaking with him and asking him to show Gayby to one of his superiors. Tom happily agrees, stating that he is pleased to see Matt doing better. Though he is excited about this development, Matt is still depressed that the child may not be his. Nelson tells him that even if the child isn't his biologically, it is still his child because he and Jenn wanted to have it together, and that giving it a loving family is what's most important.

Jenn arrives at the comic book store to ask Matt's forgiveness and offers to raise the child with him one last time. Though silent at first, Matt relents and the two make up, preparing for the baby's arrival.

One year later, Matt's Gayby comic book is a success and he has furthered his relationship with Scott, who enthusiastically helps care for the baby. Jenn has begun a relationship with one of Matt's coworkers and stops by Matt and Scott's place to take care of the baby so they can spend a night by themselves. Unbeknownst to Matt, Scott is preparing to propose to him that evening. After Matt and Scott leave, Jenn cuddles with the baby and says, "You sure do look like your father," leaving the true identity of the baby's biological father unknown.

Cast

Awards

Merlinka Festival - International Queer Film Festival, Belgrade, Serbia - Best Queer Film

Related Research Articles

<i>Dilbert</i> American comic strip

Dilbert is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title character. It has spawned dozens of books, an animated television series, a video game, and hundreds of themed merchandise items. Dilbert Future and The Joy of Work are among the most read books in the series. In 1997, Adams received the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award and the Newspaper Comic Strip Award for his work. Dilbert appears online and as of 2013 was published daily in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and 25 languages.

<i>Caroline in the City</i> American sitcom (1995-1999)

Caroline in the City is an American television sitcom that ran on the NBC television network from 1995 until 1999. It stars Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy, who lives in Manhattan. The rest of the cast includes Eric Lutes, Malcolm Gets, Amy Pietz, and Andy Lauer. The series premiered on September 21, 1995, in the "Must See TV" Thursday night block between Seinfeld and ER and ran for 97 episodes over four seasons before it was cancelled; the final episode was broadcast on April 26, 1999. The series' rights are currently held by CBS Television Distribution.

<i>Gimme Gimme Gimme</i> (TV series) BBC TV sitcom (1999–2001)

Gimme Gimme Gimme is a BBC television sitcom by Tiger Aspect Productions that was first aired in three series from 1999 to 2001. It was written by Jonathan Harvey, who developed the series with Kathy Burke.

<i>Grace Under Fire</i> American sitcom

Grace Under Fire is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 29, 1993, to February 17, 1998. The show starred Brett Butler as a single mother learning how to cope with raising her three children alone after finally divorcing her abusive husband. The series was created by Chuck Lorre and produced by Carsey-Werner Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Tully</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Sean Tully is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Antony Cotton. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 July 2003. Following that appearance, the character returned full-time on 12 April 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guardian Devil</span> Arc narrative published by Marvel Comics

"Guardian Devil" is an eight-issue Daredevil story arc originally published by Marvel Comics in Daredevil #1-8. It features the hero suddenly caring for an infant that may be either the Messiah or the Antichrist. The issues were written by filmmaker Kevin Smith and illustrated by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti. The 1999 graphic novel combining the eight issues into one collection features an introduction by Ben Affleck, who portrayed Daredevil in the 2003 feature film adaptation. The story features strong Catholic themes, which came from writer Smith's own experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Cramer</span> Soap opera character

Paul Cramer is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Paul was originated on October 3, 2003, by Brock Cuchna, who played the role until March 10, 2004. The character was then recast with David Tom on March 11, 2004. In August 2004, the role was temporarily played by Shane McRae.

<i>Baby Blues</i> (American TV series) American adult animated television series

Baby Blues is an American adult animated sitcom, based on the comic strip of the same name by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott, produced by Warner Bros. The first eight episodes of Baby Blues originally aired in the United States on The WB between July 28 and August 24, 2000, before being canceled. The five remaining episodes from the first season eventually aired on Adult Swim in 2002. A second season, consisting of 13 episodes, was produced but never aired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milhouse Van Houten</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series The Simpsons voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School. He is an insecure, gullible, and less popular child than Bart who is often led into trouble by Bart, who takes advantage of his friend's naïveté. Milhouse is a regular target for school bully Nelson Muntz and his friends Jimbo Jones, Dolph Starbeam and Kearney Zzyzwicz. Milhouse has a crush on Bart's sister, Lisa, a common plot element.

The Chandler Family is a fictional family from the American soap opera All My Children. The Chandler family is one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in the show's history. Rising up from poverty in Pigeon Hollow, West Virginia, the Chandlers now stand as a prominent family in Pine Valley. The family runs Chandler Enterprises.

Maya Newell is an Australian filmmaker, known for the feature-length documentaries Gayby Baby (2015) and In My Blood It Runs (2019). She works at Closer Productions in Adelaide, South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Wilkas</span> American actor

Matthew Wilkas is an American New York based theatre and film actor, playwright and reality television personality. He is best known for his lead role as Matt in the 2012 feature film Gayby.

<i>Ghoulies</i> 1985 film

Ghoulies is a 1985 American horror comedy film directed by Luca Bercovici in his directorial debut, and co-written with producer Jefery Levy. It stars Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Jack Nance, Scott Thomson, and Mariska Hargitay in her film debut. It is the first film in the Ghoulies film series and was followed by three sequels.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1555806/ [ user-generated source ]
  2. Murphy, Mekado (October 5, 2012). "Making a Comedy About Friends Making Babies". The New York Times.