Holding Trevor (2007) User Reviews

Whoa.........just wrong

[werewolvesrcuddly · 6/10 · 11 May 2014]

Trevor, you're an idiot. Here you have a great guy that is willing to do anything for you and what do you do????? You let "friends" be a deciding factor on whether you stay with him and move to NYC or remain in LA.

And you, "FRIENDS", how can you call yourself his close friends by pouting and trying to find fault why he shouldn't move to NYC since it's been a hard road for Trevor finding someone that he can finally feel comfortable with. I would not consider you quality friends if you're only thinking of yourselves. Don't use length of friendship and health issues to guilt someone into staying permanently in your life.

Trevor you will never find happiness now that you've thrown away the one good thing to come into your life in a long time. Dude, (I had to throw that word out there), you deserve the loneliness you're going to receive for a long time now. Trust me those friends won't be able to fill the void you're going to have now.

The film's script is not fully developed, but the film is still worth seeing.

[Len9876 · 6/10 · 13 August 2008]

Young Trevor, played by screenwriter Brent Gorski, is intelligent enough to know that it life is not on track. He is dissatisfied and feels cast adrift. Nothing will 'hold Trevor', until he finds what he wants out of life, but will he find completeness in the love that he craves?

Trevor is entangled in an unhealthy relationship with Darrell, a self-destructive heroin addict. And, Trevor is equally trapped in a boring, telemarketing job--a job which, he sees, as taking him nowhere on a dead-end road. The party scene is vapid, and I can't help but wonder why Trevor would seek comfort from something so empty and lonely?

Trevor's roommate, Andie, and Jake (a singer) are his best friends. Like Trevor, they seem to be pulled apart by boredom and discontent.

Darrell overdoses, once again and, at a hospital, Trevor meets a medical intern by the name of Ephram. Ephram, filled with ambition, gives Trevor hope. Ephram, a man of strikingly good looks, offers Trevor warmth. He also gives Trevor a chance to break out of his entanglement with Darrell, a relationship which is dragging Trevor's life consistently down. But, will Trevor find passion, romance, and security?

Trevor seems poised to make some positive changes, in his life, which includes ending his perilous relationship with Darrell. Trevor makes an attempt to patch up his impaired relationships with Andie and Jake. Trevor's celebration, of a negative HIV test, explodes in rage and sorrow. Darrell shows up, unannounced, and makes quite a scene. Then, at the same time, Ephram suggests that Trevor is not yet ready to make a commitment. When he is down, Andie also verbally attacks Trevor.

While being pulled all over the place, in conflicting directions, will Trevor be able to stand his ground and better his life?

Director Rosser Goodman (That's What I'm Talking' 'Bout, Frameline29) is given ample opportunity to explore fertile territory in Gorski's script, but fails to provide a focus on the required raw emotions. For this reason, I rate the film a 6 out of 10. Yet, with all of its flaws, the film's script shows potential for further development. I would like to see Ephram showing up, at the beginning of the film, rather than towards the end of the film. In this way, tension would increase at the start of the film, instead of midway. Additionally, the love scenes require more work, in order to make them believable. But, the film is a fair attempt, and worth seeing.

6 for Gorski and Godman!

[Janko007 · 6/10 · 13 February 2009]

Trying to plumb beneath the usual emotional shallows of twentysomething L.A. gay life, Holding Trevor sometimes succeeds, but mostly comes off as a vanity project for writer-star Brent Gorski. A lad with limited screen presence, he plays a protagonist caught between a longtime boyfriend-turned-junkie, an improbably perfect Mr. Right and two high-maintenance, brattily annoying best friends. Holding Trevor comes off as Joan Crawford-esquire, star-flattering melodrama on an Amerindie scale. There are several quite well-written, well-observed scenes; director Rosser Goodman delivers a polished product with solid tech values. But a vanity-project air still pervades Holding Trevor, from the scrawny stars frequent shirtlessness to his incessant fawning-over by Kranskis character.

Melissa Searing and Eli Kranski (who is also that hoty that every movie must have or so it seems) gave good roles, Gorski is better as writer, Brannan as musician... Best scenes are sex scenes, that's indeed tastefully simulated sex. Music is grate, especially Brennan's singing (and song writing). Not so bad, G&G will do it better next time!

serious issues

[jromanbaker · 3/10 · 6 June 2020]

This film deals with serious issues like HIV tests, drug addiction and holding on to vulnerable people. This deserves a 3 but the working out of all these issues is damaged by disjoined scenes, almost incomprehensible dialogue ( I live in the UK and still I could not understand their messy use of English, or rather a variation of it ) and characters who jump from scene to scene without anything worthy of the word continuity. At times it holds together, then it falls apart. The camera work is all over the place literally, and overall I think it is a failure. Sadly too many of this kind of badly thought out, badly produced product is put on the market and gay film, niche market that it is, charges more than they deserve. I found it among my collection realising I had not watched it. I endured it. Also the music which is banal beyond belief fills in gaps that could have been used for the above serious issues. Trevor is not worth holding.

simple story

[Kirpianuscus · 24 June 2017]

at the first sigh, a simple, ordinary story about friendship, love, every day problems, problems and decisions. at the second, a good film. for its direct and fresh message. for the precise picture of a group of guys , different, nice, in middle of clash between feelings and choices and dialogues and physical attraction. short, one of film for an age when the t-shirt and jeans are very near by suits. and this did "Holding Trevor" not exactly a memorable film but a refreshing one. sure, part of characters are only sketches and the script is far to be great. but something gives to it a special look. and this is its necessary virtue.

Trevor is an escapist

[Dr_Coulardeau · 7/10 · 7 January 2013]

A small film about love but though it is interesting, there are many shortcomings.

The first one is that there are a great number of scenes in very dark atmosphere, I mean lacking lighting and that creates a sombre atmosphere that is not in touch with the subject.

The second is that Trevor's psychology is not very constructive. He seems to be going through a rejection phase. He has made a choice and that choice turns sour. So he rejects everything and everyone when he is most needed and as if he had no responsibility in what is happening around him. In other words he is an escapist.

One of his friend and, ex-boyfriend, is on drugs and Trevor is satisfied with knowing that he is on methadone and he does not want to have anything to do with him any more, and he is brutal about it. His brutality ruins the party of his female room mate and he does not seem to give a damn and he even insults this room mate when she protests.

Another shortcoming is the fact that the gay scene, and more widely the young people's sex scene is seen as being intertwined with binge drinking and drug addiction, with irresponsibility in such states that makes you take risks and play it bareback instead of safe. It is the female room mate who falls in that trap and she gets HIV positive of course. Slightly superficial and easy and hardly pedagogical about the problem.

Trevor insists, even too much, on his father as a negative castrater and depriver and frustrater, etc, that forced him all the time to leave what he liked behind and yet this father is magically regenerated when it is needed with a sentence that is more than surprising: when you go away you don't have to leave things behind, or something like that. And he feels justified to go away from Los Angeles to New York with his lover who might be a life affair and leave behind without one thought about it all those who were his friends, shared his life and helped him in many ways to be what he is and even to meet his new and maybe lasting love of his, the doctor taking care of his drug addicted ex-boyfriend.

It is in a way an interesting romance, but it is less shiny and beautiful than it should be. It is based too much on cutting off branches, pruning off limbs. One cannot live with no recollections of and no connections with one's past. That's either purely egotistic, and then love is a sham, or it is in many ways leading to schizophrenia and that is a shame.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Like, I mean, ya know, totally whatever...

[robert-connor · 4/10 · 11 March 2010]

A young man struggles to find purpose and meaning as he pulled in different directions by best friends, ex-partner and new man in his life.

Rule number one: in order to take the audience on an 'in simpatico' journey with the troubled young protagonist, a film/script/level of character development must allow the audience to care. Trevor's problems are well telegraphed - dead-end job, ambivalent support from his friends, cyclical torments caused by junkie ex-lover, estrangement from family etc., but as Trevor is so unappealing, we find it hard to care. All the primary characters are so self-serving - Trevor's life is all about the aforementioned miseries, Jake is sour and one-note sarcastic, Andi is utterly self-absorbed (I want a man/I don't want a man), Daryl's addiction behaviour patterns and Ephraim's need for commitment and reassurance. Everyone looks at their lives and events with such a total lack of empathy that when Andi finally explodes and delivers her drunken tirade at Trevor for being so self-obsessed I actually had to laugh. Holding Trevor isn't about relationships with others, it's about relationships with 'self', and the eventual choice made by Trevor (start afresh or replace one needy and suffering friend with another) seems to reinforce this - Jake, Andi and Ephraim all put themselves first ('you can't go/stay; we need you') and for all the suggestion of positive change (Trevor's quitting from his job), the reality is just more of the same for poor, poor Trevor... his choice.

Honest and heart-felt

[FromDecatur · 7/10 · 22 February 2013]

The experiences of Trevor and his friends felt very real to me. I enjoyed experiencing their friendship and banter and found the three main characters very likable. Though Trevor's romantic relationships are central to the film, it felt much more as though it was about a point in Trevor's life where he needs to find a way to grow and move forward. The music was excellent. I thought the director made some nice touches, in particular with the scene involving looking at the lights and the good-bye party at the hospital. Overall, the emotions of the film rang true to me, the characters were people I found I cared about, and the humor unforced and good-natured.

Just Pure Awful

[smooth_op_85 · 2/10 · 18 January 2016]

I tried to care about these characters, even when two of them have tragic events in their lives.

The only thing it seems to get right is dealing with a heroin addict and hoping that your denial is reality.

Other than that, this film is pretty clumsy, the other gay guy has a music scene that doesn't fit the film and I don't remember if he even mentions his musical abilities or anything before that point.

It just seems thrown together, no sense of pacing and at the end it left me just with scrunched eyes and wondering "Did anyone proofread this before they shot it? OR point out things that didn't make sense"

Doesn't advance real 'life' knowledge

[bubba108 · 5/10 · 1 November 2009]

I agreed with one of the other comments -- self indulgent. Poor little Trevor, he has boyfriend problems, and that is bigger issue than his friend testing positive. Yea, choose between boyfriend trouble vs. HIV . . . hmmmm, which would you choose?

I look for the life lessons, the real knowledge that helps us gain some understanding of the big picture, what is important in life. And he got it completely backwards. His friends and the LA life were so superficial and his job was nowhere, none of his friends knew what a relationship looked like and his own was with an addict. Finally, he finds a good relationship, someone he loves, who loves him back . . . and rather than moving forward and facing a new life, he recoils back into the empty existence he was living. But at the end was justifying or rationalizing his fear of living by calling it brave and forward-looking. Say what!? It had the look and feel of a real movie -- but had nothing to teach about real living.

I think the life lesson is moving forward, elevating your life, working through your fears and from a better place you are better able to help your old friends. Not by staying in the same old swamp.

funny & honest look at

[mahaloly · 8/10 · 7 July 2008]

I was fortunate to see Holding Trevor and this film can and should propel all the principles into more film work.

Brent Gorski wrote the script and stars but he has written story lines that enable each of the 4 main characters to shine.

Director Rosser Goodman shows us a believable look at a tight-knit group of friends in LA. (Please don't think: 'The Hills'. These friends live probably in the flats -- geographically and perhaps philosophically miles away.) They're gay, straight, funny, caring but these aren't 'sit-commy' friends. I'm sure if you see this film you'd say: 'I know somebody just like that.'

Goodman strikes just the right tone of humor and pathos. We can relate to the twists and turns life takes while we're trying to find happiness.

On top of that -- good music, too!

Sometimes the phrase "low-budget movie' may not inspire one to go see it. But, that would be too bad because honest, heartfelt films made by passionate filmmakers should be supported.

Oh Dear More Indie Cinema

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 14 November 2012]

This starts off with a straight woman masturbating in bed where she's disturbed by a gay male friend phoning her . The gay male friend then has his partner perform fellatio on him and then the partner suffers a drugs OD . Have I mentioned that the opening credits haven't finished at this point ?

Oh dear yet another feature from independent cinema . Maybe there is a market for this type of very limited release . Maybe there isn't . Or maybe the whole film's function is to make a film so the production team can hone their film making skills before moving on to better things . I've got to brutally honest and say the production team on HOLDING TREVOR still have a long way to go

The fundamental problem is that very little of note happens in the film . Characters spout existentialist dialogue in a totally unconvincing pretentious manner . There is not one sympathetic character in the movie and for a film that supposedly is made to appeal to a gay audience the gay characters are acted in a totally camp way which makes for a totally uninvolving film regardless of your sexuality

puzzle

[Vincentiu · 20 December 2012]

feelings, fears, expectations, decisions, faces of new beginning. and a character who can be every of us. because it is not exactly a gay story. it is only search of best option in a desert of reality. a pledge for friendship virtues and need of the other. an exercise to define reality as drawing of intentions. and demonstration of human relationships. central virtue - the music as morning cigar smoke. and the courage of script to build nuances of a small universe as steps of new level. not a remarkable film. but a good occasion to discover the roots of common life. and to understand it more than part of accident. or part of generally lust.

Holding (Holden) Boredom

[myronlearn · 1/10 · 1 September 2023]

Brent Gorski is solely responsible for this boring, drawn out piece of Cali based cinematic garbage. Whoever told Gorski he has talent as a writer and actor should have his (their) heads examined. 'Holding Trevor' centers around a few LA knuckleheads who think they're God's gift to everything and everyone. Guess what? Nothing could be further from the truth. Gorski plays the title character, Trevor Holden, a notorious malcontent who flutters around LaLa land looking for something meaningful with whom he can connect. He's already involved in a relationship with a self destructive heroin addict which only serves to make his life that more unhappy. Meanwhile, he's stuck in a meaningless job while trying to make it as an actor. There are no redeeming characters in Gorski's downbeat film. Can Trev change his life when given the opportunity to do so? Does anyone really care? Message to Gorski and other LGBTQ film writer wannabes: Elevate our community and stop with the stereotypical gay characters who represent a small area of our great community. Also, get your butts out of LA. Enough already. Be daring, venue is important to a story, as is character development. Contrary to what Gorski and other writers think, when referencing and critiquing the LGBTQ+ experience, stop with the premise that the sun rises and sets exclusively on Cali, especially LA. It doesn't!

Brent Gorski Hits A Home Run!

[olearytko · 10/10 · 14 July 2007]

I was fortunate enough to catch HOLDING TREVOR today at OUTFEST, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. I think it is really charming. It is beautifully directed, very funny and ultimately very moving. I thought a group of 20-somethings was going to bore me to tears. But the characters are vivid and interesting. The directing and acting are superb.

Brent Gorski, the writer and star, is really a wonderfully talented filmmaker. And he is very, very easy on the eyes. One of the sexiest screen actors I have seen in ages. The camera loves him and so will audiences who catch this delightful movie.

It's funny because now that I think of it no one in the movie really does "hold" Trevor. But I realize the title is a metaphor for Trevor being adrift in life. So, never mind.

BRAVO!!!

I felt a definite need to write this after reading some others

[bgoo-19890 · 9/10 · 12 January 2022]

I am a GAY man with no talent. Just opinions.

This was a beautifully written an concieved story. The movie deals with some serious issues HIV, Drug Addiction. More than that it deals with relationships and the effects HIV and drug abuse have on the people that love the addict and those around them. I believe the title is a metaphor "HOLDING TREVOR" for the theme of the movie. "What is HOLDING TREVOR?" "Who is HOLDING TREVOR?"

Brent Gorski as Trevor gives a very emotional and impassioned performance. I think the fact he wrote the script is is indicative to his understanding of Trever. It felt very personal. I truly felt we are seeing inside Brent Gorski.

The person you will end up rooting for is. Eli Kranski as Ephram. His first encounter with Trevor is in the ER where he brings Darrell for an OD. Like Trevor I really did not remember him . Then they met up at a party. The gods and stars and lights aligned.

I am a hopeless romantic and I freely admit it. I think they have a 12 step program for that now. Seriously; this popped up on my Amazon "We think you might like" and I did. I think you will too.

Good moments

[earl-rose · 8/10 · 29 October 2022]

I give this first film a high rating just on the basis of some of its "talk". The love scenes between Trevor and his new boyfriend are wonderful talking and loving moments in an otherwise troublesome film. Troublesome because it fails to satisfy in the end...for me. For some reason in the gay romance genre it seems necessary to have an annoying girl friend. Wry observations notwithstanding, it makes for slowing the momentum. Of course, best girl buddies are nice to have but there is a dimming of the sparkle when they take up screen time. The new boyfriend is handsome and charming and good in bed. Trevor should be holding HIM. But....ok no spoilers. Here the girl gets the guy but it is a gay guy and a lame girl and you will need a lot of FF to get to the good stuff.