First of all, I'm a big fan of the independent gay film genre and an even bigger fan of Matthew Montgomery. So when I heard that his new movie was coming to the Philadelphia QFest, I knew I had to see it.
As someone who has complained of late that all the story lines seem to be the same, this one was refreshingly new. Clark Townsend (Montgomery) is a work-obsessed gay man who seemingly has it all. Not only is he one of the hottest young men in West Hollywood, he has managed to turn his first client, Eddy Malone (Rebekah Kochan), an eccentric party girl, into one of the most sought after actresses in Hollywood. He throws a dinner party at his new condo and invites his friends and colleagues, including TJ (Rasool J'Han), a powerhouse lesbian publicist, who's quickly losing patience with Eddy's wild ways. With TJ comes longtime friend, Pierce Wright (David Moretti), a slightly awkward, down to Earth, spiritual life coach who becomes infatuated with Clark at first sight. However, Clark is far too wrapped up in Eddy to notice, especially when she pulls a stunt that threatens her career and forces TJ to drop her as a client once and for all. Hoping to win Clark over, Pierce makes a deal with TJ. He'll take Eddy and crew on a wilderness therapy retreat, so he can convince her there's more to life than parties, and TJ will give her another chance. That weekend, the group of them head to a cabin in the woods, where Pierce hopes to give not only Eddy a new perspective on life, but Clark as well
I know I stated before that I'm an avid Matthew Montgomery (Back Soon, Long-term Relationship, Socket) fan and I haven't seen a work from him yet that I didn't enjoy. I would have seen Finding Mr. Wright just for that. However, I have to give props where they're due, and in this piece the entire cast blew me away. David Moretti (The Lair) plays the awkward but sweet Pierce to perfection. There were several instances in which I wanted to smack Clark upside the head to get him to notice. I've also been a Rebekah Kochan (Homewrecker, the upcoming Crimson Creek) fan since the Eating Out series and I think this has to be one of her best roles. She was hilarious and crazy, yet she also managed to make Eddy sympathetic. You just had to like her. My favorite, though, was probably Rasool J'Han (Socket, Pornography: A Thriller) as the angry, black lesbian, TJ. Her deadpan delivery of the witty dialogue was just flawless.
I also want to give shout outs to the stars behind the scenes. With so many things going on at once, it could have easily been chaos, but Nancy Criss directed this entire film beautifully. Jake Helgren wrote the screenplay and I never would have believed this was his first feature film. The movie was produced by Nancy Criss, Tracy Wright and Matthew Montgomery (is there anything he doesn't do?) in conjunction with Nandar Entertainment and Proteus Pictures.
Finding Mr. Wright kept me engaged from the opening to closing credits. I found myself laughing, but also really feeling for these characters. The dialogue was witty and heartwarming. It moved at just the right pace and I found myself wishing it wouldn't end. I was definitely left wanting more and I already can't wait to see it again.
And just to show you how multi-talented these guys are, be sure to check out Matthew Montgomery's directorial debut in Crimson Creek coming out in 2012, starring Rebekah Cochan, Nancy Criss and Tracy Wright.
