The premise is interesting and it could be a great comedy but the constant failure to tell her family she's gay gets old. It just seems that at some point she would just tell everyone to shut up and listen. But the writer/director is young and I think as she matures her screenwritin will do so too.
41 Reviews
Could've been better
johnnylightfire2 September 2019
Too many superfluous backstories spoil the broth of what should have been a sweet story of a girl coming out to her family over the holiday. There were a few patches of comedy, but not enough to truly merit a great rating. The leading lady, Jenna Laurenzo, who is also a first-time director, was decent in the lead role of the girl coming to grips with her sexuality. Decent, not great.
If you're looking for a LGBT film that truly is on point I'd recommend "Imagine Me and You" (2005). It stars Lena Headey and Piper Perabo. And it is much more charming than Lez Bomb.
If you're looking for a LGBT film that truly is on point I'd recommend "Imagine Me and You" (2005). It stars Lena Headey and Piper Perabo. And it is much more charming than Lez Bomb.
Lifetime didn't make this melodramatic comedy?
earthboli17 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
So much went so wrong so quickly. There are some decent actors making do with a bad/cutesy script and some serious overacting by other actors. This is the kind of movie where everything that can go wrong does in the course of a Thanksgiving-how cute! The main character tries to tell her family she's dating a woman 1,000 times but no one listens, and her male roommate shows up and they think she's dating him. Hijinks ensue-how cute! A fire gets accidentally started, the turkey is ruined, half of the family gets high on pot, the way underage cousin tries to seduce the male roommate-- *cue laughter.* I could go on, but do you really want me to? Super annoying and unrealistic.
Tries wayyyyy too hard to be a witty, funny movie but with the talent of Lifetime network writers. Unrealistic, ridiculous, and just plain unfunny. Also not as endearing as it tries to be. It really was written exactly like a silly holiday lifetime movie.
Tries wayyyyy too hard to be a witty, funny movie but with the talent of Lifetime network writers. Unrealistic, ridiculous, and just plain unfunny. Also not as endearing as it tries to be. It really was written exactly like a silly holiday lifetime movie.
Awkward
larrys32 February 2019
Lauren (Jenna Laurenzo) is a young woman looking to tell her family she's in a gay relationship with Hailey (Caitlin Mehner), as they all gather for Thanksgiving. As you might expect, amidst the chaos of the family ensemble things will not going according to plan.
I'm in the minority here, but I just found this film to be mostly very awkward in its intended comic delivery, even bordering on annoying at times. It's only in the final 20 minutes or so that it gets its act together and can be real and meaningful. So for me, it just wasn't worth the slog to get there unfortunately.
As mentioned , there's an ensemble cast here with some very notable film names each with varying degrees of screen time. Laurenzo also wrote and directed the movie.
I'm in the minority here, but I just found this film to be mostly very awkward in its intended comic delivery, even bordering on annoying at times. It's only in the final 20 minutes or so that it gets its act together and can be real and meaningful. So for me, it just wasn't worth the slog to get there unfortunately.
As mentioned , there's an ensemble cast here with some very notable film names each with varying degrees of screen time. Laurenzo also wrote and directed the movie.
If Hallmark produced a lesbian movie written by a well-meaning fourteen year old in 1998...
adamchurvis11 November 2018
...it would be this one. So many "I'm going to completely ignore that you're obviously trying to say something important and constantly interrupt you anyway" moments that I honestly think Kanye West was somehow involved. Seriously, after the first THIRTY MINUTES OF THIS I was ready to perform spinal surgery on myself just to stop the pain. I had to scrub through the movie to find out where the "Lez Bomb" dropped, and found it was with less than twenty minutes remaining. This was the single most incredibly frustrating movie story-wise I have ever seen. It was funded because it is an LGBTQ topic, and it will be praised by respected voices because it would be non-PC to not do so, but It's just a bad movie, folks. That simple.
Lez 'bomb' says it all...
grahamheather-656036 January 2021
I'm sure the legalities around production/distribution of this and 'happiest season' were very interesting!!! Happiest season (aka depressing season) seems to be a basic awful replica of yet another awful film, ie this. I advise any gay women out there seek out 'desert hearts', 'but I'm a cheerleader', 'elena undone', 'freeheld' etc...and the many other numerous oldies that are still more relevant and uplifting than these films being churned out now under the gay rom/com umbrella...both these identical films are (possibly imo) offensive to any lesbian out there...the language of all male characters in the cast was derogatory and condescending and predatory in nature....this is not humourous, so the incessant lesbian erasure continues.....pairing lesbians with bisexual characters is just an excuse to bring in yet more offensive male characters making jokes about fish and beef....yawn. sorry I thought we were in 2021 and above gross school boy jokes...
the "humorous" male characters are problematic
propiemaker29 September 2019
Great to see LGBT movies coming out and representing a minority, but the two male characters in this film (the best friend and brother) have problematic humor in my opinion.
Throughout the film they constantly make jabs at the main character and her girlfriend asking them if they like meat or if they could still "turn them straight." Men making jokes and not taking lesbian relationships seriously cannot and should not be normalized.
I wish at some point there was a moment where these characters were scrutinized for being so belittling and offensive (even right to the female couple's face), but it seems that this writing was meant to be a comedic relief perhaps for the straight guys watching this.
Do better! So many more opportunities for humor without taking away from lesbian relationships and the respect they deserve from everyone.
Throughout the film they constantly make jabs at the main character and her girlfriend asking them if they like meat or if they could still "turn them straight." Men making jokes and not taking lesbian relationships seriously cannot and should not be normalized.
I wish at some point there was a moment where these characters were scrutinized for being so belittling and offensive (even right to the female couple's face), but it seems that this writing was meant to be a comedic relief perhaps for the straight guys watching this.
Do better! So many more opportunities for humor without taking away from lesbian relationships and the respect they deserve from everyone.
Batman vs Lesbians
madameminty10 November 2018
I'll just say this: check IMDb's rating statistics. You'll note a majority of ratings is 1, and it comes mostly from young boys and old men, but not from ones 18-45, and th emost voted for review only mentions a male actor in the review, otherwise is suspiciously vague, and comes from a man who rated Hot Fuzz 1 and I can only hope wrote a bot to rate all untranslated Pokemon anime 10.
After you remove this artifcat, those you could expect to be in a relationship suggest a 7.0 score. You'll see the average rating from women is 6.7, peaking at 8 in one group. My opinion is that these scores reflect the quality of the movie.
Now, consider who most likely watched this movie before rating, and who decided to wage a homophobic war on a rom-com.
*sigh*
After you remove this artifcat, those you could expect to be in a relationship suggest a 7.0 score. You'll see the average rating from women is 6.7, peaking at 8 in one group. My opinion is that these scores reflect the quality of the movie.
Now, consider who most likely watched this movie before rating, and who decided to wage a homophobic war on a rom-com.
*sigh*
Extremely frustrating to watch.
capricorn408 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Some wrote that the males gave low rating mainly due to some homophobia. Well first off, I can't imagine anyone homophobic would attempt to watch a LGBT film, and second, just because a film has a LGBT nature doesn't automatically make it a good film by being "quirky" or "witty"
The general theme was "I'm going to completely ignore that you're obviously trying to say something important and constantly interrupt you anyway" Every time the main character would say she needs something to say, she was constantly being interrupted and the other character would go off on a random tangent about nothing.
The early scene about ice cream was so bizarre. Daughter trying to talk to mom upstairs, dad would interrupt in daughter mid sentence asking if anyone wanted ice cream, mom then get into a conversation with dad on how much she likes ice cream, completely dismissing what the daughter was talking to her about. And then when mom ask what was it daughter was saying, daughter would basically say nevermind.
And it was like this all throughout the movie! No one would listen to the main character, always interrupting her or second guessing what she was about to say.
This film was not an enjoyable experience.
The general theme was "I'm going to completely ignore that you're obviously trying to say something important and constantly interrupt you anyway" Every time the main character would say she needs something to say, she was constantly being interrupted and the other character would go off on a random tangent about nothing.
The early scene about ice cream was so bizarre. Daughter trying to talk to mom upstairs, dad would interrupt in daughter mid sentence asking if anyone wanted ice cream, mom then get into a conversation with dad on how much she likes ice cream, completely dismissing what the daughter was talking to her about. And then when mom ask what was it daughter was saying, daughter would basically say nevermind.
And it was like this all throughout the movie! No one would listen to the main character, always interrupting her or second guessing what she was about to say.
This film was not an enjoyable experience.
Hated this.
cdenny1547 November 2020
People should come out at their own time.
remetu-6637228 April 2019
Coming out is a personal milestone. First one needs to come out to themselves, followed by carefully or selectively coming out to others (when they are ready on their own terms). I was appalled that the love interest kept pushing and at times even forcing the main character to come out to her family. I was absolutely horrified.
There were funny parts, but the forced sexual identity disclosure took away from satire.
There were funny parts, but the forced sexual identity disclosure took away from satire.
Skip this one.
arles-azulis15 April 2019
The premise seemed decent, trailer made me curious. Regretted watching until the end (in the hopes it would get better).
The main character is flat, definitely not a good actress, her love interest is meh, and also whoever pushes someone to come out to their family and outs them is a terrible person and should not be dated let alone chased. Support cast is good, too bad for the whole movie. First time reviewing a movie because it was THAT awful.
Gave me a headache
ksteward7310 March 2019
This should have been a short film. I understand the importance of coming out and the chaos that it could ensue to family ties, but this could have been way less dramatic.
I actually didn't finish and just sat in silence so I could enjoy th quiet.
I actually didn't finish and just sat in silence so I could enjoy th quiet.
I know what this feels like
brazierbell27 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This fim reached out to me on a personal level. Being a lesbian myself and watching someone else go through the ups and downs of trying to come
Out to a family who actually really doesn't listen and the frustrations of that. It was funny, touching and a feel good movie. The acting was good and I just enjoyed the whole movie. There needs to be more movies like this out there.
Ugh
laurenecool13 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was not great. The girlfriend was the worst. Terrible personality, demanding, and she kept trying to push her gf out of the closet in front of the gf's parents. Not cool. It's never ok to put someone to their family. The main character was decent though.
Director/Writer/Lead Actor is the same person and they are very inexperienced. Watch Happiest Season for it done right
Surtur67676725 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Terrible script and direction, Seasoned actors couldn't save this dumpster fire.
To learn while watching the film that the lead character was also the Writer/Director/Main Actor was jarring. To watch her put herself as the object of competitive rivalries for her affection was not well done. Serious Ego trip. The scenes with the least amount of her were the best ones. Her ego and need to be the "charming lead" was palpable and never more obvious of someone acting.
The "antics" going on in the background were exhausting and added nothing to the story but painfully drag out the runtime to an excruciating length. Her family's "chaos" was just stressful and terribly executed. The seasoned actors did great with what they had, but the Lead had NO IDEA what to do in most scenes. Every scene needed her to bring SOMETHING to the table but, just like her character, she had nothing to offer anyone. A poster cut out could have been a better scene partner.
Her "relationship" with her male roommate that she was "playfully" flirting and constantly touching and crawling on top off all the time was cringeworthy and all too awkward. She was more physically instigating touch with him than she was with her "girlfriend". Makes sense for the obvious spoiler of them having slept together in the past, but no reason why they should move in together unless that was something they both secretly wanted. Seemed more like she was writing their relationship more thoroughly than she had written her and her "girlfriends" to be.
Her awkward brother/sister scenes and dynamic was well acted from Davram Stiefler's part, she couldn't keep up with him, and she didn't know how to act around him or most actors. He pushed some boundaries with the "girlfriend" that were a bit awkward at parts, but seemed like more genuine interactions than Jenna Laurenzo had with Caitlin Mehner.
There is so much overall wrong with the movie and the Actor/writer/director but it was already ripped apart with my partner and I as we watched it. I'd add more but this movie already wasted too much of my time.
Happiest Season is a way better movie. Those characters were much more thought out and directing was top notch. Watch Happiest Season, way better use of your time
To learn while watching the film that the lead character was also the Writer/Director/Main Actor was jarring. To watch her put herself as the object of competitive rivalries for her affection was not well done. Serious Ego trip. The scenes with the least amount of her were the best ones. Her ego and need to be the "charming lead" was palpable and never more obvious of someone acting.
The "antics" going on in the background were exhausting and added nothing to the story but painfully drag out the runtime to an excruciating length. Her family's "chaos" was just stressful and terribly executed. The seasoned actors did great with what they had, but the Lead had NO IDEA what to do in most scenes. Every scene needed her to bring SOMETHING to the table but, just like her character, she had nothing to offer anyone. A poster cut out could have been a better scene partner.
Her "relationship" with her male roommate that she was "playfully" flirting and constantly touching and crawling on top off all the time was cringeworthy and all too awkward. She was more physically instigating touch with him than she was with her "girlfriend". Makes sense for the obvious spoiler of them having slept together in the past, but no reason why they should move in together unless that was something they both secretly wanted. Seemed more like she was writing their relationship more thoroughly than she had written her and her "girlfriends" to be.
Her awkward brother/sister scenes and dynamic was well acted from Davram Stiefler's part, she couldn't keep up with him, and she didn't know how to act around him or most actors. He pushed some boundaries with the "girlfriend" that were a bit awkward at parts, but seemed like more genuine interactions than Jenna Laurenzo had with Caitlin Mehner.
There is so much overall wrong with the movie and the Actor/writer/director but it was already ripped apart with my partner and I as we watched it. I'd add more but this movie already wasted too much of my time.
Happiest Season is a way better movie. Those characters were much more thought out and directing was top notch. Watch Happiest Season, way better use of your time
The movie is not really good ,,, but .. big but .. there were just a few scenes where it was enjoyable and funny..
Aktham_Tashtush10 November 2018
I believe most of the high reviews are probably from some of the LGBTQ guys ,, and i do 100% understand that they feel the need to support no matter what .. so in this case i gotta be bi-ased :D :D
anyway ,, the story is refreshing and it has some few relatable mess of thanksgiving stories ,, but it wasn't as strong as i hoped for ,, and to be more honest ,, the acting of Caitlin Mehner (Hailey) and Jenna Laurenzo (Lauren) was just baaad ... on the other hand Brandon Micheal Hall (Austin) was hilarious and same goes for Kevin Pollak (the father) and Deirdre O'Connell (the mom) i mean most of the cast was funny .. but again, didn't feel the same quality from Caitlin Mehner and Jenna Laurenzo ..
The movie is recommended i guess ,, and somewhat has a message especially for the LGBTQ community ... add to that as i said there were more than few moments where you definitely will laugh or at least giggle.
anyway ,, the story is refreshing and it has some few relatable mess of thanksgiving stories ,, but it wasn't as strong as i hoped for ,, and to be more honest ,, the acting of Caitlin Mehner (Hailey) and Jenna Laurenzo (Lauren) was just baaad ... on the other hand Brandon Micheal Hall (Austin) was hilarious and same goes for Kevin Pollak (the father) and Deirdre O'Connell (the mom) i mean most of the cast was funny .. but again, didn't feel the same quality from Caitlin Mehner and Jenna Laurenzo ..
The movie is recommended i guess ,, and somewhat has a message especially for the LGBTQ community ... add to that as i said there were more than few moments where you definitely will laugh or at least giggle.
Wanted to give 0/10
emelinejeanne20 December 2023
Me and my roomate - a queer woman and a queer person - were mortified watching this. The scenario is so off and the filming feels bizarre. It was physically painful to watch. Everything is wrong it would be to long to make a list. We ended up speeding 1.5x the second half of the film.
This is very disappointing for a 2018 movie. We've seen coming out movies and depressing movies and everybody thinks she's hetero and has a boyfriend funny haha movies... Let's move on. Especially if it's to make movies so bad not only in content but also in form.
I have to write some more to publish this so if you are reading before watching please don't!!!
This is very disappointing for a 2018 movie. We've seen coming out movies and depressing movies and everybody thinks she's hetero and has a boyfriend funny haha movies... Let's move on. Especially if it's to make movies so bad not only in content but also in form.
I have to write some more to publish this so if you are reading before watching please don't!!!
OMG
KoalaMug2 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was trying so hard to depict a complex lesbian coming out story that it completely dropped the ball with the token black character.
The scenes with the protagonist's father threatening to kill him (twice!!!) was stomach churning esp. In light of the well documented history of Black men having been lynched by white men over the (virtue) of white women. I kept watching hoping for an ending addressing this. Feeling sick to my stomach now.
I wish they could re-edit this. I'm wondering how the actor felt having to play gruesome history as a side story for fun. Did he know what he signed up for or did they change the plot after he signed on?
The scenes with the protagonist's father threatening to kill him (twice!!!) was stomach churning esp. In light of the well documented history of Black men having been lynched by white men over the (virtue) of white women. I kept watching hoping for an ending addressing this. Feeling sick to my stomach now.
I wish they could re-edit this. I'm wondering how the actor felt having to play gruesome history as a side story for fun. Did he know what he signed up for or did they change the plot after he signed on?
Rambling
daver62 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
An LGBT film funded under the diversity banner so lots of outrage and accusations of homophobia for reviews that give low scores; but honestly this film deserves low scores. All the lesbian daughter has to do it tell her parents and relatives over a Christmas meal about her relationship with another woman, not an easy thing I grant you. However, her attempts are so long winded and inept that they give lots of excuses for misunderstandings, interruptions and diversions. Combined with the dreary sub-plots this rambling mess meanders slowly forward to a damp-squid climax of positive acceptance that makes lettuce seem interesting. Terrible script, acceptable acting that seemed similar to a feelgood Hallmark film.
I watched this on Amazon Prime, but if you want a great gay film that is full of real emotion and is not simply a vessel for LGBT virtue-signalling, then watch 'Victim', the first, and like Jaws, the best. Great plot, great acting, great script, and free on YouTube.
I watched this on Amazon Prime, but if you want a great gay film that is full of real emotion and is not simply a vessel for LGBT virtue-signalling, then watch 'Victim', the first, and like Jaws, the best. Great plot, great acting, great script, and free on YouTube.
Fun family comedy
wipsaunders10 November 2018
Lez Bomb is a great throwback family comedy, the kind that was popular in the 90s/00s and don't seem to be made anymore, but with a lesbian twist. Fast paced, funny, and with a great cast--Deirdre O'Connell is a particular standout. Tons of heart, lots of fun, highly recommended!
Not a bomb but explosive fun!
imdbi-degaite9 November 2018
Don't pay any attention to old-timey 'BatmanFunReviews' who likely has a homo-related issue. The film is fun, unlike the other 'FunReviews' fellow. Actually, s/he has rated most movies at 1/10 but reserves his best score of 8/10 for Horror of Dracula (1958) - a time when gay meant happy. I'm not kidding...
Anywho, this movie is not groundbreaking, but it'll put a smile on your face and you'll be gobbling like a turkey.
UPDATE: BatmanFunReviews seems to have deleted his review. It's important to call out intolerance and homophobia when they rear in public forums.
Anywho, this movie is not groundbreaking, but it'll put a smile on your face and you'll be gobbling like a turkey.
UPDATE: BatmanFunReviews seems to have deleted his review. It's important to call out intolerance and homophobia when they rear in public forums.
Fun movie
solarigrian10 November 2018
I don't usually review movies, but I watched this and liked it a lot. Since it's such a small film, I figured a review would be beneficial. Although you could consider it a rom com, it's not a film about falling in love, but rather accepting love and being brave and true to yourself. The acting is quite good, the dialogue is snappy, it's well shot, and the events are realistic to the type of family shown in the film. I will definitely be ordering the Blu-Ray when it comes out to add to my too-small collection of actual good lesbian films.
See also
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