Looking (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Perfect closure to adventures of Patrick, Agustin and Dom.

[sekula32 · 9/10 · 30 July 2016]

I just finished re-watching TV-Show, and with huge expectations prepared myself for Looking: The Movie. Yup, I can say it's amazing. Atmosphere and aesthetics of the show are visible, Andrew Haigh really is capable or capturing emotions of those characters in sublime way. This expression has been used a lots of times, but it really does feel like you're just watching real people, not just actors act.

Acting is great, Jonathan Groff is wonderful here, although he wasn't among my favorite performers on the show, he really shines in the film. I do love the fact that he ended up with Richie, but scene with Kevin is probably my favorite from the film. It was really heartbreaking, and like their fight at end of Season 2, their conversation here is so real, vivid, authentic. The way Kevin kisses him for the last time was so hard to watch, it was really emotional and touching. As well as Richie coming back to the club, and kissing Patrick. It was breathtaking.

My only complaint is that it doesn't focus on Dom at all, which is shame, because he's my favorite character and Murray Bartlett is perfect in the role, but here he doesn't have much to do. But, considering I love all these characters, it was really nice to see them together again, and when they all met up in the club at the beginning of the film, I literally couldn't but not smile all the time, to see them all again. Afterwards, as I said, it mostly focuses on Patrick, and Agustin and Eddie wedding, and it's nice to see things conclude like that.

Ending almost made me cry. I really will miss these characters. I hope we get another special like this, but if we don't, this film feels like perfect closure to ultimate tale of friendship, that we had pleasure to watch and enjoy.

A bittersweet feeling

[kstathakiss · 9/10 · 27 June 2019]

I watched it last night and have been in a very sad mood all day. Even though things seemed to have worked out for Patrick and Richie, I just cannot shake this feeling for some reason. Maybe I just needed more of this realistic show. Looking definitely was not referring (just) to their sexual adventures, these guys were definitely looking for fulfillment and I am glad they seemed to have worked it out. I loved Patrick's confrontation with Brady regarding what gay should be like. Piece of advice: If any of you out there has found your Richie, don't you dare let them go.

Perfect ending

[anna_niezgodzka · 9/10 · 11 August 2020]

This movie was a perfect closure to the short lived Looking series. All of the main characters get their arcs, we know what place they are in their lives and it gives you hope. The movie takes us on a whirlwind of emotions as Dom,Agustin & Patric prepare for Agutin's nuptiuals. The storyy never gets cliche or boring. All actors must be praised for their amazing work. And the last few scenes are so beautiful, you're going to rewatch them several times.

A closing chapter on an amazing series

[Red_Identity · 15 February 2017]

These last few weeks I watched all of looking and its movie, and I can safely say that there aren't a lot of shows out there that were able to touch me as much as this did. This film does a really fantastic job of allowing us closure on the events of the season 2 finale while seemingly exploring the ideas and themes that made the show stand out as much as it did. Jonathan Groff's work throughout the series really deserved to be praised. He makes it all look incredibly easy but going on this journey must not have been easy, and his effortless charm, longing, and internal emoting really make it an incredible performance that will be hard to forget. I will miss this show and its character dearly.

Russell Tovey - what is the increase of acting sensational ?

[FrankMMueller · 10/10 · 21 January 2018]

I think that there already is enough said what "Looking" is all about. I must admit, that I really loved the series because of its authenticity, its good story and its extremely well done acting. I still don't understand why it was canceled after season 2. There was an (typical) open end and we all assumed and looked forward to a third season. Instead there was a movie made to close a chapter (like Patrick is saying in the movie). The problem is, that 80 minutes are not enough to close the chapter of four or five people. So the story is a little bit to much focused on Patricks character - but, so what? In the end we won't get anything new and the way the story ends is disappointing, because it's not what we would have liked to see. Kevin is the word! And that brings me to the ulti-mate highlight of the movie. Talking about love scenes in movies, like "Gone with the wind" or "Love Story" or "Titanic". Well - watch Russell Tovey in "Looking" and add this to the others. He only needs five words to say ("Why? - Because I love you"), a hug, a kiss, a touch and a look to create the most heartrending love scene I ever had the privelege to watch. He's only got about ten minutes of the entire movie on screen - but what ten minutes !! Enough to break ones heart. Giving a very strong performance throughout the whole series, this man is an acting genius and that's what makes it worth to watch this movie.

Unsung, Understated Masterpiece

[matanil · 10/10 · 11 August 2016]

Understated masterpiece - that's what I feel Looking is as a whole, with the movie being the final installment, perfectly wrapping up the television show. The trials of Patrick upon returning to San Francisco for a short visit - on the occasion of Eddie and Agustin's wedding - are explored from many different angles, allowing us a beautiful, final look at the journey of this young man and the people who surrounded him and changed him along the way.

Upon finishing the movie, I wished I could personally thank every single one of the people involved in making the show and in ending it with this gem of a film. The series was interesting, daring, different, honest, artistic and, while the show was a slow burner so it took its time getting there, it was also very entertaining. The movie picks up and continues this stroll effortlessly while giving us an idea of how much better still the show could have been had the creators been given a longer time frame for each episode. the film drove home how good, how brilliant even, this creative effort has been, making me both incredibly happy and grateful that we got this movie as a send off and utterly blue that there's going to be no more Looking.

The unique brilliancy of the show stretches into the movie with the beautiful, melancholic cinematography, the nuanced build-up, the way that everything tied in together in such a way that you could find the ending along every step of the way (you could find the film's ending present in the show itself as well as along the movie) and the insistence on taking a deep, inquiring look at characters, their development and the dynamics of their most intimate relationships. I have some things I may have wanted to see done a little differently, but not enough to take away from how incredible an experience this ride has been. The movie summed everything up in a way which was so right, I'm still emotional over it after having watched it more than once.

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON

Beyond all the general praise, I have to give a special round of applause to how the show wrapped up the story-line of Patrick's love life and his eventual ultimate romantic choice. The movie goes through a variety of options of how Patrick might end up in that respect - alone, with a new love interest (explored through a one night stand with a younger, much less inhibited guy than Patrick ever got to be), with Dom (the best friend turning into a surprising love match scenario), with Kevin and in each of these scenes we get a little glimpse of why that isn't quite right. In each of these, Patrick's feelings for Richie are present in some way (in certain scenes it's more explicit than in others).

In contrast with these scenes - which seem to explore an idea, a notion of a certain future for Patrick, always coming up with the sense it's not it - we get scenes with Richie. From the get go, they're the only ones in which it feels like we don't just have an explored notion, but also actual growth and change in their relationship, as Patrick has changed and matured and Richie seems to become acutely aware of this, changing something critical from their dynamics in season 2, while still maintaining the same sense of longing you got between the two of them during said season.

Personally, I'm glad it ended with them being together and at peace. They've been through too much pain along the way, maybe necessary pain, but this hurt is a part of why I really wanted exactly such an ending for them. The final scene, in which Patrick and Richie can both lean on each other and let go of their burden, is beautiful. Beyond my personal wishes, I simply have to applaud how masterfully the movie moves these two men, in love and in pain, towards each other, to the moment when they can be with each other, a climax of the romance without relinquishing Looking's overall commitment to telling this love story with a focus on dynamics, intimacy, honesty and communication, at how do two people know each other in this messed up world, how do they share themselves with each other and find their place together. It's this raw honesty that resonates so much and makes the couple's story so powerful. It's a testament to how right they are for each other, that at the end, Richie is the guy that Patrick seems to be most open, most honest and most himself with.

Overall, I would highly recommend the show and the movie to anyone and the only thing I'm truly saddened by is how many people are missing out on this gorgeous work of art and love.

A nice way to sum up the story

[frenchtweety · 7/10 · 6 November 2018]

This movie only really makes sense if you have watched the series before hand. I wanted it right after finishing the series so I think it fit in well with the story. It allowed for time to progress and the characters to change a bit while bringing them back together they still had their same spark as people. I appreciated the looking forward we were left with instead of the questions from the series.

Patrick's last chapter

[cekadah · 10/10 · 29 August 2016]

If anyone bothered to watch the 'Looking' series before watching this movie they would realize that "Looking" was more about Patrick forever looking outward, rather than inward, to find himself. The 'Looking' series was smartly done to showcase Patrick and friends living in San Francisco as average modern day gay people troubled with personal needs and wants while juggling the demands of scratching out a comfortable life in a big city. Nothing remarkable nor outstanding happens in their lives. It's just daily life as the majority of civilization lives it.

In "Looking: the movie" Patrick returns to Frisco to attend a wedding. We find out Patrick had moved back east and this is his first visit in years. He is ambivalent about this trip because he knows he is certain to cross the path of old flames and Patrick really doesn't want to bring those feelings back to the surface.

As the story progresses mostly nothing happens (outside of a lot of drinking and eating) because everyone has gone onward with their life and they don't expect anything more from Patrick other to be their for the wedding. What appears as a simple non story is actually full of examples of human interaction with other humans and the misconceptions that come along with it. The story ends pretty much as it started - steps are taken forward but we forever find our-self in the same place.

Loved the series, great to see where the characters have gone with their lives.

[mpflipper-459-115255 · 7/10 · 25 July 2016]

I have always been a fan of the series...and I was somewhat disappointed when they announced that it was canceled. So it was nice to see this movie and get some kind of closure and see where the characters have gone after the show... Unfortunately the movie was more about Patrick, the rest of the crew was all there.. but they all played minor parts.. there were no big story lines about them..

Patrick left SF and moved to Denver after his break up with Kevin, because going into the office with your ex wasn't something he could handle. Now 9 months later he comes back to SF to see Eddie and Agustin get married.

The minute he gets back into town and meets up with his old friends... telling them he's been single for 9 months... the slut in him comes out . He picks up this young boy in a club and takes him home to have sex. After that night he starts thinking that maybe he needs some closure with Kevin. So he decides to text him and meet up for some coffee.

That meeting is pretty awkward and also a bit painful to watch. Patrick pretends that he wanted to meet to settle some stuff about the APP both men created together. Kevin saw right through him. It was so very clear that Kevin was still in love with Patrick. And Kevin was pretty harsh in telling Patrick that he never gave their relationship a real chance. That Patrick was the kind who runs away when he gets scared. Patrick tells Kevin that he "knew" that Kevin couldn't have been monogamous in their relationship and that is why he walked away... Kevin lets Patrick know that he really wanted to have tried ! Then he offers Patrick a great job back in SF.. He kisses Patrick tenderly and walks away. From that moment on I was so hoping those 2 would get back together.

At the wedding party in the club.. I was hoping that when Patrick was on the dance floor.. he would turn around and Kevin would be there to get him back.. but all Patrick saw were the longing eyes of Richie... who is in a long term relationship. I never quit liked Richie.. I don't know why... but his gloomy way of being, his lack of showing any kind of emotions, always being a bit too distant for my taste...

So the ending for me was really disappointing ! What was also disappointing was that this movie was a bit too much about patrick.. and the rest of the cast were only "extra's" ! Where in the series there were multiple story lines about the different people in the group of friends.. this time 90% of the story line was about Patrick.. and the wedding was a small side line. Shame we didn't get to see what the others did in the time apart.

Maybe another movie next year to set it all straight ;-)

a tear-jerking redeemer

[onthatnewshit · 10/10 · 5 November 2020]

I admit, i hated patrick murray's character in the tv series - here, he is everything i want to be and more: swooping in private jets, stealing hearts and men. definitely watching this again!!

A Nice Goodbye to the characters we have come to admire

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 6/10 · 24 February 2017]

I followed this HBO serial based around a group of mainly gay friends in San Francisco. The main character Patrick returns to his old haunts here and is looking for some sort of 'closure' on his past but instead everyone wants to carry on where they all left off.

Now those that loved the series that have gone before will find 'more of the same' here and so love it. However, it also manages to bring most of the negative baggage from the two seasons which was sort of inevitable. That is also where it has its flaws.

If you identify with the characters and the happenings it is much easier to get into this. I found it very watchable but not the best serialised gay themed drama ever and wanting on a few occasions – I did really enjoy the first season but thought the seconds so lack lustre that I only finished it out of some sort of loyalty. This though is better and so a fitting way to say a final goodbye.

Beautiful

[cdwalker-738-153292 · 10/10 · 13 June 2021]

I loved this movie tying up the stories but sad when it finished. Such beautiful characters. I was a little sad that Patrick didn't end up with my choice but I still liked it anyway. Loved the series( although way too short).

very poor closure for such a brilliant show..

[vidabrofishaa · 7/10 · 23 March 2018]

The drama itself was so awesome and brilliant!the only thing that audiences needed at the time was just one other season,a final season, not just 80 min which even wasn't semi-enough for patrick himself! just in order not to blow up your imagination of your favorite show!they destroyed a very sweet love,very lovely couple,because there was no time to figure their problems out! you easily can feel kevin's love to patrick..Russell tovey was a genius in acting indeed!! i wished it ended differently ..it was so heartbreaking for me...

The series deserved better

[a_isabelle78 · 3/10 · 10 May 2023]

This shouldn't have been a movie. The series was so nuanced and amazingly written but this was just an extended version of a finale episode that basically just wraps everything up. Doing a 30 minute cut of this wouldve sufficed if all they really wanted to do was wrap things up (and that's all they did obviously).

I mean, why make a movie where all the important plot points have already happened (in the series) and not even bother to make new ones for it to deserve to be called an actual movie? It just makes me angry.

The show deserved better! The characters deserved better! Their stories deserved better!

Loved the series. Hated this movie.

Love the series.....

[omardiamandis · 8/10 · 1 July 2018]

I loved the show; and I am thankful for the movie, simply for closure- but yes, the movie was very boring. It felt like a long flat episode. Wish it would have been epic.

Heartbreaking ending

[g_bit · 10/10 · 29 May 2022]

Ok... the guys' lives continued and it all sums up. "Pato" ends up with Richie, whom he actually loved, and that's just fine for this character. But, poor Kevin! What a heartbroken man that guy is...

Surprisingly Forgettable

[meaninglessbark · 6/10 · 24 October 2018]

I was watching Looking and aspects of the story and scenes seemed familiar and I eventually realized I'd already seen the movie a year before but had completely forgotten about it. I might have been tired when I first watched it or maybe under the influence of a martini. But having now seen the film twice I think the reason I couldn't recall it is the film is surprisingly forgettable.

Technically Looking should be great. It's a good looking film, it's mostly well acted, and there are multiple stories to explore. Plus it was directed and co-written by Andrew Haigh who made Weekend, one of the best films about queer male relationships I've ever seen and one of my favorite films.

But despite all those things going for it Looking is flat and listless. Almost all the characters are forgettable, the conversations aren't that interesting, and much of the drama feels like "OK, we need to have some drama here."

It's not a bad choice if you want something queer to watch, it's just a film that probably could have been a whole lot better.

Very good

[prhwmvli · 9/10 · 11 November 2020]

I missedd kevin sooo much and i wanted that pat been with kevin but he destroy it and lesson about real rell so he backs to ex and every thing being good .

"Marriage is for the gays"

[BrunoRatesTheMovies · 6/10 · 24 January 2022]

I think it's great when a show gets the axe and they wrap it all up in a movie. This was a perfect example of the movie following on and timing up loose ends. Still maintaining the authenticity of the series, the 3 episode length movie didn't feel stretched or forced. A nice send off.

A Gay Soap Opera

[edc411 · 1/10 · 23 July 2016]

The show that never lived up to the promise of "The L Word" and "Queer as Folk" seemed done. It was all about looking for love conversations over Chinese food with very little ever happening. Then it ended with a haircut.

Now there's a movie for people who have already forgotten Patrick being ready for his haircut. He comes back from Denver for more conversations and a wedding. Mostly relationship shoulda coulda woulda talk but the men are good looking. A movie that just drones on and on but never ascends to the quality and drama of an "As The World Turns" or "One Life To Live."

Something does eventually happen and it is good to see that the gay community is now so accepted that gay men can seem totally boring. I think the best part of the movie is the closing shot, a San Francisco cityscape with the Castro at night is a reminder of so much important LGBT history. But for a decent gay story line, I'm still looking.

The ending is suck

[hovinhkhoa · 2/10 · 22 April 2020]

I still think Pat is better with Kevin, there's no future for him with Richie and also they don't look good together.

utter crap

[supervillanova · 1/10 · 31 July 2016]

Just like the series, the movie was sheer crap.

I'm from the east coast grown up in New York and New England. Having lived in San Francisco for 8 years and despite meeting very different people from all walks of life, some great, some rather shitty, and despite California being another world from anything even remotely like back east, I have NEVER encountered the sheer asinine catty talk that these characters portray to each other. I don't speak to people like that, I don't know anyone who talks to each other like that, and I would never tolerate it from anyone. The passive- aggressive douche bag attitude the way this series uninteresting characters portray is a complete turnoff.

Attitude is cute when you're young but sad and pathetic when older and most people would find it unacceptable. I found none of the main characters interesting, memorable or even remotely likable. I did not relate to any of them.

I get what Andrew Haigh was trying to do and the message of being honest he was trying to convey. I really do. Other than one episode in season 1 that caught my attention where guest star Julia Duffy brilliantly portrayed Patricks' mother, Looking was filled from beginning to end with badly written inconsistent story lines, two dimensional characters and unrealistic people. It didn't work in the series nor in the movie.

I'm a huge fan of Daniel Franzese and Jonathan Groff, but sorry guys, there are better stories out there. You should get together with playwright J. Julian Christopher and producer D.R.Knott as these two people are brilliant and have written excellent material.

Skip this. Queer As Folk or The L Word are way better.

Bad movie,and so disappointed

[elifaslautner · 1/10 · 1 August 2016]

Im a huge fans of this movie,, , i watching it like 100 times and Th's movie motivated me to take computer on college but guess what,,I'm so sad,I'm crying when i know that Kevin its not back with Kevin,,that is not logic think again,, , first of all I'm a huge fans,, and now i hate this movie so much,,and id like to deleted everything about looking,,I'm so disappointed,,and I'm very sure that much people feel like me too,,bad closure and bad movie ever !!! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !i cant stop too saying this but I'm so disappointed I'm really cant understand why,Patrick choose Richie he better with Kevin,and if you big fan of looking don't watch this,,trust me

It was wonderful....i learned alot

[cardinalmare · 4/10 · 2 June 2019]

First of all I found out about Looking while watching the scene with Jonathon and Raul on the train...when they first met.on the train.(I saw like 2 minutes on U tube) I was so mesmerized by Patrick...I looked up who J. groff was...well I famous it seems. So Ive spent the last week, watching all of his movies, TV shows, and You tube videos.( why he wasn't nominated for a Emmy for Looking, I don't know) and Russell Tovey as well. Their break up scene in season #2, was the unreal. The photography, the costumes, directing, writing, all grand. ( im not gay) I screamed in my living room, when the cemetery scene came on. Ive read Mr. Groff is not on social media....id like to send him a note.

Looking The Other Way

[myronlearn · 5/10 · 3 February 2023]

Fans of the two season series 'Looking' that preceded this piece of junk by a year or two will probably enjoy this as well. For those of us who found no redeeming value in the 18 episodes that this film was a sequel to will scratch our heads and wonder why HBO bothered to do film this. The writing stinks, the value to the LGBTQ+ community in terms of how we're portrayed is minimal and the acting is plastic. The only positive thing was the cameo appearance by the great Tyne Daly. I hope she was paid well, as this was not her finest hour. Overall, 'Looking, the Movie' was not a disappointment because I expected very little from it. A shout out to the talented Lauren Weedman and Murray Bartlett is in order. Their characters, Doris and Dom, helped the cause some, but regretfully they did the best they could with terrible material. If I were a gay person living in San Francisco, I'd have been so offended.