Starring Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz, SNL alum Cheri Oteri, Jamie Effros, and Joanne Tucker (The Report), the heartfelt, multi-award-winning GIVE OR TAKE follows a disillusioned New Yorker, who, upon receiving news that his father has died, goes home to Cape Cod and prepares the house for sale while sharing it with his father’s temperamental live-in boyfriend. Grieving, they circle each other, butt heads, and negotiate how to remember the different man they both loved and the significance of what he left behind.
I loved this movie. It was a feel-good movie, yet had serious tension between the characters that made you feel uneasy at times.
The main subject was how a son deals with the death of his father, who came out later in life as a gay man and moved his lover into the family home after his wife died. Second is the gay lover not only having to deal with the death of his lover but is now faced with the very real possibility of being left homeless and without a voice in the grieving process and funeral arrangements or inclusion in a will.
All the characters are relatable and play an important part in the progression of the story, as you laugh at and sympathize with both the son and the lover as they argue and instigate trouble for each other.
There are no dead spots in this movie and you will stay focused throughout as it moves swiftly without skipping any of the nuance of the characters.
I guarantee you will like this movie.
Martin (Jamie Effros) is a pragmatist who’s checked the boxes of an acceptable life yet feels disconnected, especially from his father, Kenneth, a distant man Martin could never figure out. Their relationship got more complicated when Kenneth came out after his wife died. For the first time, he was able to live openly and honestly as a gay man. He found love with a younger man, his lawn guy, Ted (Norbert Leo Butz), and they’d been living together in Ken’s house on Cape Cod ever since. When Kenneth dies, Martin goes home to sell the house while sharing it with Ted. Grieving, they circle each other, butt heads, and negotiate how to remember the different man they both loved and the significance of what he left behind.
GIVE OR TAKE world premiered at the Woods Hole Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature, and went on to play at numerous other festivals including Monmouth Film Festival, where it won Best Narrative Feature, Out on Film Atlanta, winning two awards for Best Ensemble and Best Screenplay, Port Townsend Film Festival where it garnered Best Feature, Out at the Movies where is snagged Best Screenplay and Audience Award for Best Feature, FilmOut San Diego, where Butz took home Best Supporting Actor; and kicked off this year’s Provincetown Film Festival.
“GIVE OR TAKE is that rare film that has mastered the job of tackling a serious subject in a heart-warming way”, said Richard Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass. “This story is honest and light-hearted but still delivers a powerful message about coping with the death of a loved one. We are thrilled to be bringing this story and amazing ensemble cast to North American audiences.”
Give or Take is on DVD and digital platforms including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Vimeo, DirecTV, Dish/Dish Digital, and through local cable & satellite providers.