1UP

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This film about an all-women Esports team includes Sloane, the protagonist V’s best friend, who is a trans woman. Sloane very casually discloses that she’s trans and it is not a major focal point of the film, just one aspect of her character. However, Sloane’s role in the movie is very much the sidekick to V; she doesn’t get a romantic interest like V, and at the end of the film, even though Sloane is the one who wins the gaming competition, V gets the credit for making the sacrifice that gets the team the win. Sloane does casually reference both men and women being attractive. It’s commendable to include a bi trans woman in this comedy about gamers, but it would have been a cut above to see more depth and nuance from Sloane as a character.

ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE

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This young adult film was based on a GLAAD List script written by trans woman Ximena García Lecuona, and earned a GLAAD Media Award. The movie follows a love story between Kelsa, a Black trans girl, and Khal, a cisgender Muslim boy, who begin a relationship in high school. The film is very clear about Kelsa’s identity, as she makes videos talking about being trans. Khal is explicit in his attraction toward her, and faces blowback from his transphobic friend Otis, who calls him gay for being into Kelsa. As the two begin dating, Kelsa’s friend Em, who had feelings for Khal, lies about Kelsa attacking her in a locker room, which leads to more transphobic outrage. However, Kelsa has a strong support system in her family, her other friends, and Khal, and though she pushes them away and there are misunderstandings, she is well loved and supported by her community. In the end, Em admits she lied and Khal gets into a fight with Otis. Though Khal and Kelsa confess their love for each other, they end up mutually breaking up because they are going to different colleges. 

This film can serve as an example for how to center trans women in nuanced and intentional romance films, just as cis people regularly are, while still acknowledging the realities of living as a trans teen in modern day relationships and contexts. It’s notable that none of the transphobia faced was physical violence and that Kelsa retained agency throughout the film. More movies should follow Anything’s Possible’s lead by centering trans protagonists of color who have strong voices and agency in their own stories.

DON’T MAKE ME GO

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VITO RUSSO TEST: PASS

This drama follows a father, Max, and his daughter, Wally, on a road trip to Max’s college reunion in hopes of reintroducing Wally to her mother. At the reunion, Max reunites with his friend Guy and Guy’s husband Samuel. Though Guy is a minor character, he stays at Max’s side as a support system during the reunion and beyond, when Max experiences a devastating loss and goes through chemotherapy. This film is a decent example of casual inclusion in a larger narrative.

I WANT YOU BACK

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VITO RUSSO TEST: FAIL

There are no LGBTQ characters in this romantic comedy, but a child that protagonist Emma teaches mentions that his dad is cheating on his other dad with another man. The child brings this up multiple times in the movie, though we never meet these dads. Additionally, Emma proposes a threesome with her ex and his new girlfriend, but it’s clear the two women are not attracted to each other, and do not end up following through on the act.

MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM

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This teen horror comedy follows two best friends, Abby and Gretchen, and their other friends Glee and Margaret. Early on in the film, Gretchen is possessed by a demon and sets out to ruin her friends’ lives. This includes planting a fake love note in Glee’s locker that she says is from Margaret. With encouragement from Gretchen, Glee confesses her love to Margaret, with Margaret responding “I’m not a dyke. But I guess now we know you are.” Glee is distraught by this and demon-possessed-Gretchen uses this as an opportunity to try to poison her while exclaiming “God hates gays.” Glee survives the poisoning, and eventually, the demon is exorcized from Gretchen. This interaction is not the only homophobic scene in the film: Margaret calls Gretchen and Abby holding hands (as friends) “so queer,” and a still closeted Glee says “that’s gross”; Margaret’s boyfriend encourages the girls to “bond” sexually so he can watch. It’s unfortunate that the one queer character in this film was constantly shamed for it, by the demons and humans alike. Many fans have read the relationship between Gretchen and Abby as queer, too, but the two say they love each other “like sisters” and both talk about their crushes on men.

MY FAKE BOYFRIEND

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This romantic comedy of errors follows lead character Andrew as he is determined to not get back together with his ex-situationship, Nico. To help him get over Nico, Andrew’s friend Jake creates a fake social media presence for “Cristiano,” Andrew’s titular fake boyfriend. This, over the course of the film, goes awry when Andrew’s friends and family demand to meet Cristiano, and when Andrew actually develops feelings for a real man, Rafi, but has to keep this charade going. By the end of the film, the truth finally comes out about “Cristiano” and Andrew and Rafi get their happy ending. It’s exciting to see a romantic comedy with a Black gay lead that delved into the gay dating scene, and included supporting characters beyond the romantic interests, such as a nonbinary trainer at Andrew’s gym, and his lesbian coworker.

THE PEOPLE WE HATE AT THE WEDDING

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This comedy follows an estranged family reuniting for their sister’s wedding. One of her siblings is Paul, who has a boyfriend, Dominic. Early on in the film, it’s clear that Dominic wants to open up their relationship while Paul wants to remain monogamous. When they go to London for the wedding, Dominic surprises Paul by arranging for them to stay at the home of Alcott, a handsome older gay professor. After a night out, the three disastrously attempt a threesome, which results in Dominic breaking up with Paul. Dominic tries to go after Alcott, but Alcott is more interested in Paul. At the wedding, when Paul is still distraught from his breakup, it is revealed that his now-dead father was never accepting of Paul’s sexuality, but his mother forced him to pretend to be on threat of leaving him. This hurts Paul and temporarily damages his relationship with his mother, but they make up by the end of the film. Paul is very much a main character in the film and his relationship drama is given as much weight as any other characters. It would have been nice to see Paul in a relationship at the end of the film like his sisters were, but he still got to have his major moments.

SOMETHING FROM TIFFANY’S

WIDEST THEATRICAL RELEASE: UNKNOWN

VITO RUSSO TEST: PASS

This Christmas romantic comedy follows Rachel and Ethan, who, through a series of misunderstandings, leave their respective significant others to fall in love with one another. Rachel’s best friend is Terri, who is married to another woman, Sophia. Terri has significant screentime and is an active presence in Rachel’s life. Terri and Sophia’s marriage is portrayed tenderly and the two are seen showing physical affection in most of their scenes. Though they are not the main characters of this film, including a prominent Black lesbian couple is a commendable step and their characterization rises beyond typical inclusion of the “best friend” archetype in romantic comedies.

THE SOUND OF 007

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VITO RUSSO TEST: FAIL

This documentary about the songs for James Bond films features a brief appearance by nonbinary singer Sam Smith, who performed the title track for Spectre. They appear for under a minute, as they are not one of the main talking heads in the film.

YOUR CHRISTMAS OR MINE

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VITO RUSSO TEST: FAIL

This Christmas romantic comedy does not feature any LGBTQ characters. However, main character James does pretend to be gay to avoid advances from his girlfriend’s aunt. His portrayal of a gay man isn’t offensive and no one is homophobic, but it is disappointing to have a character fake being gay when there are no actual queer people in the movie.