Movie: Any Day Now
Director: Travis Fine
Cast: Allan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva and Kelli Williams
Rating: ****
Some fights are worth the time and energy. One such fight is the story of “Any Day Now” (ADN), a story about a gay couple who aspire to be parents. Unlike every other film about gay couple that is usually about torrid sexual relationship, ADN is purely about love and the need to have a family. What this film manages to deliver in about two hours is truly a blessing to the viewers. The question is, would you be willing to spend two hours to learn something worthwhile? If yes, then you should definitely watch this film.
Rudy (Cumming) and Paul (Garret) fall in love at first sight. While the former works as a female impersonator dancer at a gay bar, the latter is an aspiring lawyer. They hit it off quite well in the very first meeting as though they were made for each other.
All is well in the lives of the two until the drug-abusing mother of Marco, a differently abled kid, is busted for 36 months, forcing Rudy to take care of him. Rudy seeks the advice of his boyfriend lawyer Paul, but even before he could make a move, Child Services come barging into Marco’s house and take him in.
However, on the night of his first day at the foster care, Marco sneaks out and wanders on the streets, only to be found my Rudy. Having taken him in, Paul and Rudy convince Marco’s mother into signing the temporary guardianship papers.
Rudy, Paul and Marco start living together under one roof as a family. But, when their relationship is questioned by the state’s biased legal system, Paul and Rudy are forced to a fight a battle to keep permanent guardianship of Marco. The result of the battle forms the rest of the story.
What begins as an unlikely relationship between a gay couple turns highly emotional when they invite Marco into their lives, only to learn what it means to have a family. Inspired by true events, ADN gives you a perspective of what it means it to be gay in a society filled with hatred for such kind. As a viewer you’re confronted with the question ‘do you want to hold on to primitive traditions and develop hatred towards gay people?’ at all times.
Set in the late 1970s, the film is akin to all types of stereotypes of that era. You can’t stop smiling at regular intervals when these stereotypes stare you in the face. While the whole gay thing versus the society is one of the stereotypes, the black prosecutor is another glaring stereotype.
Travis Fine, who co-wrote the screenplay with George Arthur Bloom, offers a glimpse at a barbed issue in our society. Is it terribly wrong that two gay men, willing to raise Marco as their son, be denied custody just because they’re not straight? Does love not play a part in parenting at all? If yes, then why stop Paul and Rudy from showering love on Marco?
The first half is riveting, while the second one appears to be little melodramatic, but comes to a powerful end. Alan Cumming wears the gay tag like a medal of honor and delivers a performance worth a standing ovation. I don’t mind watching again for his stellar performance that is equally supported by Garret’s part.
Some of the best scenes of the film unfold in the courtroom. These are not merely scenes but an opportunity to slip into the shoes of the characters and dissect the scene to understand its gravity.