Jeffrey (1995 film)

Jeffrey is a 1995 American gay romantic comedy film directed by Christopher Ashley. It is based on a play depicting the life and times of Richard Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote the screenplay.

Starring Steven Weber as Jeffrey and Michael T. Weiss as Steve, the film features cameos by Olympia Dukakis, Victor Garber, Gregory Jbara, Robert Klein, Nathan Lane, Camryn Manheim, Kathy Najimy, Kevin Nealon, Ethan Phillips, and Sigourney Weaver. Christine Baranski has a small but memorable role as the socialite hostess of a fundraiser that (in Jeffrey's imagination) turns into a cater-waiter hoedown orgy. The film co-stars Patrick Stewart as Sterling, an older gay decorator whose partner, Darius (Bryan Batt), dies of AIDS complications.

Plot
The story takes place in Manhattan during the height of the AIDS epidemic and revolves around the title character (Steven Weber), a gay man who has sworn off sex because of it. Almost immediately thereafter he meets Steve (Michael T. Weiss), a hunky, charming HIV positive man. He then experiences an emotional conflict as he must face his fear in order to accept love, often breaking the fourth wall to do so.

It's not so much that Jeffrey is afraid of dying himself, but that he's afraid that he will fall in love with someone who is bound to die; thus, his celibacy is not only about sex, but also about relationships in general. Helping him through this period of his life and advising him is a cast of cameos including Patrick Stewart, Nathan Lane, and Sigourney Weaver.[1]

Cast

 * Steven Weber as Jeffrey
 * Michael T. Weiss as Steve Howard
 * Patrick Stewart as Sterling
 * Bryan Batt as Darius
 * Christine Baranski as Ann Marwood Bartle
 * Victor Garber as Tim
 * Camryn Manheim as Single Woman
 * Sigourney Weaver as Debra Moorehouse
 * Kathy Najimy as Acolyte
 * Ethan Phillips as Dave
 * Debra Monk and Peter Maloney as Mom and Dad
 * Michele Pawk as Young Mother
 * Nathan Lane as Father Dan
 * Olympia Dukakis as Mrs. Marcangelo
 * Gregory Jbara as Angelique
 * Kevin Nealon (uncredited) as TV reporter

Critical reception
Reviews to Jeffrey were mixed to positive, as it holds a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews. Patrick Stewart got great acclaim for his supporting role, winning several critics awards.

Caryn James from The New York Times wrote “For anyone who missed the play, the film offers a strong echo of its best qualities and a couple of truly hilarious moments.”[1]