Spoiler Alert Movie Review

“Spoiler Alert” is a love story for this modern age. I mean it carries over from the 1970 movie “Love Story”, starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw. That is the one about star-crossed lovers who fall for each other and then one of them succumbs to a fatal disease. The story that says “love means never having to say you’re sorry”. This new movie is a true-life version, but with two gay man as the lovers.

Michael Ausiello (played by Jim Parsons) is a TV writer for the TV Guide. He is quiet and shy man, full of self-doubt and anxiety. Being gay makes him perhaps more nervous than he would be otherwise. But he is usually adjusted to his life. He is never looking for “Mr. Right”. Heck, he doesn’t even care about getting a “Mr. Right Now”.  But he happens to go to gay bar with a work friend one night.

Micheal meets a fellow named Kit Cowan (played by Ben Aldridge) at the bar. They seem to hit it off, even with more of Michael’s normal jittery demeanor. Michael is the middle child, and Kit is an only child. Michael thinks that gives Kit more confidence. They have a few dates, and Kit is interested to go back to Michael’s place. But for some reason, that seems to be off limits.

Kit is a photographer, and he works for a small New York gallery. Kit tells Michael that he is not looking to get serious with anyone. Michael agrees with him on that. But after spending more time together, they both know that this is something that is going to last for a lifetime. Michael finally lets Kit over to his place. He was unaware that Michael was a passionate collector of all things Smurf…

Michael’s parents are both deceased, and Michael had a strong relationship with his mother. Kit’s parents are still both alive, but he has never told them that he is gay. He is not sure how they would take it. One day, Kit gets into the hospital with appendicitis. He learns that his parents are coming down from upper New York to visit him, and that they will stay at his apartment. Kit pleads with Michael to get to his place first and ‘de-gay’ his apartment.

Kit’s parents are Bob Cowan (played by Bill Irwin) and his wife Marilyn (played by Sally Field). They are confused why Michael knows his way around Kit’s apartment, and just how Kit knows Michael. After all, they don’t work together, right? Kit comes out and tells him that he is gay. That does not seem to bother them at all. This reaction is much to the relief of Kit, and to Michael. After all, now they are always together.

Michael and Kit move into a new place together. They are pretty happy and they enjoy each others company. They go once in a while to visit Bob and Marilyn. They are very pleased that their son is happy, and they like Michael quite a bit. Years go on, and the two roommates and lovers deal with all the little issues in their lives. And then every year, they spend a great deal of time decorating the Christmas tree.

One year, at a Christmas party they throw at their house – a little secret comes out. The two lovers are in a bit of a low point. The pair no longer sees eye-to-eye on things. Michael has moved out, and they are now separated. Michael notices that Kit is in some pain. Kit thinks that is probably nothing, but he is going to the see a doctor. Michael feels that he also needs to be involved.

They get several opinions, but the final diagnosis is not good. Kit finds out that he has an aggressive form of cancer. It is pretty much set in his body, and there might be treatment options. Michael gets agitated at the hospital, when there is not a treatment bed available. He channels his best Shirley MacClaine (see: “Terms of Endearment”) – raising his voice at the nurse’s station demanding ‘get my husband a bed!’

But eventually, the options for Kit run out. His prognosis becomes dire, with only a few months left. Michael is devastated. But he arranges for a nice trip with Kit and his parents to a small motel near the ocean. It will become a fond memory soon, once Kit is gone. But for now, they are all together – and happy. The future might hold some difficult cards, but for this present time – they will treat it with care.

“Spoiler Alert” is a true story, based on the lives of true people. So the tale that they tell should resonate as being true. However, the way that the movie takes the early childhood of Michael Ausiello and portrays it as a TV sitcom removes you from the depth of the story.

Even in the closing act, when the emotional level should be at its high point – there is a major let-down. Again, perhaps it is Michael’s way of dealing with the most difficult things in his life, but turning a death-bed sequence into movie set – something feels like it is off here.

Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge both do very good in these roles and try to keep these characters grounded in the real world. Parsons gets a chance to breakout of his TV sitcom roles. He seems a little lost at points, but that might be his portrayal of a severely introverted gay guy. Aldridge gets a little better character, so he gets a better result. Both Sally Field and Bill Irwin bring some down-to-earth fun to those characters.

“Spoiler Alert” might not need warning messages to ‘not spoil the story’. You will know right up front that this gay-based romance will be heading into the territory of the 1970 movie “Love Story”.