Here is an indication that we are living in a renaissance of queer cinema: filmmakers are able to make films with a pair of same-sex leads and not have the focus be on their sexuality, but rather on other parts of the story that do not relate to the sexual identity of these characters. Andrew Fleming’s Ideal Home may not be the pinnacle of gay representation on screen, but much like the other great American gay comedy of the year, Love, Simon, this film is a delightful, hilarious and heartfelt story about acceptance and the importance of knowing who you are, and a film where sexuality is shown to be something that can be represented without obvious fanfare and not the defining characteristic of the narrative. Perhaps nothing close to being as socially-important or resonant as other queer films, I found Ideal Home to be nonetheless a distractingly hilarious and warm film that presents difficult themes with tact and graceful affection. While it is certainly not one of the most elaborate achievements of the year, it is extremely special, and a film I am exceptionally fond of, both for its willful humor and genuine pathos, and its approach to potent representation without any heavy-handed commentary on the subject it focuses on. It is a film that is allowed to excel on its own merits, which may not be groundbreaking but are compelling and endearing, and result in something very special.

Erasmus Brumble (Steve Coogan) is a renowned television host and celebrity chef who is starting to realize that he may not be as famous as he thinks he is. He has been with his partner, Paul (Paul Rudd) for over a decade, and despite the longevity of their relationship, they are constantly bickering, whether it be over a detail on the show (on which Paul serves as the director), or in their home life, which is tumultuous but still very loving, even if they would both deny it. Their home is certainly not ideal – which makes a certain event even more awkward when an unexpected visitor arrives at their doorstep. The boy (Jack Gore), who we soon learn is named Angel (although he prefers to be called Bill) is the son of Erasmus’ own offspring, the result of a misinformed heterosexual experiment he had in the 1980s. Bill’s father has been sent to prison, and Erasmus is his last resort in the search for a suitable caretaker. Now suddenly, the childish and excessive couple have to adapt to not only having a new addition to their family but to have that new addition be a child, who they have to help raise and hopefully influence enough for him to become a decent adult. They eventually put aside their problems with the situation, and the cynical Paul even starts to thaw, until they find themselves growing very fond of the child. However, just when they grow attached, they face certain obstacles that they consistently find in their way, and the unbreakable bonds that are forged by family are tested, with the true resilience that can be evoked in such a situation is demonstrated beautifully.

Ideal Home is a very good film led by two exceptional actors. Steve Coogan is a comedic genius, but one that is not only capable of a broadly hilarious brand of humor, but also something a bit more subtle and heartfelt, as demonstrated in films such as Philomena and 24 Hour Party People, both of which gave Coogan interesting characters to play. Ideal Home is not the definitive performance of Coogan’s career, but it certainly joins the ranks of many of his other films in being intricate character studies brought to life by Coogan’s masterful performance, imbuing the character with a certain snarky affection that makes him both unlikable and utterly endearing. Paul Rudd, who is tragically underrated as a performer, is as excellent as always, transforming himself, not only physically but in terms of persona, to play the persnickety, smarmy Paul. He is excellent here, and his characterization of this character is nothing short of a minor miracle. I have yet to see Rudd give such a layered, nuanced performance, and it proves that Rudd is a truly talented, charismatic performer who isn’t only capable of the same archetypal characters but can also expand into more interesting performances such as this. Jack Gore is also worth mentioning as a great new talent, and while he was awfully underused in the ill-fated Woody Allen throwaway Wonder Wheel, he is fantastic here, and I would hope that he will have an illustrious career, because based on his performance here, he certainly has the ability to go far in this industry. Ideal Home has a central trio of excellent performances, and it thrives on its talented cast and their remarkable chemistry with each other, and considering this film is almost entirely built on the cast, I would say that they

I could understand why Ideal Home may not be to the liking of some people, especially those in the LGBT community. It does, unfortunately, often resort to some common tactics used in mainstream films that could be considered stereotypical. There are moments of unnecessary flamboyancy, portrayals of animalistic sexuality and excessive actions that apparently only gay men can afford. However, I would counter this argument by noting that this film never intended to be a serious representation of a gay relationship – in fact, as I mentioned in the introduction, there is nothing much here that suggests that this film had to be about two gay men. It is a comedy about family, more than anything else, and the way it refuses to essentialize the “gay experience” is admirable. The film foregrounds the endearing story about family with a same-sex couple, and while it does not show much of the bias and difficulty such a couple would receive, especially in terms of caring for a child, the relative lack of public dismissals that they would be subjected to in reality is not noticeable. I am conflicted about whether I should even categorize this as a queer film, because that suggests some element of this film challenging the notions of heteronormativity – but it is not defiant, nor does it openly provoke discussions: it represents the relationship between its two leads not as a gay romance, but just as romance, a relationship with its own trials and tribulations. I’d say that in its approach to a tricky subject, where it somewhat normalizes the concept, is perhaps the exact reason why Ideal Home is such a defiant film – it doesn’t make any grandiose statements about what it is trying to do – it just does it, and it does it proudly.

Ideal Home is a film that does not take itself too seriously. It is a hilarious, irreverent comedy about one overarching grand narrative: family. It emphasizes the importance of loved ones, whether they are ones that you encounter by accident or through unexpected luck. The film manages to tell its story through a simple, straightforward narrative that may not always make much sense (some of the situations in this film feel rushed and implausible), but the audience is able to suspend disbelief in favour of this quaint, hilarious film about love and family, and how even through the most difficult circumstances, there is always solace in the loved ones. Coogan, Rudd, and Gore are exceptional, and the film as a whole is a charming, entertaining story that contributes to a growing corpus of queer films, to the point where an effective queer film doesn’t even need to foreground social issues in the telling of its story, but rather construct a meaningful one through other means. Ideal Home is a very special film and one that should be given an adequate chance by a wider audience because it really is a terrific work.