User Reviews

Although I rate the directing and acting high, this is ultimately a detestable story, full of logical holes and homophobic animosity. To take a heroic character of basically good intentions and essentially destroy him because of flawed judgment is worthy only when the writer redeems the character in some revelatory denouement. In this case, that never comes.

(SPOILER ALERT)

First, we are treated to a guy who could be the envy of any woman's or man's eye -- a decent, hard-working, fundamentally ethical young man who carries a big secret behind the facade of machismo. That secret -- the tragic flaw, if you will -- is that he is in love with his best buddy (or "mate" in the parlance of the U.K.). Although he tries to find appropriate ways to deal with his emotions, he falls into the trap of bending the truth more than once in an effort to break up his buddy's relationship with an unstable but attractive woman. The result is inevitable: he loses the friend and almost loses his life. End of story. Crude homophobic jokes, gay stereotypes, and fag bashing thrive.

What could have been a nice twist in this made-for-TV play involves the cathartic "outing" of the main character, David (splendidly played by Steve John Shepherd) on a TV talk show much like the old Jenny Jones show. This is an obvious ripoff of the infamous case in the U.S. where a young man did indeed lose his life a few years ago. Instead of allowing David to reveal the complex entirety of his subterfuge, however, he is made out to be a complete fool, which sets up in turn the ineffectual, gratuitous, and needlessly violent ending.

How David's Greek God could fall for a heterosexual nebbish like Theo (played well by John Simm) with almost no redeeming qualities really begs the question. Theo's girlfriend is similarly two-dimensional, Only by some ironic aspect that the audience is never made privy to can there be any sense in this. Likewise, nearly all of the supporting cast consists of stock characters and blatant stereotypes, like the angry Dad and the swishy design consultant supervising David on the job.

But the directing and editing values are good for a TV production. My only complaint is that it could have been so much better. Give this one a high mark for technique and a pass at the same time.

This film broke my heart! Although I don't like the fact that David tried to break up the relationship of his best friend and his girlfriend, the ending was still devastating because after confessing his love for Theo, he didn't get the response he had hoped for. Theo reunited with his girlfriend, beat up David and left him alone. They probably won't keep in contact anymore. What a way to lose someone you've loved for 14 years. But then again, I guess if Theo reacted that way he didn't deserve David's friendship anyway. No one should have to go through so much suffering for coming out for who they really are and admitting whom they really love! As always, John Simm was brilliant as Theo and somehow managed to make me love him even more and then love to hate him in the end for treating his friend that way. Stay awesome, John! Steve John Shepherd was amazing as David and really touched my heart with his performance. I could feel his pain by looking at his eyes.

Perhaps not a first-class film, production-wise, but emotional and touching, with a great set of cast!

(Caution contains spoilers)

This movie started with an interesting premise and had some brilliant moments but then failed to live up to its promise.

David and Theo have been mates for 14 years. But, David, the handsome self-assured alpha male has a secret. He's gay and is in love with Theo. Now Theo is moving in with his girlfriend and David is feeling left out. David sabotages Theo's relationship by playing on the girl's insecurities and then consoles Theo on the break-up.

The crisis of the film comes after the breakup. David is consoling Theo and seems genuinely sad to see his friend in the pain that he knows he himself has caused. When Theo is crying on David's shoulder as he asks, `How do you tell someone you Love them'. The look of recognition on David's face makes the whole movie worthwhile. Theo is asking the very question that has bothered David for so long.

The romantic in me started anticipating a noble, tear wrenching ending ..

David would sacrifice his own feelings for the man he loves. He would go on TV come out and confess to breaking up the couple. Even the jealous girlfriend would have to believe such a public confession. Theo would get his piece of happiness even if it meant that he may never Forgive David or Forget. David would be sadder but wiser and see that there are other men out there other than his straight mate. And Theo would eventually recognize David's sacrifice and the healing would begin.

Well forget it. David opts for another approach and much of the pathos of the film escapes

"Forgive and Forget" will certainly generate mixed feelings. The central character of David, a closeted working class guy who's desperately in love with his best pal Theo, is interesting in that David becomes the equivalent of a jealous lover when Theo gets increasingly serious about his new GF Hanna (who's not so different from David in some respects).

A jealous lover who has to conceal his feelings, which leads David to some actions that are less than sympathetic. While the film tries to show how David is suffering, the script and the lead actor rarely succeed is making David both wrong-headed but sympathetic. He glowers so much and is so clammed up emotionally that he almost becomes a villain. Theo really is the most sympathetic character in the film, a man victimized by his unreasonable GF and betrayed by his best friend.

(Spoiler alert): The penultimate scene on a TV show called "Forgive and Forget" is unbelievable to me. Even given David's need to tell Theo how he feels, it's hard to believe that someone as closeted as David would come out in such a public, spectacular way. The writer and director don't build David's character in a way where such a gesture seems inevitable. And the film never thinks to explore why the TV show would cooperate with such a surprise admission.

The ending has upset viewers - frankly, I didn't believe Theo to be the type to engage in such brutal behavior. And the Hanna's sudden appearance to stop Theo from inflicting further damage to David made no sense at all, given that she and Theo had already broken up.

Given David's actions it's easy to interpret the beating as David getting what he deserved for betraying his pal...and for daring to fall in love with a straight man and humiliate him by declaring that to him on TV. I can certainly imagine many hetero men readily taking that away from the film, especially as we see Theo and Hanna walking away hand-in-hand leaving David laying on the floor to fend for himself - not even asking if he's OK. As for the last shot of David, who can say what it means? He's learning how to move on? He's still in a dream world?

Anyone familiar with the gay-related murder that resulted from a similar occurrence on the Jenny Jones Show will wonder just what the filmmakers intended here. I understand that the writer of this film makes special mention that he's straight, so you never know.

I enjoyed watching Steve John Sheppard and John Simm in the lead roles. They handled their parts as competently as the script allowed.

The script, unfortunately, is the problem. It appears that homophobia is alive and well in the UK, as is the convention that gay romances must end in violence to show how unspeakably nasty the gay character is.

Boy comes out. Admits to his best friend of 14 years that he loves him (on a Jerry Springer type of show, no less). Father throws boy out of house. Ex-best-friend assaults him with a pipe. End of movie.

This is formulaic to the point that reactions are not developed. The scriptwriter assumes that the audience will use their own prejudices to help advance the development of the story and, thus, things occur without background exploration. They just happen, in a typical homophobic way.

The mother makes a homophobic comment about an ex-schoolmate, but it's she who supports her son when he comes out. The father--for no reason we're given--throws the boy out of the house. The best friend of 14 years seems to have ignored the signals that must have come from a close relationship of that length. If this is typical of UK television, I'll stick with HBO and Cinemax, thank you.

Rent the movie if you must, but don't buy it. That will just encourage more of this type of tripe being produced in the future.

This is surely one of the nastiest, most misleading, films ever made.

The only redeeming factor is handsome John Shepherd who plays David, a very closeted London construction worker. Secretly in love with his life-long mate Theo, David's covert problems escalate when Theo announces he is moving in with his girlfriend. Unable to share Theo's time and attention, David will do anything to undermine the couple's relationship.

David, with a misguided fantasy of 'sharing', gets the bright idea to come out of the closet on a talk show. An unwitting Theo joins him and is utterly embarrassed when he is told, in front of a national audience, that David is in love with him.

That the plan backfires goes without saying, and the pretense of light comedy ends abruptly. David's ghastly father pronounces him sick and summarily tosses him out of the house. Theo hates him and, to show him just how much, beats David senseless with a lead pipe. I kid you not.

It seems that Theo and his girlfriend are a perfect match after all: they are equally smug and hateful. Looking back with pity and loathing at the wretched, bleeding David, they walk off into the sunset together. A perfect ending for a mean-spirited film that gay-friendly TLA should be ashamed to have produced.

FORGIVE AND FORGET was originally written by Mark Burt and directed by Aisling Walsh as a TV movie aimed at a straight audience in the UK. That fact is important to remember as it makes this excellent film more credible to the audience that is finding it negative. The world at large remains homophobic as is evident not only in the US with all the measures before the voting public about gay rights, but also with the unrelenting gay bashing around the world in virtually every country. FORGIVE AND FORGET attempts to defuse some of that irrational behavior, yet sadly it only succeeds on some levels: some are still either incredulous that this story could happen and end the way it does while others quietly nod in recognition of a an atmosphere that remains essentially unchanged with the apparent passage of time's enlightenment.

Working class plasterer David (Steve John Shepherd) and perennial student Theo (John Simm) have been best friends (mates) for fourteen years, David the larger of the two being Theo's protector and defender. They are devoted to each other in the best sense of the word. Theo begins seeing artist Hannah (Laura Fraser) who is still recovering from a broken relationship with an unfaithful guy. As the couple's relationship intensifies, David sees his mate moving away from him emotionally, a fact that is made more difficult due to the fact that David is a closeted gay man, still living with his virulently homophobic parents, and in truth is deeply in love with Theo. Theo tries to bring David into his new life with Hannah, but David resists, begins having meaningless sexual encounters in Soho, and gradually finds ways to weaken Theo and Hannah's new relationship by playing on Hannah's insecurities. David's attempts at finding time together with Theo result in weakening Hannah's trust and she leaves Theo. As the truths of David's desperate attempts to retain Theo to himself become apparent, Theo questions David's motives. David, unable to talk with anyone, opts for going on a popular UK confessional TV show ('Forgive and Forget') where he admits he is gay and declares his love for Theo, a public announcement that results not only in David's being disowned by his parents but also in being beaten bloody by Theo, a sad dénouement stopped only by Hannah's intrusion during the beating. The only positive aspect of David's public confessional is that at last he is free of the lie he has been living, and though he has seemingly lost everything, he at last has some peace of mind - a tragically confessed happiest day of his life.

The cast is homogenously excellent, but the quality of acting by the exceedingly handsome and charismatic Steve John Shepherd and by John Simm and Laura Fraser is exceptional. Whether the audience is deeply disturbed by this film or closely aligns with its message, the film as an artwork cannot be faulted. It is a brave little movie that dares to hold a mirror up to the audience, hopefully enlightening at least a few as to the perpetuated homophobia that maligns the lives of many citizens. Recommended viewing. Grady Harp.

My first feeling was that I had already seen this kind of stuff too many times already and much better (even in TV). Although the cast was good (most of them deserve better), characters were so unconvincing and the dialog so cheesy that it was impossible to feel any sympathy for them. It is the typical script written with old recipes in the hands of an inept, extremely heavy handed director. Every scene was irritably predictable, except when towards the ending, the film goes overboard, with a total misfired "tour de force." I am sure that this flick will be very successful among family values audiences and the final bloody and extremely severe beating that the gay character gets from his 'straight' friend would be a real treat for hate and neo-Nazis audiences.

I am not giving a 1/10 rating out of respect for the actors (the only reason that I saw this TV produce until the end): I feel sorry for some of them.

Forgive and Forget, is a rather well done film exploring the relationship between a straight man and his closeted gay "best mate" who's been in love with him secretly for many years. Some viewers thought the film was slow and biased from a heterosexual point of view.

I feel the film portrayed the anguish of closeted, David, extremely well. The difficulties of accepting one's differences were clearly and painfully drawn, with an outstanding performance by the handsome lead. Personally, I could identify with his inner conflicts in making an extremely difficult decision. David appeared to be the ideal picture of straight, handsome male that fit in well with accepted straight images he was raised with. He knew differently.

The so-called, stereotypical, reaction by the gay man's parents is very easy to believe, since many gay children are still rejected by their parents, in our "enlightened" world.

The crude sexual talk and "fag" camaraderie amongst his "straight" coworkers was typical of the heterosexist viewpoint. In contrast, it's extremely interesting that the "straightest" of these coworkers displayed a lot of skin, (always in shorts, open vests, muscular chest display, shirtless with pierced nipples), to show what a man he was? He would have been right at home in a great many gay clubs or pride festivals.

Comments found in one review that the "Forgive and Forget" hostess' reaction of how brave David was; was an indication of pity and shame that he was gay. The real world is still not politically correct. Coming out isn't an easy step, and some individuals, never do so, due to lack of courage. I felt her reaction was simple and honest, not condescending, in her limited position as interviewer.

Theo's female love, Hannah obviously has some real problems... She was dumped before and hurts...! Well, she's rather selfish, self centered and possessive and wants David out of the picture. Is it any wonder he'd fight back? I lost sympathy for her, I felt for Theo who seemed to really care, and really wasn't aware of Hannah's real nature (Blinded by Love).

Mixed feeling arise with the ending of the film. At first, I HATED IT. Then upon review, perhaps it was too real and I wanted a different ending. Was the bashing and almost murder by Theo really necessary? All sympathy for him is lost here. And the convenient rescue, (prevention of Murder by Hannah?), was too patently heterosexist. Hanna saves her man, gets what she wants, and the fag gets his just deserts for lusting after a straight man? Isn't this reality in some cases...? (Even California's liberalness couldn't prevent several recent severe bashings and a couple of murders.)

The closing shot of David wants us to believe that David is happy with his decision and, all will be well. Nice sentiments but too quick and easy after what's just been portrayed...?? Rent this film and decide for yourself...

Pretty realistic and good acting. Relatable all up until he brings his buddy on a talk show to profess his love, what??? Why? All characters lose sympathy.

The reviews here have been uniformly negative and in some cases even nasty and although I would like to understand all the negativity I really cannot. I thoroughly enjoyed this film because the male lead really had me going and frankly I did not give a hoot how many holes there were in the script and there were plenty because I just could not stop looking at this guy he's that incredible. The story, let's face it, is far-fetched but hey it's the movies folks and we don't go to the movies to watch everyday life - we want to see something new and different and this film stretches the point almost to the breaking, but even still it works for me because I just could not take my eyes off the male lead. Even the ending which most here found absurd worked for me because it showed exactly what happens when a straight guy thinks he has been screwed by a gay guy and this is just what the straight guy here thought - and in fact he had - not literally but mentally and that was just as bad.

Wow. Previous reviews almost dissuaded me from doing it, but I am very, very glad I watched this movie. (What I am about to write may contain >>SPOILERS<<, but I am simply responding to what other reviewers have already written.)

My reaction to this movie is almost exactly the opposite of most other reviewers. I think it got much BETTER at the end, not worse; I think Steve John Shepherd is the weakest actor in the cast, not the best (although it is an extraordinary cast, so he is still very good); I think the responses of his parents (who do NOT brutally reject him (his father SAYS they still love him), they only insist that he leave them alone for a while to deal with the shock) and Theo (David started the violence, not Theo; and David is much bigger and stronger, so using a weapon makes sense) are entirely credible and honest under the circumstances, not at all monstrous or inappropriate; and Hannah had seen the TV show, so her appearance at the end is not at all out of the blue.

The end is strong and very, very positive: David knows himself better than we do, so when he says it is the best day of his life, I believe him. This is a brilliant movie.

(By the way, I am delightedly and militantly gay, and I abhor gay bashing, but there was NONE of it in this movie! As I said, David hit Theo first, Theo hit him back twice with the pipe - and NEVER in the head, so he was not trying to kill him - and what Theo said to David at the end he said because he was deeply hurt and terrified, not because he hates gays.

(Theo is a sweet, sensitive, weak and wimpy guy who had loved and depended on David since they were children, and his world had just been blown to bits on national TV. Give him a break! David is stronger than he is, in every way. It is GOOD, not bad, to see a movie with a strong gay lead! That he can get beat up, alienate his family and only friend, and still say it is the best day of his life is great! This guy is a hero, not a victim.)