Touch of Pink (2004)

2 Stars (out of 4)

Cary on Wayward Son

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Ian Iqbal Rashid's Touch of Pink hits upon the splendid idea ofhaving Kyle MacLachlan play Cary Grant. Not the real Cary, but animaginary friend version of Cary. With his mat of black hair and hisprominent chin, he's a perfect match for the debonair actor, and heknocks the performance out of the park.

Unfortunately, the rest of Touch of Pink -- which recently opened the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival -- is yet another one of those whiny gay romantic comedies centered around one character's inability to tell the truth.

We're all afraid of conflict in real life, but when we go to the movies we want to see characters overcome this fear. Alim (Jimi Mistry) lives in London with his boyfriend Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried), but is afraid to tell his mother (Suleka Mathew) about his sexual orientation and his lifestyle. When she comes to visit, he makes up a story that he's actually dating Giles' sister.

It's all wearisome and pathetic. While we wait for Alim to grow some courage and we wade through the film's series of lame drawing-room jokes, we occasionally get to watch Cary Grant give Alim advice on what to do. Like the movie Cary, this Cary borders on the sadistic and his advice is contrary to what Alim should really do. This deliberate subversiveness is the movie's only welcome attribute, but it eventually insists on kicking Cary to the sidelines and doing the touchy-feely thing.

Rashid cooks up some lovely set designs, like a low-rent version of last year's Down with Love and shows off plenty of Cary Grant clips and references. If nothing else, Touch of Pink plays like a screen test, proving that MacLachlan is up for playing the real thing at some point. Otherwise, it's not worth it.