"Punks" is without a doubt the most fun gay movie to come along since "Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert." The film is a flashy, gabby, catty, and most importantly, outright funny little piece about four gay friends in Hollywood. Of course, the real clincher here is that they are ethnic gays.

Now, if you invited me to come see a film about a group of African-American gay friends, I might only see it if I didn't have anything else to do. With a title like "Punks," I was of course intrigued; but after I found out it wasn't about punk rockers, and the subject matter instead was ethnic gays, I wasn't particularly interested in the film. But "Punks" has been generating a good buzz since Sundance earlier this year, so finally, I broke down and watched it. I am so glad that I did!

It's not that the plot of "Punks" is particularly new, or that the characters are particularly unique. It's mainly that there just haven't been enough Africa-American gay images in entertainment for an audience to identify with. This seems like fresh, new ground.

Here, the central players are all wonderful. There's the shy photographer looking for love, the blunt confidant who is breaking up with his boyfriend, the drag queen diva who performs at the local bar, the little Hispanic club kid who has ingratiated himself into their circle. And then there's the new neighbor, a strapping hunk of a man who cooks a great meal before heading out to the court for a game of b-ball. All of these characters come through the screen like friends we've had in our own cliques. They make it so easy to feel comfortable in their sphere. The remarkable performances and clever yet realistic verbal sparing between these friends is always fun to be involved with. We just end up loving all the characters more and more as the film plays out.

All of the actors give truly vivid and accomplished performances. Seth Gilliam is truly engaging as Hill. We want to see him succeed desperately in the film. We care deeply for Hill mainly because Gilliam is able to imbibe him with such genuine honesty and trepidation. Drag performer Jazzmun is awesome in her role as well. As Chris, we instantly find her as fun and snappy as all the most delightful drags we've ever known. Renoly Santiago, likewise, performs with just the right amounts of panache and truth to make his somewhat secondary character truly stand out. And Rockmond Dunbar is nothing short of dreamy as new neighbor Darby. Instantly we feel a true kinship and connection with his character even though the world he has stepped into seems far out of his normal realm. Add to the credit scroll some more famous names in secondary roles, such as Loretta Devine, Thea Vidale, Vanessa Williams, and Devon Odessa, and you've got a cast that consistently wins us over.

"Punks" is simply wickedly fun, enormously engaging and truly sweet. There's so much to like here. It seems just like hanging out with old friends and discovering so many new things about them and yourself. In this modern world of Jerry Springer stereotypes who propagate the misconceptions about African-American gays and transvestites, it's nice to see a film that captures the true gay spirit of ethnic minorities without removing the humor or the gaiety of it all. "Punks" may not be the most politically correct of gay films, but it seems honest and open and it certainly has it's heart in the right place. This is, without a doubt, the feel-good gay movie of the year!

Notes:

The music of Sister Sledge plays predominantly in the film. A Macy Gray song is also used to quite nice effect.

Written and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk.

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