Breakfast with Scot

Considering it’s the first gay-themed film to be fully endorsed by the NHL, Breakfast with Scot is actually one of the most homophobic films I have ever seen. It can be endearing and it can be funny (thanks mostly to 12-year-old Noah Bennett as Scot) but the message is dangerous. Scot’s mother has just died and he finds himself placed with his mom’s ex-boyfriend’s brother, Sam (Ben Shenkman) and his lover, Ed (Tom Cavanagh). Ed is in sports news and lives a closeted life, so when an effeminate child enters his world unwanted, he takes it upon himself to steer the child in a more "masculine” direction. While Scot should learn how his behaviour could incite others to taunt or hurt him, Ed’s coaching only teaches the boy shame. Actually, Laurie Lynd’s direction reinforces that shame by introducing Scot to the audience as a hand cream-wearing, charm bracelet-sporting musical lover while Sam and Ed look at each other in horror. As if shame wasn’t enough for his future therapist to have to work on, Scot also has a horrible example of love between men to learn from. Ed and Sam act more like roommates who barely like each other than life partners. They rarely look at each other and never consult each other on how to deal with Scot. Ed even goes so far as to call Scot Sam’s problem and not his. Ultimately, I learned that the only place flame(r)s have in hockey is in Calgary. (Get it? Flamers? Calgary Flames?) C’mon, people, it’s a gay hockey joke! With zero extras and the added bonus of uncomfortable awkwardness in a confined space, Breakfast with Scot would be best left on the shelf. Rent the similarly themed and infinitely better Belgian film Ma Vie en Rose instead.