The Sum of Us (1994)

"Ashamed of Jeff? Never."
Twenty-something Jeff Mitchell (Russell Crowe) is a gay plumber and footie player who lives with his father, Harry (Jack Thompson). The two have a close and loving relationship and Dad is forever trying to fix Jeff up with nice men. Harry, a widower, misses being in love and tries a computer dating service for himself; the lady he meets seems just about perfect, until he tells her about his son.

This is a very sweet father and son story, with Crowe and Thompson both convincing, sympathetic, and utterly likeable in their roles. Filmed in Sydney, the thick Aussie accents and slang may be a bit hard to understand at times, but they make the story seem very real and intimate. I would have given the film five stars (I did give it 3.5 stars) had it not been for the very annoying gimmick of having the actors break character and talk directly to the camera every few minutes. This was especially distracting when the father, paralyzed and mute from a stroke, suddenly started moving and speaking normally. I gather this is a holdover from the stage play, but it definitely destroyed the continuity; each time an actor spoke to the audience, we were reminded that it's only acting and we had to start all over in our willing suspension of disbelief. It would have been so much better if they had just used voice-overs or, better yet, skipped the narrations altogether.

Since no story lines are concluded, this is basically a slice-of-life drama, a peek into a life shared by father and son. The sight of Russell Crowe in footie shorts is reason enough to watch this movie; his many fans will enjoy seeing him in his pre-Hollywood days in this simple and lovely love story.

A movie well done...
I'm not gay - but I have to tell you - I love this movie! It was very heartwarming. I could easily watch this movie 100 times over - and never get tired of it. Both young men where very desirable - coming from completely different homes - one father accepted his sons way of life while the other was against it. The trials they both go through - with their own families and with their own self's - it really was a very well done movie.

Nice performances and story
Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson do a fine job of playing son and father, with the former showing his love and devotion after his dad falls ill, and the father, before that time, showing his acceptance of his gay son and a refusal to let anyone else make him feel ashamed of it.