I stumbled upon my roommate watching "Pineapple Express" and became entranced. It is funny and it offers some bigger messages about how drug use can quickly turn from friendly to dangerous in our drug war-torn society. But as I was watched the two friends frolic through the woods together, intoxicate a caterpillar with THC, and hug each other when they heard an unidentified noise, I realized this film could be enhanced.
I asked myself, what would this movie be like if these characters were intimate partners? It’s hard to say, and that is the issue.
There isn’t really a funny mainstream movie depicting a gay couple in such this way. There is "Date Night," which could be considered the couple version of "Pineapple Express," minus the drugs. But there is no top-chart American film that trumps heteronormativity.
The existence of "Date Night" proves to me that the funny, action-packed story-line of "Pineapple Express" can be formed in different ways and I hope to see it formed into a gay rendition. The importance of this will be mass viewing. There are some popular films with gay leads, including: "Beginners," "The Kids Are All Right," "Boys Don’t Cry," "Milk," "Pelo Malo" and "Blue Is the Warmest Color."
In the U.S., it is less common than in other nations, but gay-friendly big-screen movies make more of an impact coming from the U.S. Why? Because our culture, especially our media culture, spreads like wildfire across the globe.
English is a language prioritized in many developed countries around the world, while my experience with diverse language immersion in public education consisted of watching a 20-minute video about Spanish vocabulary for toddlers. Therefore, even though widely popular movies starring queer couples exist, they will really make their mark once they expand to the U.S. box office charts.
This will be significant in a multitude of ways. So far, the majority of films with homosexual main characters take on the theme of dealing with sexuality because it has been such a prominent part of the gay lifestyle, living in a society that rejects equality, full acceptance and advocation for homosexuals.
In a film that solely captures the fun-loving aspects of a relationship and friendship among a gay couple, they will be portrayed in a new light. This vantage point will be monumental for showing that we can move past all stigmas and normalize gayness.
Reach the columnist at ralydfor@asu.edu or follow @ralydford on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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