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The Mattachine Family

The Mattachine Family is an American comedy-drama film directed by Andy Vallentine and released in 2023. The film stars Nico Tortorella and Juan Pablo Di Pace as Thomas and Oscar, a gay couple who have spent a year as foster parents to a teenage boy whose mother was in jail; however, when she is released and regains custody of her son, Thomas and Oscar are forced to confront their very different visions for what they want out of life when they find themselves in disagreement on whether to pursue true parenthood.

The cast also includes Emily Hampshire as Leah, Thomas's friend who is also grappling with queer parenthood as she has recently suffered a miscarriage, as well as Heather Matarazzo, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, Jake Choi, Garrett Clayton, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Travis DuBridge, Colleen Foy, Jude Friedman, Annie Funke, Khalilah Joi and Jeanine Harrington in supporting roles.

Plot

The photographer, Thomas, captured his life story with photos. He realized he was gay when he saw a cartoon with muscular men. Thomas tells the story of Oscar, a famous child star on a popular sitcom whose acting career ended with a tabloid story that outed him. Eventually, Thomas would marry Oscar.

Thomas and Oscar are very much in love and live in their shared apartment in Los Angeles. When they have to return their first foster child, Arthur, to his birth mother, who has been released from prison after a year, they ask themselves how to proceed with their family planning and realize that they have different ideas about it after this experience. However, they have their chosen family consisting of friends who face their challenges in building a family. While Thomas' lesbian friend Leah and her wife Sonia are still waiting to get pregnant, their friend Annie is raising a child with her gay best friend Todd.

Production

It was directed by video and commercial film director Andy Vallentine. The film's screenplay was written by Danny Vallentine, the director's husband, and is based partly on their real-life relationship. It went into production in fall 2021. Andy Vallentine has previously made several short films, most recently The Letter Men, which he presented at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2022 and based on a series of love letters from a gay couple during World War II.The Mattachine Family is his feature film debut. Zach Braff was an executive producer of the film.

The film's title is a reference to the Mattachine Society, a gay rights organization founded by Harry Hay, whose goal is to create greater acceptance of homosexuality. The organization also previously lobbied to repeal the criminalization of homosexuality in the states of the United States.

Nico Tortorella and Argentinian Juan Pablo Di Pace play Thomas and Oscar. Carl Clemons-Hopkins was cast as Todd, and the Canadian Emily Hampshire as Thomas' lesbian friend Leah. Cloie Wyatt Taylor plays Leah's wife, Sonia. Heather Matarazzo appears in a cameo as Annie. Jake Choi and Annie Funke can also be seen in other roles. Garrett Clayton and Matthew Postlethwaite, who previously starred as Gilbert Bradley and Gordon Bowsher in The Letter Men, can be seen in the roles of Jake and Sam.

Distribution

The film premiered in the New American Cinema competition at the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival. It was subsequently screened at film festivals, including the Frameline Film Festival, Outfest, Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, and the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival.

Reception

Reviews

All of the reviews listed on Rotten Tomatoes are positive.

Film Threat's Andrew Stover writes in his review that Nico Tortorella impresses with his undeniable charm and winning smile as the central character in The Mattachine Family, even in moments where his pain over the loss of Arthur comes to the fore.