1563 - Outing Riley

For those films geeks out there you'll recognize the man above, Pete Jones, as the winner of the first Project Greenlight, which was infinitely more entertaining than the film made from it Stolen Summer.  I heard about this film back when it was being made and was curious about it as a follow-up, especially considering that he'd decided to cast himself in the lead.  The film is about an Irish-Catholic in Chicago and his difficulty in coming out to his straight-with-a-vengeance family. 
A film like this has it's challenges from the get go to avoid being preachy or speecify, and this film does fall into those traps - it can't help but dip into melodrama from time to time.  That being said, it was a hell of a lot better than I thought it would be.  He actually got a decent cast together and when he wasn't trying to be too clever for his own good, he made a film that was more or less watchable.  This isn't exactly high praise.  This isn't a film I'd recommend but I wouldn't discourage you from watching it either.  It is what it is. 
Outing Riley