To me, The D Train
represents a turning point in American cinema.
This is a film that treats non-heterosexuality as casual and it is not
the emphasis of the film’s dramatic underpinnings. The fact the film does so and received little
notice upon its nationwide theatrical release is also indicative of how we as a
nation don’t even bother to make a big deal out of major actors portraying
homosexual activity anymore. This is a
great thing, and I’m glad that this film can represent this important
step. I just wish the film were better
so that the casual progress would feel grander.
Dan Landsman (Jack Black) is the self-proclaimed leader of
his twenty year high school reunion committee.
In a mad effort to attract more people to the party, he decides to track
down and convince the coolest guy from high school, a television commercial
actor named Oliver Lawless (James Marsden), to come to the event. After tricking his boss into thinking that a
potential business deal exists in Los Angeles in order to pay for the trip, Dan
meets up with Oliver, has a wild night of carousing and shenanigans, and
ultimately, in an impassioned response to Oliver saying yes to coming to the
reunion, ends up having sex with the guy.
The remainder of the film revolves around Dan dealing with his lack of
closure, as he isn’t a believer in one night stands.
What’s really nice about this film is that the sex of its
characters is entirely incidental.
Oliver’s bisexuality is brought up casually in order to establish it,
and then is never used to make his character into a cliché or stereotype. Dan, on the other hand, is written not to
believe that he might be gay after his homosexual encounter, but to deal with
the fact that a one-night stand is an okay thing and that sex doesn’t require
emotional attachment. Dan doesn’t try to
hide Oliver’s sexuality from his wife; he only wants to hide his lapse in
fidelity. There is a refreshing
casualness to the whole proceeding that I think films less than a decade ago
wouldn’t have mustered, and many larger studio films would likely still
struggle with.
However, despite this milestone, The D Train isn’t a great film.
It bills itself as a dark comedy, but like many dark comedies it has a
distinct problem of keeping a consistent tone.
There are a few laughs to be had, but when the film decides to go
serious, it abandons its lighter-hearted nature in favor of hard-hitting
moralism. But even absent the tonal
shifts, many scenes might have worked better if it weren’t for the miscasting
of Jack Black in the lead role. Black
has a flair for goofball comedic antics, and while he is no stranger to drama,
he’s never quite gotten the hang of being taken seriously. Dan is a tricky enough character to portray,
given the line he must walk between being silly and tragic, but this is only
further complicated by Black’s inability to exude anything but over-the-top
lunacy. I don’t mean to paint Jack Black
as the only reason the film doesn’t really work, but he is probably the biggest
factor.
Ultimately, The D
Train is right on the line between being passable or being a dud. I’m more inclined to call this one a dud, but
I can definitely see how some folks would enjoy this film more than I did. The casual nature of its
non-heteronormativity may make this required viewing for those who have
followed the social progress of the LGB community. But as a film, I just don’t think it quite
pushes over my threshold for liking it.
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