SOMETIME AFTER MIDNIGHT

The sins of the fathers can’t prevent fate from coupling their musician sons in this split-narrative, boy-loves-boy ballad.

High school senior Nate is the son of a dead-before-his-time musician. Doomed to work at the Dairy Barn and live with his not-so-wicked stepmother, he’s ready to pack up his guitars and eke out a musician’s life. Cameron is heir to a music empire and eager to prove his talents as a vocalist to his cutthroat father. When they meet at a live show, their ignited passion unwittingly illuminates the scandal that binds their families. Their desire to be both paramours and a professional duo is subsequently tested by the tragedy of truth. Will they ever make literal and figurative music together? Nate and Cameron’s budding tryst is TMZ’d—only because their bloodlines, not their sexuality, spell scandal. Their ultimate conflict stems from negotiating loyalty to their families, themselves, and each other. On the socio-economic spectrum, Cameron coasts through a privileged existence of wealth while Nate’s middle-class existence doesn’t even skim the surface of destitution despite his laments. Light applause for not making homosexuality the social challenge in this La La Land–scape of fame, glamour, and oodles of cash. Both Nate and Cameron are white, fit, and adorable. Nate’s bestie, Victor, is Italian-American; presented in caricature form, he’s likened to an overfed Al Pacino.

A fun enough fluffy fairy tale with a colorless cast and easily mounted conflict.