Any Day Now (2012)

Rudy Donatello: "Just because we are different doesn't make us bad parents!"

By Travis Fine

With Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt

I've been an admirer of Alan Cumming ever since I saw him in Plunkett & Macleane (1999) and The L Word, with his extravagant antics and Scottish accent, as well as a great dose of talent. The fact that it was dealing with discrimination, equal rights and adoption issues made it a must see for me.

Paul walks for the first time in a gay bar, there he meets Rudy, who performs as an exotic drag queen. After their first intimate moment together, Rudy comes home, only to see that his neighbor leaves her mentally handicapped child alone all night. Rudy immediately wants to care and help the young boy, but family services take him away. Rudy decides to go visit Paul who works with the district attorney's office in order to find a solution. When Marco, the boy, walks back home from the foster home, Rudy decides to keep him and with the help of Paul, they stand in as (loving) parents.

The movie is very powerful on an emotional level. It deals with very serious issues where justice can be quite surprising. The 70's society also imposes pressure and it's well rendered. You might think this movie is just a tearjerker and conveniently comes out at a moment where gays and lesbians are fighting for equality, and this might all be true, but that would be missing the most important element, the fact that a young child has to pay for the mistakes of others. I don't know how much of this story is actually true, if any of it is, but it worked for me, I felt drawn into the plot and the emotions never seemed stretched out.

I liked: Strong storytelling. Strong chemistry between them. The use of shadows, a lot of scenes are with minimal lighting, or streets at night and it gives a strong feel to the movie. Seeing Marco enjoying himself, dancing makes for really sweet scenes.

I disliked: It could be confusing when dealing with the law and all the different appeals.

82/100
If you have even the slightest interest in equal rights themes, this is a good movie. Also, there are so few movies with actors with disabilities. If you like the movies where you leave and keep thinking about it, it's a good one. At least for me--I kept thinking about the what if's...