IMDb RATING
7.3/10
8.6K
YOUR RATING
The story of Michael Ausiello and Kit Cowan's relationship, which takes a tragic turn when Cowan is diagnosed with terminal cancer.The story of Michael Ausiello and Kit Cowan's relationship, which takes a tragic turn when Cowan is diagnosed with terminal cancer.The story of Michael Ausiello and Kit Cowan's relationship, which takes a tragic turn when Cowan is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
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- Stars
- Awards
- 1 win & 6 nominations total
Eleni Yiovas
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Spoiler Alert' is an emotional film exploring love, loss, and acceptance. It authentically portrays a gay relationship, highlighting its complexities. Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge are praised for their chemistry and depth. The film balances humor and tragedy, leaving a lasting impression. Sally Field and Bill Irwin’s supporting roles are also noted. Audiences find it a touching, realistic depiction of love, resonating deeply.
Featured reviews
"Spoiler Alert" tells the story of Michael (played by Jim Parsons), a shy and guarded pop-culture junkie who is hesitant to explore the gay bar scene in Manhattan. However, on a rare night out with a colleague from TV Guide, he meets Kit (played by Ben Aldridge), the man who ends up being the love of his life. Kit has the confidence and coolness that Michael wishes he had, and the two begin a relationship.
Throughout the film, the chemistry between Parsons and Aldridge is electric, and their witty banter is a highlight. The film does a good job of showing the lovable sides of both characters, and you can see why they would fall so deeply in love. However, the film also covers the struggles of long-term relationships, including ordinary spats and more serious health issues.
While the film follows the typical tragic ending for LGBTQ+ movies, it is still a sweet and touching dramedy that will resonate with audiences. Director Michael Showalter incorporates some surreal elements into the film, but they don't quite work as well as the realistic and true-to-life details. Overall, "Spoiler Alert" is a well-acted and heartfelt film that is worth watching.
Throughout the film, the chemistry between Parsons and Aldridge is electric, and their witty banter is a highlight. The film does a good job of showing the lovable sides of both characters, and you can see why they would fall so deeply in love. However, the film also covers the struggles of long-term relationships, including ordinary spats and more serious health issues.
While the film follows the typical tragic ending for LGBTQ+ movies, it is still a sweet and touching dramedy that will resonate with audiences. Director Michael Showalter incorporates some surreal elements into the film, but they don't quite work as well as the realistic and true-to-life details. Overall, "Spoiler Alert" is a well-acted and heartfelt film that is worth watching.
I really enjoyed this movie. I am not gay, I am a straight woman so I can't say how well it portrays the gay lifestyle as others here have done but I can say it was done in a way that wasn't over the top or flamboyant the way most shows portraying gay men do.
My biggest surprise was Jim Parson's acting. I knew he was great on TBBT, but honestly didn't know if he had the acting chops to pull this part off. But oh yes he did, and then some. Everyone in this movie was top notch.
So why only 7 stars? I guess it's mostly because it wasn't the passionate romance tear-jerker I was led to believe it would be. Did they really have that great a love? I believe for any relationship to work you have to have the complete triad of love, trust and respect. Here, we had cheating (so you have lost trust and respect right there) and they drifted apart and broke up (so a lack of true devotional love). I felt the only reason they got back together was because Kit was dying. Would they have otherwise? It felt like most likely not.
So it lost much of the emotion punch that would come from truly losing the love of his life. It was a sad and emotional, but for me maybe not for the reasons that they tried to portray in this movie. I felt in the end that Michael lost his best friend more than he did someone he loved passionately at that point. Still very emotional but not overly heart-wrenching in that lost the love of my life way I think they were trying to go for.
But it was a good movie, the acting was top-notch, there was great chemistry between Parsons and Aldridge and I felt the pacing was very good. Well worth the watch!
My biggest surprise was Jim Parson's acting. I knew he was great on TBBT, but honestly didn't know if he had the acting chops to pull this part off. But oh yes he did, and then some. Everyone in this movie was top notch.
So why only 7 stars? I guess it's mostly because it wasn't the passionate romance tear-jerker I was led to believe it would be. Did they really have that great a love? I believe for any relationship to work you have to have the complete triad of love, trust and respect. Here, we had cheating (so you have lost trust and respect right there) and they drifted apart and broke up (so a lack of true devotional love). I felt the only reason they got back together was because Kit was dying. Would they have otherwise? It felt like most likely not.
So it lost much of the emotion punch that would come from truly losing the love of his life. It was a sad and emotional, but for me maybe not for the reasons that they tried to portray in this movie. I felt in the end that Michael lost his best friend more than he did someone he loved passionately at that point. Still very emotional but not overly heart-wrenching in that lost the love of my life way I think they were trying to go for.
But it was a good movie, the acting was top-notch, there was great chemistry between Parsons and Aldridge and I felt the pacing was very good. Well worth the watch!
Finally a movie that shows the ups and downs of love. The genders don't matter to me at all, it was refreshing to see love between two people in such a raw and real way. The high of the initial meeting and first dates, the awkward family meeting, the normal relationship struggles, and the power of love through the darkest of times. Many of us never experience that full level of commitment in a relationship. I don't care what you think about same sex relationships, this is a very raw and heartfelt connection between two people who love each other through multiple struggles. I felt so many emotions while watching this movie. Very well done!
Finally a big budget film that doesn't mock or create more stereotypes within the queer community. This is a heartfelt touching film. Finally they get the idea write a script, and then don't focus on who the characters are gender or sex wise just cast great actors. This is a smart realistic portray of a couple. Who both happen to be male. It is great for the community and it's a step forward. But in general far beyond that this is purely beautiful work of art. It's sad that it took this long comment to understand one that a couple can be male or female and have love and compassion for each other but two on a business end of it this is a huge area of Finance why a company wouldn't have done this earlier I don't know. Now there are thousands of independent future films and short films which are just the same as this. But it's nice to have a bigger budget film finally put this to screen and into theaters. It needs that support for the fact that it's just a beautiful film. And of course for the fact of helping the queer community and not looking down at them.
Perhaps I'm biased because the two leads, Parsons and Aldridge, did a QA at my theater but I enjoyed this film a lot. It was a heartfelt romance movie that was very humorous too, with comedy sprinkled even amidst the horribly sad parts. Ben Aldridge gave a spectacular performance throughout, displaying his range impeccably. That this was inspired by a book-and the actors mention drawing immensely from the original source material and relics of Kit Cowan-made this story all the more compelling. I laughed, cried, all of it, at this movie. It wasn't exceptional, nothing stood out in monumental ways, but as far as good holiday romance movies go, this is up there.
Did you know
- TriviaIn a December 2022 article for the Daily Beast, Kevin Fallon reported that in Michael Ausiello's capacity as a TV reporter for publications including TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and TVLine, Ausiello had interviewed Jim Parsons several times over the years that Parsons starred on The Big Bang Theory (2007). When Ausiello's source memoir was released in 2017, Ausiello asked Parsons to moderate a Los Angeles Q&A session on it, and when Parsons read the book to prepare for the panel, his husband, Todd Spiewak, found him sobbing in their living room. Spiewak suggested to Parsons that if he had such a strong emotional reaction to the story, he should option it for the movies - which is what they ended up doing together (both Parsons and Spiewak are producers).
- GoofsImmediately before Michael and Kit lie down under their first Christmas tree, there are several presents underneath. When they lie down, there are no presents.
- Quotes
Kit Cowan: I'm... I'm gay.
[Marilyn looks at Michael]
Michael Ausiello: I'm gay, too.
Kirby: I am also gay.
[Kit looks at Kirby conforming]
Kirby: I am.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The View: Sally Field/12 Days of Holidays (2022)
- How long is Spoiler Alert?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,384,003
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $82,983
- Dec 4, 2022
- Gross worldwide
- $1,434,850
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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