Event

Petunia

A hilarious romantic comedy about a young gay man who mistakenly believes that a vow of celibacy will simplify his life

Presented by Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

His name is Petunia. Charlie Petunia (Tobias Segal). At first glance, he looks positively Bond-like in his tuxedo, but in fact he is the polar opposite of the suave lady-killer. Instead of drinking martinis and living it up, Charlie spends his brother's wedding reception avoiding the dance floor and securing his self-imposed celibacy by snapping the rubber band on his wrist anytime he feels aroused by the formal-wear-clad young men in the room. The Petunia family has a storied history of avoiding real feelings: Mom, Felicia, (Christine Lahti) is a therapist who needs a shrink of her own; dad, Percy, (David Rasche) hides erectile dysfunction under an oblivious and disaffected non-personality; and brothers Michael (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Adrian (Jimmy Heck) are hiding infidelity and sex addiction, respectively. Throw in mean NYC princess Vivian (Thora Birch) for a sister-in-law, and you have Charlie's biggest problem: his crazy family. Charlie finally finds a guy he's willing to break his "no sex" vow for when he meets and starts dating George McDougal (Michael Urie). But George is hiding something from Charlie his wife (Brittany Snow) and their relationship hits a complicated snag when she returns unexpectedly from a long trip . . . With super quirky, yet highly sympathetic characters, great acting, and hilariously unpredictable twists and turns, Petunia will make you think about love, life and how family plays a part in who you turned out to be. (USA, 2012, 92 min., color, Blu-ray | Director: Ash Christian | Cast: Brittany Snow, Christine Lahti, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Michael Urie, Thora Birch, Tobias Segal)