There is something for everyone in the joyful BREAKING FAST which opens Reeling this week. If you crave a love story with two handsome leads, this is it. If you like a clever screenplay with campy references to West Story and Superman, or like commentary about religion and sexuality, there is plenty of that to go around too. And if you love food, you will work up an appetite. In short BREAKING FAST is a delicious gay stew for our modern age.
Haaz Sleiman plays Mo, a practicing Muslim living in West Hollywood, who meets Kal (Michael Cassidy), an emerging actor who was raised in Jordan. The two of them are great together, exploring their differences and kinship, even when the script has them navigating some strange twists and turns, like having Mo run lines for Kal’s upcoming audition.
Writer/Director Mike Mosallam clearly loves this material. I found some of his smaller roles and comedy overplayed by half, but they keep what could have been a serious and predictable romance on its toes.
And like Kumail Nanjiani’s THE BIG SICK or Jon M. Chu's CRAZY RICH ASIANS, this will hopefully be another commercial success with all audiences, especially those eager to see their stories told with respect on screen.
BREAKING FAST is featured at Reeling Film Fest.