These two strong forces come together beautifully, making their on-screen friendship completely believable. On a forbidden, drink-fuelled jaunt to Dublin together, the two of them happen on a gay bar. Venturing inside, Eddie is mesmerized by the sight of a drag queen lip-syncing to Brenda Lee who calls him “baby gay,” while Amber meets a friendly university student named Sarah , who invites her to an upcoming event. This encounter with out people and culture incrementally shifts something in both of the teens, giving Amber the push she needs to explore her sexuality more openly.
This isn’t the only instance it happens in different scene too in different ways. You can almost feel what the characters are feeling and I think that is so good, however some of theses sense get muddy with strange choice and behaviour from characters. I think this issue is this movie likes to make sure you understand everything. Seeing an opportunity to get the others off both their backs, Amber comes out to Eddie, points out that she’s correctly guessed he’s gay and proposes they pretend to be dating each other. Although he tries to deny he’s anything other than a macho-macho man in the making, Eddie agrees that this arrangement would be preferable to making out with the likes of Tracey and the other girls.
Dating Amber embeds two prominent characters 17-year-old Eddie (O’Shea) and his classmate Amber . Though the title suggests that it could be the story of Amber, Eddie plays an equally important part. Following the family legacy, Eddie’s dad, Ian wants him to join the Irish Army, but a look at Eddie would give you enough reasons on why he shouldn’t consider the profession. Everyone agrees to it, except Eddie’s dad which leads to a subplot of toxic masculinity in Eddie’s life inflicted by his father. After homophobic taunting from his small-town classmates leads to a disastrous attempt at proving his heterosexuality, Eddie is approached by Amber , a fellow closeted outcast who is also tired of being tormented at school.
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As much as Dating Amber runs to formula, right down to Eddie’s concerned mother giving a heartwarming speech in the final act, it rises above the cliches thanks to the genuine affection between O’Shea’s Eddie and Petticrew’s Amber. Eddie’s climactic outburst to Amber packs a punch because it’s clear how much these two really love each other. The perfectly aligned performances keep the film aloft in spite of these later hiccups.
The bullying in Eddie and Amber’s school is shown as borderline brutal, yet it is terribly funny to see these pubescent students with their posturings of sexual experience and contempt for those who are not masculine or feminine enough. The story is loosely based on Freyne’s own experience while growing up in the military barracks area in Kildare. While there is definitely an aim to give his female counterpart, Amber , an equal share of the story, it’s perhaps unavoidable, given his own experience, that Freyne has more empathy with Eddie, and gives him a more complex storyline. Eddie is filled with angst and is in complete denial about his sexuality, whereas Amber is more matter-of-fact, accepting her situation and making plans to escape. The fact that she hires out her caravan home to friends wanting somewhere to have sex is one of several components that bear similarities with Netflix’sSex Education.
A delightful coming-of-age romantic comedy out of Ireland. It might be easy to write off Dating Amber as yet another «coming out» film, but what it ultimately is is just plain ol’ good storytelling. Without spoiling it, it’s safe to say that there is a big, teary conclusion that does its part in restoring our faith in the power of love and friendship. Common Sense is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.
Other amusing ’90s Ireland indications include a cinema date where someone’s being jerked off in the back row; even the idealised escape to London seems right out of a time vault. That small insular town life and desperation to get through the hell that is school are captured superbly. The lives of teenagers has perhaps never been more accurately captured than in ‘Dating Amber’. Funny and poignant with two great lead performances in O’Shea (‘Normal People’, ‘Handsome Devil’) and Petticrew (‘A Bump Along the Way’), this is a thoroughly enjoyable dramedy even if its message of staying true to yourself is well-worn.
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Utilising the classic fake relationship trope, Dating Amber is a really sweet and unconventional love story. With two queer characters pretending to be a heterosexual couple, the charade of the relationship allows for Eddie and Amber to develop a deep and loving friendship with each other as they explore and come to terms with their sexualities. Dating Amber, a teenage love story doesn’t work intensively on the conflicts it promises, like Eddie’s dad and his toxic masculinity, Amber’s mother and her trauma, and Eddie’s parents drifting apart. Much of these subplots are left halfway through that is one of the flaws of the script. It does justice to Amber and Eddie’s character like any other coming of age story, that is outward without much depth. Yet, it is an easy watch movie with a couple of sweet moments and occasional chucks, originating from Amber’s witty character.
David Freyne always knew that casting was the key to success with his second feature. The delightful Dating Amber concerns two gay kids in 1990s Ireland who engineer a bogus romantic relationship to distract the circling bullies. It was vital to get the right chemistry bubbling between his two leads. Fionn O’Shea and Lola Petticrew deliver like Curie and Mendeleev . This is a film that pulls out all the stops to reveal what a pain in the ass adolescence can be, particularly if you don’t conform.
Dating Amber: Agreeable comedy about a fake romance in 1990s Ireland
Eddie is resisting identifying as gay, and has internalized his army-commander father’s desire for him to follow his footsteps. While only pretending, the two actually develop a form of affection for each other. However, trips to nearby Dublin, where they find a gay scene and Amber a girlfriend, cause trouble for the duo.
Dating Amber tells the story of two high school friends coming to terms with their own sexuality in 90’s Ireland. Afraid of coming out to their schoolmates, they pretend to be in a relationship, which ends up complicating things but also make them discover love and support in one another. The premise is quite simple, and the film uses it to its advantage. https://legitdatingreviews.com/cherryaffair-review/ Instead of creating highly complicated twists or unrealistic behaviors, Freyne opted for subtlety and simplicity, making for a better experience. Originally titled Beards, the Ireland-set coming-of-age drama has all the qualities of the greatest teen romances, but it dares to be bolder, and focuses on characters that feel more original than we’re used to.
Exploring the struggles of self-preservation, self-acceptance, self-love and finding your tribe, Dating Amber has something for everyone that audience to relate to, but especially young queer people. Spoiler-free film reviews, live reviews, theatre, gaming, music, K-Pop, and all things in between. There is lots to enjoy in Dating Amber, especially the acting.
In a kind of communion, Eddie embraces the drag queen like a lost child re-encountering his mother. She keeps on singing, rocking Eddie as if casting a queer spell, or baptizing the “baby gay,” as she calls him. The film opens with Eddie’s very awkward first kiss, after which he immediately gets shtick for not touching the girl’s boobs. And not just from the guys – the girl herself and her girlfriends taunt him too. Viewers at home will recognise the friends organising that first shift well, and the cringeworthy sex education classes. Elsewhere in the film, boys randomly call Eddie a wanker and make obscene gestures at him.
Much like Handsome Devil, the thematic weight of Dating Amber is aided by humour and a lot of heart. There is so much to be appreciated and enjoyed by a universal audience and the film could be utilised as an educational tool regarding sexuality both on and off screen. It’s fun to see that Eddie and Amber’s relationship gives them a status above all others in the school. His and Amber’s friendship is really a beautiful thing to witness growing and you find yourself continually intrigued by what this relationship means to Eddie.