Do I Sound Gay?

Do I Sound Gay? is a 2014 American documentary film by David Thorpe[3] that explores the existence and accuracy of stereotypes about the speech patterns of gay men,[4] and the ways in which one's degree of conformity to the stereotype can contribute to internalized homophobia.[5] Other figures participating in the film include Dan Savage, George Takei, David Sedaris, Tim Gunn, and Margaret Cho,[4] as well as University of Toronto linguist Ron Smyth.[5]

Do I Sound Gay?
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Thorpe
Produced by
  • Howard Gertler
  • David Thorpe
Starring
Music byJohn Turner
CinematographyMatt Bockelman
Edited by
  • Nicholas Bussey
  • Maeve O'Boyle
Production
companies
  • Impact Partners
  • Little Punk
  • ThinkThorpe
Distributed bySundance Selects
Release date
  • September 7, 2014 (2014-09-07) (TIFF)
  • July 10, 2015 (2015-07-10)
Running time
77 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$122,595[2]

The film was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign in the spring of 2014.[6]

Synopsis

David Thorpe becomes concerned that his gay-sounding voice is limiting his opportunities in life. He visits two speech therapists to evaluate his condition and help him gain control of his speaking voice. Eventually he realizes that he intentionally changed his voice at about age 17 when he came out and wanted others to know he was gay.

Participants

Production

Director David Thorpe had always been self-conscious about his voice.[7] When Thorpe did not have a lot of confidence, he described his voice as "I felt bad about being effeminate and how my voice was the leading edge of my effeminacy".[7] Production of Do I Sound Gay? was crowdfunded through a Kickstarter campaign launched by Thorpe on April 30, 2014.[6][8] The campaign would go on to raise $120,573 out of $115,000 goal with 1,968 backers.[9]

Release

Box office

Do I Sound Gay? opened theatrically in one venue on July 10, 2015, and earned $10,461 in its first weekend. At the end of its run, six weeks later on August 20, the film had expanded to 18 theaters and grossed $108,620 domestically.[2]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 6.54/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Do I Sound Gay? proves to be a light, affable, entertaining look at a largely unexplored issue".[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[11]

Leslie Felperin writing for The Guardian said that, "the point is inclusiveness, not conclusiveness, and that makes this open, honest and endearingly slapdash work especially interesting".[12] Writing for Variety, Andrew Barker wrote that, "The film does lose its way at times, especially during its long look at the evolution of cinematic gay stereotypes — still a worthwhile subject of study, though one that’s been explored more thoroughly elsewhere — and the ending is a little pat".[13] Sara Stewart of New York Post wrote, "Thorpe does elicit entertaining, thoughtful and sometimes deeply sad insights".[14]

Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Thorpe’s topic might have been better served in a broader-based documentary about LGBT stereotypes than as the basis for an entire film".[15] Danielle Davenport of the One Room With A View said that, "On the whole, Do I Sound Gay? is didactic and empowering, but not overly rigorous; its encouraging premise is not entirely satisfied".[16] Clayton Dillard of Slant Magazine called Do I Sound Gay? "a film that only superficially engages its topic, preferring communal confirmation over more rigorous, troubled grapplings".[17]

Accolades

The film was first runner-up for the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[18] Do I Sound Gay? won Best Documentary Feature at the 2015 KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival.[19]

See also

References
  1. "DO I SOUND GAY? (15)". British Board of Film Classification. October 8, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  2. "Do I Sound Gay? (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  3. "Brooklyn director asks ‘Do I Sound Gay?’ in new documentary" Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Daily News, May 17, 2014.
  4. "'Do I Sound Gay?': Toronto Review" Archived September 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. The Hollywood Reporter, September 8, 2014.
  5. "Liam Lacey’s TIFF diary: A guide to this year’s gay-themed films" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, September 4, 2014.
  6. "'Do I Sound Gay?' Documentary Engaged In Kickstarter" Archived September 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Huffington Post, April 30, 2014.
  7. "This Guy Just Wants to Know If He Sounds Gay". Time. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  8. "Update 1: Thank You for an Incredible 24 Hours! · Do I Sound Gay? A Documentary About Finding Your True Voice". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  9. "Do I Sound Gay? A Documentary About Finding Your True Voice". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  10. "Do I Sound Gay? (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  11. "Do I Sound Gay? Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  12. Felperin, Leslie (October 29, 2015). "Do I Sound Gay? review – upbeat self-portrait exploring sexual identity". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  13. Barker, Andrew (July 10, 2015). "Film Review: 'Do I Sound Gay?'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  14. Stewart, Sara (July 8, 2015). "New documentary asks, 'Do I Sound Gay?'". New York Post. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  15. "Review: 'Do I Sound Gay?' doesn't say enough about speech issues". Los Angeles Times. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  16. "Do I Sound Gay? - BFI Flare 2015 Review". One Room With A View. March 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  17. Dillard, Clayton. "Review: Do I Sound Gay?". Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  18. "‘The Imitation Game’ Wins Toronto Audience Award" Archived September 21, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. The Wrap, September 14, 2014.
  19. "'Boys' gets Best Feature Film Award at Kashish 2015". Business Standard India. June 1, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
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