LOOKING: THE MOVIE

Looking: The Movie premiered at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, California, on June 26, 2016 as the final film shown at the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, Frameline 40.

Celebrating Patrick's return to San Francisco. Photo: HBO.

Last night, I watched it on HBO and was happy to once more be in the San Francisco inhabited by the characters created by Michael Lannan.

The film, which serves as a form of closure for the two seasons of the HBO series, was written by Michael Lannan and director Andrew Haigh.

No spoilers here, but I will say I teared up at the end, when two characters walk up Castro Street after a night of drinking to join friends in the 24-hour diner, Orphan Andy's. I've done that more than a few times over the years.

As I wrote here on my blog, I regret there's no gay-themed film or television series set in 1990's San Francisco to remind me of that era in my life. I'm glad Looking captured its take–if all too briefly–on today's LGBTQ experience in the City by the Bay.

LOOKING's Finale

HBO's canceled gay dramedy series, Looking, returned earlier this month to San Francisco, California, in order to shoot its final episode. 

LOOKING's Murray Bartlett, Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez & Raúl Castillo

I was definitely unhappy to hear the show wasn't renewed for a third season, but am pleased there will be a final chapter to the excellent series.

I think Season 1: Episode 5 is the best American gay television show. Ever.

Second Season World Premiere of LOOKING

The world premiere of the second season of HBO's gay dramedy series, Looking, took place January 6, 2015 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California.

Looking is set in San Francisco, where it was also filmed. The series centers around three gay friends: Paddy (Jonathan Groff), a twenty-something video-game programmer looking for love; Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), a former artist now adrift; and Dom (Murray Bartlett), a long-time waiter hoping to open his own restaurant.

The second season picks up a few months after the first season left off. Happily, HBO bumped up the length of this season for a total of ten episodes.

Raúl Castillo, Murray Bartlett, Frankie J. Alvarez, Lauren Weedman,
Jonathan Groff, Daniel Franzese (Photo: Drew Altizer Photography)

Before the first two episodes of the second season were screened at the Castro Theatre, the cast met with the press and posed for photographs on the red carpet.

It was great to see Raúl Castillo returning as Richie, a barber who dated Paddy in the first season.

Lauren Weedman again plays Doris, the wise-cracking, no-nonsense ex-girlfriend of Dom's.

Daniel Franzese comes on board this season as Eddie, the first gay character on the show to self-identify as a bear and to be HIV positive.

Frankie J. Alvarez, Jonathan Groff, Raúl Castillo,  Murray Bartlett 

Fans of the first season of Looking know the three best friends seem to have difficulties creating healthy, emotionally intimate relationships with the men they are dating.

Creator/Co-Executive Producer Michael Lannan says Looking is about "looking for authentic ways of being in the world." During the Q&A session after the screening, he said it was no coincidence Paddy and the others find themselves at the beginning of each season outdoors and away from the noise of their city lives.

Daniel Franzese

Director/Co-Executive Producer Andrew Haigh again skips the cliched, soaring shots of San Francisco's landmarks and tourist traps. Instead, he brings the camera down to street level, where the characters actually live in The City.

The intimacy Haigh thus creates is arresting, especially during the nude scenes: you are there with the characters and feel their emotional need to connect as their bodies connect and separate. (Yes, there is full-frontal male nudity this season.)

On the red carpet, I spoke briefly to the actors. Daniel Franzese was as affable as his character Eddie.

Lauren Weedman

I enjoyed speaking with Lauren Weedman. She kept firing zingers one after another.

Frankie J. Alvarez

Frankie J. Alvarez had a sweet, intelligent focus not yet seen in his character, Agustin.

Frankie said not to give up on Agustín, be sure to keep watching the second season.

Raúl Castillo

I haven't yet seen all ten episodes of the second season, but suspect Raúl Castillo's Richie will continue to be the emotionally centered man Paddy is seeking.

Murray Bartlett

My camera battery died a moment before Murray Bartlett stepped over to me. I was happy he stopped to say hello.

Cast on stage after screening first 2 episodes of
LOOKING's second season (Photo: Drew Altizer Photography)

The cast and executive producers came on stage for a Q&A session with the audience. Here, Lauren Weedman admits she often goes off script and ad libs her lines.

LOOKING's after party at Terra Gallery in SOMA

The after party celebrating the premiere was at Terra Gallery.

Michael Denison, Murray Bartlett and his friend

When I walked up to Murray Bartlett, he said, "Nice to see you again," and posed for this photograph.

Michael Denison and Jonathan Groff

Jonathan Groff was surrounded by fans and press. I was very pleased he took a moment to pose with me.

Christopher Turner, Michael Denison and Armistead Maupin

If you're a fan of this blog, you know I recently interviewed Emmy and Peabody award-winning TV writer, director, producer Richard Kramer.

Richard worked with Armistead Maupin on the mini-series adaption of the first installment of Armistead's acclaimed book series, Tales of the City, about people living in San Francisco.

I am a huge fan of Tales, so I was thrilled to meet Armistead and his husband, Christopher Turner.

Like Tales, Looking draws you into a circle of friends you soon find yourself rooting for, as they live and love in San Francisco.

The second season of Looking premieres January 11, 2015 on HBO.

LOOKING's Season 2 Trailer

Looking, HBO's gay dramedy set in San Francisco, California, recently dropped this trailer for its second season.




Poor Patrick still seems adept, by his own indecision, at creating maelstroms around himself and his friends.

Next month, I look forward to attending the series' second season world premiere at the Castro Theatre.

Be sure to check back here for my review.

LOOKING Season 2 Teaser

HBO's Looking dropped this teaser trailer today. Season 2 begins January 11, 2015.



In the teaser, I suspect the gang is pharmaceutically altered at a gay club in San Francisco, California.

As I recently discussed on Twitter with series writer Tanya Saracho, I've not lost hope Jonathan Groff's character, Patrick, is caught naked up a tree this season.

When you jump to this post on the blog, you can read about the world premiere of Looking I attended earlier this year at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

The World Premiere of HBO's LOOKING at the Castro Theatre

The world premiere of HBO's new series, Looking, took place January 14, 2014 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California.

The gay dramedy is set in The City, where it was also filmed. Creator/Co-Executive Producer Michael Lannan says Looking is about "looking for authentic ways of being in the world." The show centers around three gay friends: Paddy (Jonathan Groff), a twenty-something video-game programmer looking for sex and/or love; Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), an artist moving to Oakland to live with his boyfriend; and Dom (Murray Bartlett), a long-time waiter approaching forty and deflated the first time his sexual charms fail him.

Raúl Castillo, O.T. Fagbenle, Murray Bartlett,
Frankie J. Alvarez & Jonathan Groff

Before the screening, the cast posed on the red carpet for photographs. On the far left are Raúl Castillo, who plays Richie, the object of Paddy's affections and fumblings; and O.T. Fagbenle, who plays Frank, the boyfriend with whom Agustín cohabitates.







My pal Zach Augustine, a fashion executive at Coach, made sure my time on the red carpet was one of those few times I left at home my favorite hoodie and tee shirt.

Jonathan Groff taking selfies

I took this photograph of Jonathan Groff taking selfies in the row behind where my partner Phil and I sat.

Q & A with the creator & cast

The world premiere showcased the first two half-hour episodes of Looking's eight-part, first season.

I was delighted Director/Co-Executive Producer Andrew Haigh captured the look and tempo of three friends living today in San Francisco so very unlike New York or Los Angeles, where too many film and television productions seem to shoot stories supposedly taking place here.

Jonathan Groff meets my partner Phil

I love all kinds of gay characters - from fabulous Stanford Blatch in Sex and The City to bewitching Jonathon in Were the World Mine - but as a gay man living in San Francisco, I especially enjoy the authenticity of Lannan's characters struggling here to define themselves as friends, lovers and individuals.

When Dom tells a co-worker he dislikes arrogant techies today as much as he did in 1999, I flashed back to my life then. It was a fantastic, rarely dull and sometimes grim era for me and my friends. I regret there's no gay-themed film or television series set then in San Francisco to remind me of that time.

Jonathan Groff and me.
Photo by Steven Underhill

After my partner and I left the Looking after party, we crossed Castro Street and I looked back at the Castro Theatre. The red carpet was put away. Its marque was updated with the next night's entertainment. And I was already feeling sentimental about that first hour spent with Paddy, Augustín and Dom.

I wanted to know what happened next to them in San Francisco.

Looking premieres January 19, 2014 on HBO.

LOOKING on HBO

As a gay man living in San Francisco, I've been interested in HBO's upcoming show, Looking - about gay men living in The City - ever since Dennis Bell at the Bob Mizer Foundation told me the production team had contacted him to obtain the rights to use Mizer's photographs in the television series.

Today I was invited to the show's premiere at the Castro Theatre on January 14, 2014. The cast, producers and writers will be attending.

I'll definitely be there. (Click here to jump to that post on the blog about the premiere.)





Creator/Co-Executive Producer Michael Lannan says Looking is about "looking for authentic ways of being in the world."