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Queer sees Daniel Craig leaving James Bond behind, and taking a trip to Mexico to make like The Flintstones and have a gay old time!
This William S Burroughs adaptation opens with an unexpectedly welcome experience, in that despite beingset in the 1950s, the soundtrack features more modern music at times – often as the film goes into slomo as well, such as with Nirvana’s Come As You Are, and a drug-taking scene to New Order’s Leave Me Alone.
For our lead, Daniel Craig – playing very much against his recent James Bond type, as William Lee, a man in his 50s, whose gaydar is a bit off, often wondering if other men are “queer” – which I understand is used to describe those who aren’t heterosexual, but also aren’t just gay (itself, defined as only attracted to the same sex), but since he is only attracted to men, he should just be using the term “gay”.
Then again, maybe the film’s title, same as the 1952 novel, was the term in its day, as Lee pays rent boys for sex, whilst fancying a younger man, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey – The Terminal List), but isn’t he straight? Either way, Lee wants to find out.
Split into three chapters, the first being “What do you like about living in Mexico?”, as that’s where it’s set – although I don’t want to name the other two as they come up as the film progresses, we learn how Lee never takes men back to his own apartment, especially after friend Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman – Between The Temples) bemoans having had things stolen during such encounters.
An unrecognisable Lesley Manville (Disclaimer) also pops up Doctor Cotter, whose role I’ll leave you to discover, if you’re going to see this.
Daniel Craig’s acting is very good in Queer, but the plot is almost non-existent as it just follows a his self-centred, unlikeable narcissist as he goes about his life, forever being drunk and with no redeeming features. It’s also so slow moving and stupidly arty farty, with some weird William S Burroughs-style indescribable moments, one featuring the two male leads sat across a table from each other, with a piece of paper flipping about between them. WTF?!
I can’t blame Luca Guadagnino for the dull storyline to this film, but after seeing Queer, this year’s earlier sports-themed Challengers, and 2017’s Call Me By Your Name, I think he should find an alternative career.
NOTE: There are NO mid- or post-credit scenes.
Queer is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release date TBA.
You can also buy the novel in Paperback form.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 137 minutes
Release date: December 13th 2024
Studio: A24
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (35mm)
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 3/10
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Producers: Luca Guadagnino, Lorenzo Mieli
Screenplay: Justin Kuritzkes
Novel: William S Burroughs
Music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Cast:
William Lee: Daniel Craig
Eugene Allerton: Drew Starkey
Karl Steinberg: Daan de Wit
Joe Guidry: Jason Schwartzman
Doctor Cotter: Lesley Manville
Winston Moor: Herique Zaga
Tom Wiliams: Colin Bates
Ship Ahoy Bartender: Simon Rizzoni
John Dumé: Drew Droege
Tom Weston: Ariel Schulman
Mary: Andra Ursuta
Mr. Cotter: Lisandro Alonso
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.