21st Century Flicks

Movie Review: Fixfront Valley

Two closeted straights spark a “traditional” romance at Burning Man

Poster by the author using images by , , and

After Bruce Lee died in 1973, there was a rush to fill the cinematic void created by his absence. One of his imitators even billed himself as Bruce Li, banking on the inability of racist Western audiences to recognize the difference between his watered-down brand and the real thing.

Following in this bate-and-switch tradition, we have hacky newcomer Ang Li stepping up to direct Fixfront Valley, a tribute to Brokeback Mountain on the 20th anniversary of the Oscar-winning film’s release. To be clear, the real Ang Lee is very much alive. He just refused to touch this misguided cash grab with a 10-foot pole. And it’s easy to see why.

Fixfront Valley’s premise sounds like an SNL sketch that would get cut before the live show. The pitch must have been, “Let’s just take everything that happens in Brokeback Mountain and do the exact opposite!”

• Instead of it being two closeted gay guys trapped in loveless heterosexual relationships hooking up in the mountains, it’s two secretly straight people married to their college experimentations hooking up in a valley.
• Instead of being alone on a ranch, the two lovers find themselves at a…