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[RatskyWatsky]

Written by creators Andrew Haigh & Michael Lannan, directed by Andrew Haigh, and starring Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez and Murray Bartlett, Looking: The Movie wraps up the story of three close friends living in San Francisco who explore the options available to a new generation of gay men seeking fulfillment in love and life.

In the film, Patrick returns to the city for the first time in almost a year to celebrate a momentous event with his old friends. In the process, he must face the unresolved relationships he left behind and make difficult choices about what’s important to him.

The film's run time is 84 minutes.

Cast

• Jonathan Groff as Patrick
• Frankie J. Alvarez as Agustín
• Murray Bartlett as Dom
• Raúl Castillo as Richie
• Lauren Weedman as Doris
• Bashir Salahuddin as Malik
• Russell Tovey as Kevin
• Daniel Franzese as Eddie
• Chris Perfetti as Brady
• O.T. Fagbenle as Frank
• Jennifer Foster as Kyah

Videos

• Looking: The Move - Trailer
• Looking: The Movie - Cast Featurette

Reviews

“Looking: The Movie” is a lovely coda to a lovely show. It’s not always possible to get a satisfying ending out of television. But this one is also graceful, a closing pirouette that drops the curtain on these characters so that we can let them go, however unwillingly.

There’s a lovely delicacy to “Looking: The Movie,” as evidenced in the intimacy of its conversations, the shots of San Francisco, and the enthusiasm it has for its lovers finding each other, either just for one night or the rest of their lives. Most beautiful of all is how it has so much love for its own characters—a love that expands to encompass people in general, in San Francisco and elsewhere. People who are all, in their own ways, looking for the answers.

Within the confines of what it sets out to do, this final chapter in the story of Patrick, Agustin and Dom is quite effective and sometimes much more, building toward a final act that's a knockout of romantic tension and release.

Any series, or movie, that portrays gay characters with such close attention, such warmth, humor and insight, so little pandering and bombast, such aesthetic rigor (from the Bay Area locales to the inspired closing-credit music selections), and such sensitivity to the complex swirl of human emotions should be cause for celebration. Whatever its shortcomings, Looking: The Movie is essential viewing, and hopefully will send even skeptics back to give the series another shot. Boring? Fine. If you ask me, we were lucky to be so bored.

 

[Wafflecakes]

Will probably watch. Show was ok.

The characters were just so... dull.

 

[neojubei]

Never liked the show, so i think i will pass on the movie.

Looking: The Movie - Eating Out 7: The Last Weekend

I almost thought this was the real title of the movie. Man did i hate the eating out movies.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

"FIRST THIRD BOOKS AND HBO GLOBAL LICENSING ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE PUBLICATION OF A LIMITED EDITION PHOTO BIOGRAPHY OF THE ACCLAIMED HBO® SERIES LOOKING.

LOOKING REVOLVES AROUND THREE 30-SOMETHING FRIENDS LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO, WHO EXPLORE THE EXCITING, SOMETIMES OVERWHELMING OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO A NEW GENERATION OF GAY MEN. WORKING WITH THE SHOW’S PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS AND CAST FIRST THIRD HAS PRODUCED A BEAUTIFULLY BOUND BOOK DOCUMENTING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE SHOW OVER ITS TWO SEASONS, INCLUDING EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTOS, INTERVIEWS, BIOGRAPHIES, SET DRAWINGS AND MANY OTHER UNIQUE INSIGHTS INTO THE SERIES.

THE BOOK ALSO DOCUMENTS THE FILMING OF THE UPCOMING FINALE MOVIE, WHICH WILL DEBUT JULY 23RD. FIRST THIRD WAS GRANTED UNIQUE ACCESS TO THE SAN FRANCISCO SET OF THE FINALE AND CHATTED WITH CAST AND CREW ABOUT THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ON A SHOW THAT HAS RESONATED WITH PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND IS SURELY SET TO BECOME A CLASSIC PORTRAYAL OF GAY LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY."

• Foreword by Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin.
• Over 200 color photographs.
• Exclusive commentary from cast and crew.
• Looking is published as a 176 page, half cloth-bound hardback edition, with debossed cover detail, printed in England with a 5 color process on 170gsm UPM Finesse Silk paper, measuring 20 x 27 cm, weight 1.2 kg.

The standard edition of 500 copies will retail at $59 and a special edition, which will include a 12 minute farewell DVD featuring interviews and behind the scenes footage from the movie, and a 10×7.5 inch professionally printed color photograph, signed and numbered photo with Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett, and Frankie J. Alvarez, which will retail for $88.

Pre order 'The Looking Book' today!

.

 

[Mystic Theurge]

I wish the Eating Out movies were still be made.

They were such trashy fun.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Lol, I'd actually be more excited for an Eating Out movie than this.

In any case, I don't have high hopes, but I'll check it out.

 

[ezekial45]

Looking forward to it. I was initially interested in the show mostly for its setting, but I found a lot to like with it. As a straight twenty-something, I definitely found a lot of parallels with my own life, plus I did get a kick out of the clever videogame references.

Sorry to see it go so early, I wish it did get more seasons. Though I bet HBO is sorry for not renewing it now after The Brink and Vinyl bombed so hard on them. It may have not performed so well, but it seemed to have a decent following.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

I boredom-quit season 2 halfway through, did any of the characters go on to become likeable or interesting?

 

[firehawk12]

Wow, HBO finally pulled off a finale movie.

 

[ilikeme]

I liked the show well enough. Will watch, looking forward to it. Hope some of the characters get to calm down a bit.

 

[Monocle]

Most of the Eating Out movies have good hunks, so you can't really fault them. I don't think I've ever sat down and watched one all the way through.

 

[JonnyKong]

Anyone any idea what date this is getting shown in the UK?

Nobody? Damn it

 

[mantidor]

I boredom-quit season 2 halfway through, did any of the characters go on to become likeable or interesting?

No.

Looking is a weird show, I think they were so dead set one portraying a very realistic take on San Fransisco and it's gay life they forgot to add any conflict or catalyst to... Something. The main love triangle storyline is kind of dull lol thinking about it it wouldn't have been totally bad if they went down the cheesy soap opera route, yes it's unrealistic but it's at least fun.

 

[kirblar]

No.

Looking is a weird show, I think they were so dead set one portraying a very realistic take on San Fransisco and it's gay life they forgot to add any conflict or catalyst to... Something. The main love triangle storyline is kind of dull lol thinking about it it wouldn't have been totally bad if they went down the cheesy soap opera route, yes it's unrealistic but it's at least fun.

It felt like it was a polarizing show because there were two sets of people

a) those who could self-identify with Patrick to some degree

b) everyone else

a) "got" the show, b) did not

 

[mantidor]

I actually did identify with Patrick somewhat, is just that its not engaging enough. My life as a TV show would be pretty boring as well heh.

There's plenty to like about the show though, I don't hate it but I see where people are coming from when they say it's boring.

 

[dragonlife]

Most of the Eating Out movies have good hunks, so you can't really fault them. I don't think I've ever sat down and watched one all the way through.

The eye candy in Eating Out was definitely 90% of the reason to watch them. From memory, the first movie was really boring, 2 was pretty decent, 3 was trashy fun, then it got progressively worse with the camp one. The last one, Open Weekend, was just garbage.

 

[Father_Brain]

It felt like it was a polarizing show because there were two sets of people

a) those who could self-identify with Patrick to some degree

b) everyone else

a) "got" the show, b) did not

I identified with him somewhat, but he was definitely the weakest link of the show, largely because he was written as though he just hopped off the bus from Omaha despite actually having lived as an out gay man in SF for the better part of a decade.

I mean, the big drama in the series finale requires you to swallow that he's never even discussed the possibility of non-monogamy with his BF... who he's about to move in with.

 

[kirblar]

I identified with him somewhat, but he was definitely the weakest link of the show, largely because he was written as though he just hopped off the bus from Omaha despite actually having lived as an out gay man in SF for the better part of a decade.

I mean, the big drama in the series finale requires you to swallow that he's never even discussed the possibility of non-monogamy with his BF... who he's about to move in with.

Yeah, his backstory never made any sense w/ his behavior.

 

[Sou Da]

I've watched all of those eating out movies on Netflix, gay American pie seems like an underutilized niche.

 

[Bladenic]

I identified with him somewhat, but he was definitely the weakest link of the show, largely because he was written as though he just hopped off the bus from Omaha despite actually having lived as an out gay man in SF for the better part of a decade.

I mean, the big drama in the series finale requires you to swallow that he's never even discussed the possibility of non-monogamy with his BF... who he's about to move in with.

Huh? They did move in together and he and Kevin NEVER discussed that. Sorry, but Patrick had every right to be infuriated and Kevin looked like the total douche that we all knew he was. Even though they were cheating together on Kevin's other BF, Kevin never said "oh we're open" and you can't blame Patrick for thinking he was moving in with his boyfriend as a monogamous couple.

Patrick still sucks though. Richie 4 lyfe

 

[kirblar]

Huh? They did move in together and he and Kevin NEVER discussed that. Sorry, but Patrick had every right to be infuriated and Kevin looked like the total douche that we all knew he was. Even though they were cheating together on Kevin's other BF, Kevin never said "oh we're open" and you can't blame Patrick for thinking he was moving in with his boyfriend as a monogamous couple.

Patrick still sucks though. Richie 4 lyfe

Both pairings are really bad and the inevitable ending was always Patrick alone. (see: title of show.)

 

[Bladenic]

Both pairings are really bad and the inevitable ending was always Patrick alone. (see: title of show.)

I was simply stating that Richie was awesome. Of course that pairing was bad, Patrick doesn't deserve someone as great as Richie.

At the end of the day the Looking character rankings are

Doris
Dom
Richie

 

[mantidor]

No.

Looking is a weird show, I think they were so dead set one portraying a very realistic take on San Fransisco and it's gay life they forgot to add any conflict or catalyst to... Something. The main love triangle storyline is kind of dull lol thinking about it it wouldn't have been totally bad if they went down the cheesy soap opera route, yes it's unrealistic but it's at least fun.

So I was rewatching and I remembered one of my first complains was actually how soap operaish it was at the end of the first season lol

Maybe I just want to complain about the show, it's missing something, but I can't quite put my finger on what. I would definitely have watched a third season though.

 

[Alexgecaro]

Really good show in a very realistic setting. Bad written but that doesn't mean it was bad as a whole..

 

[Cornballer]

- Onion A|V Club interview: Looking cast and creators on marriage and saying goodbye

 

[Father_Brain]

Huh? They did move in together and he and Kevin NEVER discussed that. Sorry, but Patrick had every right to be infuriated and Kevin looked like the total douche that we all knew he was. Even though they were cheating together on Kevin's other BF, Kevin never said "oh we're open" and you can't blame Patrick for thinking he was moving in with his boyfriend as a monogamous couple.

Patrick still sucks though. Richie 4 lyfe

You're right on the first point, which actually makes it even more ridiculous.

Given how common open relationships are in the gay community, it's completely implausible that anyone with a decade of life experience in it would simply assume that his partner wants monogamy, let alone that they would move in together before the topic comes up.

 

[ngower]

I absolutely hate the protagonist, but the supporting cast was good enough. Will miss having a good-enough gay show on TV.

 

[BodiesWithoutOrgans]

So it's ending? I gave up after season 1 the show was so boring

 

[RatskyWatsky]

The movie airs tonight!

10/9c on HBO!

 

[Goldrush]

Really love the show because it doesn't really have much drama. It's like ASMR where I feel relax watching it rather than laughing or crying.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Really love the show because it doesn't really have much drama. It's like ASMR where I feel relax watching it rather than laughing or crying.

GAYSMR

 

[dave is ok]

Wow, HBO finally pulled off a finale movie.

Hello Ladies just had one not that long ago

 

[ilikeme]

Just saw it. Thought it was fantastic. Couldn't have hoped for a better conclusion.

Just like in Weekend, one of Andrew Haigh's other movies, some of the dialogue and scenes just strikes really close to home.

Great use of music too.

And sure Patrick and his life situation

Spoiler

is very, well, fantastic

but it is what it is.

 

[JonnyKong]

2nd August at 10:15pm for us folk in the UK.

 

[1mm]

Ah, the movie really got to me. It felt so wholesome and just right to see everyone one last time. For once, Patrick became someone so likable and relatable lol. The movie wrapped up the series so perfectly and the ambiguity of the ending was unexpected but still good.
Ahhh, everything about the finale made me emotional lol. I'm content.

After seeing Weekend and now Looking, I'm really excited to see Andrew Haigh direct more movies. Honestly, he could be the Miyazaki of LGBTQ+ movies

 

[kirblar]

Ending kinda gave me Eternal Sunshine vibes. Dom's arc w/ the middle-age struggle was something I was sad they couldn't really dive into, it was clearly intended to be something bigger for S3.

 

[JonnyKong]

Eek, I better stay out of this thread from now on for fear of spoilers.

 

[Bladenic]

Just watched. Not crazy about it. Not fully their fault but you could tell that it was a third season packed into one 1.5 hour movie. A lot of things felt very contrived. Austin actually had the best resolution and overall arc on the show. Dom had almost nothing to do, no real story, no conclusion. Doris is by far the best character. Why this actress isn't in huge demand is simply beyond me.

As for Patrick, I'm happy he gets Richie aka holy shit why is he so effing cute when he looks sad, but that whole thing felt very contrived too. It was a nice way to close the story and I did sense some development from Patrick.

Kevin is trash and they didn't even try to portray him as a little more self-aware. Trash character, not a great actor. At least they threw in a joke about the ears 😂

 

[hateradio]

At the end of the day the Looking character rankings are

Doris
Dom
Richie

You forgot Eddie, who is literally a saint. 🙇

Dom has always been extremely dull, I don't get his appeal at all.

Trill rankings:

Eddie
Doris

That's all folks.

You're right on the first point, which actually makes it even more ridiculous.

Given how common open relationships are in the gay community, it's completely implausible that anyone with a decade of life experience in it would simply assume that his partner wants monogamy, let alone that they would move in together before the topic comes up.

Shit, I didn't know this.

Hello Ladies just had one not that long ago

I just wish Enlightened had one.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I thought it was a good ending to the series. It had some really nice moments and it did a good job of providing satisfactory endings to all of the storylines (as good as you could hope to get on a show like this, anyway).

I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get a more meaningful plot involving Dom, though. He had some good scenes, but his overall role was more of a supporting one in this. I wish they had made the movie a little longer and fleshed out his role a bit.

 

[game-boi]

Ah, the movie really got to me. It felt so wholesome and just right to see everyone one last time. For once, Patrick became someone so likable and relatable lol. The movie wrapped up the series so perfectly and the ambiguity of the ending was unexpected but still good.
Ahhh, everything about the finale made me emotional lol. I'm content.

After seeing Weekend and now Looking, I'm really excited to see Andrew Haigh direct more movies. Honestly, he could be the Miyazaki of LGBTQ+ movies

What ambiguity?

Spoiler

In private, Patrick says he wants to go with Richie, but when the gang at the diner tells him to "live happily ever after here [in SF]" they all agree. Patrick turns to Richie who nods, affirming he should stay. Patrick gets a tear in his eye as Richie leans on Patrick. Patrick smiles, Richie looks bummed af. The end.

I thought the ending was pretty clear. Patrick is coming back to SF, a little older, a little wiser. But Richie isn't going to be part of that equation, despite how much they mean to each other now.

 

[Bladenic]

What ambiguity?

Spoiler

In private, Patrick says he wants to go with Richie, but when the gang at the diner tells him to "live happily ever after here [in SF]" they all agree. Patrick turns to Richie who nods, affirming he should stay. Patrick gets a tear in his eye as Richie leans on Patrick. Patrick smiles, Richie looks bummed af. The end.

I thought the ending was pretty clear. Patrick is coming back to SF, a little older, a little wiser. But Richie isn't going to be part of that equation, despite how much they mean to each other now.

Oh wow, that's a great interpretation. I just thought

Spoiler

the nod was "yes let's try" since I think Patrick asked Richie if he's in to try, then they got interrupted by the rest of the crew, and the nod was confirmation.

But I think I prefer your take on it.

But yes, Dom was so ancillary in the movie. He really had no real story of his own, except I guess he wasn't fucking anyone and now he fucked that Jake dude? Yippee? It felt like Doris sort of took Dom's role.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

I've never seen any of the Eating Out movies, but an old friend of mine from high school plays the part of Gwen in them.

 

[mantidor]

I saw one Eating Out movie it was so god awful, I don't even get why it's being brought up here


I liked the ending, wrapped up things, it definitely feels like season three condensed in one movie and I really prefer it this way. I see some of the criticisms but I still like it anyway.

The ending is definitely ambiguous,

Spoiler

that tear and that bummed face could be anything.

 

[hateradio]

I didn't even notice a tear.

 

[ilikeme]

^^ Me neither. I just thought they were

Spoiler

gonna try to do it together, whatever they do. 1 minute earlier it seemed like Texas lol.

I didn't think it was that ambiguous. They need each other and they realized that. The end.

 

[game-boi]

Ending spoilers....

Spoiler

I had to watch the scene (and the conversation on Castro St right before it) two or three times to realize this. For Patrick and Richie to get back together means that both of them are reverting to their previous ways and likely to fall into the same traps as they did before, something neither wants to do (the conversation on the street makes this clear). Richie needs to leave SF to become a different person, to grow, in the same way Patrick had to leave to do the same. They both know it, which makes that moment of clarity they just shared perfectly bittersweet.

Patrick is going to live "happily ever after," but it just won't be with Richie.

I'm struggling to think of how that scene could mean something else. Why else would Richie be so tellingly sad?

I am disappointed there was so little of

Spoiler

Dom

in the movie. I felt like the character's arc was definitely left unfinished (which I think could say some interesting things about them).

 

[RatskyWatsky]

L+SD Ratings:

Season 1 -

Episode 1 - 338K
Episode 2 - 286K
Episode 3 - 183K
Episode 4 - 446K
Episode 5 - 505K
Episode 6 - 519K
Episode 7 - 433K
Episode 8 - 425K

Season 2 -

Episode 1: 183K
Episode 2: 195K
Episode 3: 324K
Episode 4: 192K
Episode 5: 150K
Episode 6: 204K
Episode 7: 239K
Episode 8: 330K
Episode 9: 312K
Episode 10: 298K

Looking The Movie: 284K

 

[ilikeme]

Ending spoilers....

Spoiler

I had to watch the scene (and the conversation on Castro St right before it) two or three times to realize this. For Patrick and Richie to get back together means that both of them are reverting to their previous ways and likely to fall into the same traps as they did before, something neither wants to do (the conversation on the street makes this clear). Richie needs to leave SF to become a different person, to grow, in the same way Patrick had to leave to do the same. They both know it, which makes that moment of clarity they just shared perfectly bittersweet.

Patrick is going to live "happily ever after," but it just won't be with Richie.

I'm struggling to think of how that scene could mean something else. Why else would Richie be so tellingly sad?

I am disappointed there was so little of

Spoiler

Dom

in the movie. I felt like the character's arc was definitely left unfinished (which I think could say some interesting things about them).

I'm gonna rewatch those scenes sometime for sure. Nice to hear your take on it! I might have missed some nuances, and just projected my easy-going attitude to it all.

I felt that

Spoiler

sure Richie has to do his own thing but he still needs Patrick, so they'll keep in touch in some way even if he goes off to Texas and then they'll build something from there.

That's just going off how I would feel in the situation.

Spoiler

Waiting a while, half a year or a year, isn't that much if you know a person is special. Which I felt both of them really realized. That they really need each other, or will need each other again. Realizing that you also have to do your own thing doesn't have to separate you forever.

 

[Mystic Theurge]

Spoiler

I interpreted the ending as Patrick and Richie are going to try together in Texas. It's interesting to see people got an entirely different impression.

I liked this movie. It really spoke to me. I wish it wasn't the end and that there were more gay TV shows.