Three men embark on a road trip in search of sex. It’s the premise of many a raunch-com, but “Come as You Are” diverges in one important aspect: Its libidinous heroes are disabled. Given the extent to which male sex comedies rely on physical humor, this simple twist in Richard Wong’s charming feature recasts the genre’s formulas in an entirely new light.
The characters tick familiar boxes: Scotty (Grant Rosenmeyer), who has paraplegia, is the crass, childish one; the visually impaired Mo (Ravi Patel) is a nervous stickler for the rules; and Matt (Hayden Szeto), who uses a wheelchair, is the straight man. Despite being in their mid-20s and 30s, they’re virgins who live with overbearing parents. So when Scotty finds a Canadian brothel that caters to people with disabilities, they recruit a driver (played with lovely warmth by Gabourey Sidibe) to take them across the border.
That the actors are all able-bodied seems to counter the film’s goal of positive representation, although Wong reportedly partnered with organizations serving people who are disabled, which pays off in his sensitive portrayal of the characters. He turns each one’s unique predicaments into hilarious set pieces — like Mo asking Scotty to describe a porn video out loud, or Scotty persuading Matt to help shave his privates — without ever slipping into mockery. The movie also cleverly pokes fun at the able-bodied: When the three men team up to drive a car with Mo at the wheel, Scotty says, “Most people drive like they’re blind anyway.”
The film remakes the 2011 Belgian movie “Hasta la Vista,” based on the experiences of a disability advocate, Asta Philpot. It softens the cruder edges of the original, but the candor with which Erik Linthorst’s script regards the characters’ sexual desires — coupled with the winning performances of the actors — leavens any sentimentalism.
Come as You Are
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
