Eating Out, directed by Q. Allan Brocka, is an independent film which pursues the premise that some straight girls (“fag hags”) are friendlier with gays than with straight boys. When the movie begins, hunky University of Arizona political science major Caleb (played by Scott Lunsford) acts out a fantasy of self-possessed sex kitten Tiffani (played by Rebekah Kochan) by pretending to be a telephone repairer who is summoned to fix her phone. However, Tiffani gets upset when he does not follow her kinky scenario enthusiastically, and the relationship sours. That evening, Caleb confides his frustration over the breakup to his gay roommate Kyle (played by Jim Verraros), who in turn suggests that he should pretend to be gay so that girls will relate to him more easily. Caleb and Kyle then attend a gay party, where they meet muscular, handsome Marc (played by Ryan Carnes) and his roommate Gwen (played by Emily Stiles), a squeaky-voiced fag hag. Marc is immediately attracted to Caleb, presumably because he is so masculine, while less well built Kyle lusts after Marc. After the party, Kyle prays that a date with Caleb and Marc will bring the latter around home so that he will pay attention to him; meanwhile, Gwen suggests that Caleb and Marc will be a perfect match, though privately she hopes that she can make Caleb straight. Indeed, Marc calls Caleb the next day for a date. That night, after Caleb arrives, Kyle greets him and then goes back to his room to finish dressing, while Gwen tries to seduce Caleb, who in turn confesses to her that he is a gay virgin. The date ends with Caleb and Marc alone at the latter’s home, while Gwen awaits a call to inform her when the trick has concluded so that she can return. However, Caleb is not interested in sex with Marc. Frustrated that she has to stay away for such a long time, Gwen finally calls Marc. When she learns that nothing has happened, she asks to have the phone transferred to Caleb and then engages the latter in phone sex for seventeen minutes, while Marc massages and eventually blows Caleb. Marc then jacks off while seated beside Caleb, who is obviously uncomfortable. On the way home, Gwen spots Caleb as her car passes his, so she gets out and has sex with him in his car. When Caleb later reports the strange evening to his roommate Kyle, the latter is upset that his goal of seducing Marc has not advanced. Accordingly, he has an outlandish idea that may enable him to finally develop a relationship with fellow university music student Marc: He invites Marc and Gwen as well as Caleb’s parents and sister, with the idea of announcing to his family that Caleb is gay. The scenario goes well, with Caleb’s family eager to accept his homosexuality, but of course the inevitable happy ending requires the intervention of Gwen to save the day for everyone. Eating Out is a comic film with titillating campy one-liners; however, they are delivered so rapidly that there is hardly time to enjoy them, and thus the script would have been better presented in a stage play. After the credits roll, there is a scene in which Marc narcissistically lies back so that Kyle can devour his superior muscularity, but of course narcissism has been at the center of the entire caper: Aside from a brief conversation in which Kyle and Marc exchange information about their respective preferences in music, Eating Out audiences view sex-crazed college students who display neither intellectual depth nor a connection with the world outside themselves. MH