BREAKFAST WITH SCOT

Director: Laurie Lynd
Stars: Tom Cavanagh, Ben Shenkman, Noah Bernett, Jeananne Goossen, Dylan Everett
Year: 2007
Rating: PG-13

While Breakfast with Scot plays more like a TV-movie with a twist, the characters - as well as the actors portraying them - give a certain charm to the tale, especially in the case of the three leads.

Tom Cavanagh (TV's "Ed") stars as Eric McNally, an ex-Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player whose career has been sidelined due to an injury. Now reporting for cable sports station in Toronto, Eric still rides on his popularity as a gruff, no-nonsense hard-head on the ice ... who happens to also harbor one small secret: that he's gay, and living with his boyfriend of several years named Sam, a corporate attorney. Eric and Sam lead a quiet life, Sam not so concerned about being out but Eric much more on the downlow about things because of his career and reputation ...

When one day that quiet is shattered, as Sam learns that his brother's ex-girlfriend has died of a drug overdose, and until Sam's brother (who is supposedly in Brazil) can be located, Sam and Eric are next in line to be granted custody of the dead woman's eleven-year-old son, Scot.

Eric freaks; the last thing he wants is a kid in the house, let alone a young roughneck kid he'll have to clean up after, or be responsible for. Sam calms him down, telling Eric they really have no choice and he'll make sure Scot doesn't cause any trouble; that this will only be until they find his brother, then Scot will be gone for good, but until then how can they desert a young boy?

But when Scot arrives, it's clear early on that this is no run-of-the-mill kid. In fact, with a wardrobe of tights, boas, hairbrushes that light up, and clothes with more sparkle than a Vegas showgirl costume, Scot alone is more flamboyant than Eric and Sam put together. At first, this tests Eric's patience even more - especially when, because of Sam's more rigid work schedule, he is forced to take care of and spend more time with Scot, especially out in public - but soon a bond does form between the flamboyant young boy and Eric, especially when Eric talks Scot into giving up some of his more "out" tendencies (the jewelry, his mother's makeup), and even teaches the boy to play hockey to sort of "man him up" a bit.

Question is, is this a good thing? As mentioned, the story plays out like a TV-movie, maybe on Lifetime if it were a gay channel, but even with a fairly schmaltzy ending the film still has some real heart and warmth to it; again, chiefly due to the three leads - though there is also an outstanding performance by young actor Dylan Everett in the film as well, playing a foul-mouthed kid in Eric and Sam's neighborhood who is all too realistic about his feelings on gays in general and Scot in particular.

Breakfast with Scot is harmless entertainment that will touch at the heartstrings a bit, even while being a bit manipulative in doing so. Tom Cavanagh is great as Eric, carrying the emotional weight of the film on his shoulders, and while Ben Shenkman does an equally impressive job as Sam, I wish his character were given much more to do. Special kudos, though, to Noah Bernett, who plays Scot with real humor and heart, in an engaging film with a very positive message of tolerance in the end. Definitely worth seeing (and no, I'm not going to tell you why there is only one "t" at the end of Scot's name; you'll have to watch it yourself to find out). ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome