Jun 06, 2008  |  By: REBECCA ARMENDARIZ  | COMMENTS     

This summer features a limited selection of gay-themed indie films, a few appealing summer blockbusters and the seemingly inevitable step backwards for gay representation in film.

Adam Sandler, criticized by some gay advocates for his film “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” returns with another vehicle filled with gay stereotypes. He appears this season in “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” opening June 6, a film about an Israeli secret agent who fakes his death before heading to the U.S. to pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist.

The cliché of the flaming gay hairdresser predictably comes into play here. Written by Sandler and Robert Smigel (the man behind “Saturday Night Live’s” Ambiguously Gay Duo), the film exploits Zohan’s newfound profession as fodder for jokes. Of course, everyone assumes Zohan is gay because of his skill with scissors and flamboyant personality.

After observing Zohan fight on the street, an onlooker asks, “What are you, bionic?” to which the main character replies, “No, I only like the girls. Thanks, anyways.” Another scene shows the racist, xenophobic villain getting thrown through a window and landing at a party populated by gay men where, of course, everyone finds him irresistible.

An independent film called “Miss Conception” starring Heather Graham and Mia Kirshner (“The L Word”) should help balance out the offensive “Zohan” that week. Georgina (Graham) learns she has just two weeks to conceive a child before her biological clock goes kaput. With the help of Clem (Kirshner) and her token gay friend, they devise a plan to find Georgina the perfect father for her last-chance baby. Clem places an ad for “dark handsome males in prime physical condition,” which gets her a few gay respondents. Brit Eric Styles, a documentary filmmaker, directs.

Director Tom Kalin became a queer cinema darling in 1992 with his debut film “Swoon.” Often tackling gay and AIDS themes, he’s won several awards at gay and lesbian film festivals since that time.

Kalin’s latest project, “Savage Grace” shows Julianne Moore at her beastliest as she portrays Barbara Baekeland, wife of the heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune. In a film peppered with disturbing imagery, Kalin portrays the events leading up to the Baekeland murder case of 1972, in which the couple’s son, Tony, murdered his mother.

Barbara and her son’s relationship is devoid of personal space or boundaries. She doesn’t condone her son’s homosexuality and tries to distract him from his feelings for other men by forcing him into bed with willing girls. When that doesn’t work, their relationship becomes incestuous. “Savage Grace” opens in D.C. on June 13.

ON A CHEERIER NOTE, opening July 18 in limited release is “The Doorman,” a mock-umentary about a man who keeps less-than-beautiful people out of hot nightclubs. Paris Hilton, yoga, catering and a stunning wardrobe make him the guy who knows everybody. He loses his job and has to come to terms with the reality of his personality and deflated ego. Though the handsome lead Argentine actor Lucas Akoskin chats with stunning female creatures throughout the film, by the end he’s schmoozing Thom Filicia of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” fame.

A hit Broadway musical turned feature film with beach scenes, diva worship potential, silver-haired studs and buff, shirtless men? Yes, please. For those with limited access to obscure films, July 18 still holds promise — “Mamma Mia!” makes its big-screen debut after many successful years on Broadway. Starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried (“Mean Girls”), Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, this musical is bound to be a hit among gay film fans. Dominic Cooper, who played Dakin in stage and film versions of “The History Boys,” appears in his first major studio film as the husband-to-be, Sky.

From top: Matthew Goode (left), Haley Atwell and Ben Wishaw appear in ‘Brideshead Revisited’; Julie Walters (left), Meryl Streep and Christine Baranski are in what-could-be the most lighthearted film of summer, ‘Mamma Mia’ (‘Brideshead Revisited’ photo by Nicola Dove/Miramax Films, ‘Mamma Mia’ photo by Peter Mountain)

Phyllida Lloyd directs the ABBA musical about a bride-to-be trying to find her real father before her wedding. Lloyd has been working in British theater and opera for more than 20 years. Streep, Seyfried, Christine Baranski and the men in the film all perform the hits from the soundtrack.

“Brideshead Revisited” opens in limited release on July 25 and stars Emma ...