Gay Best Friend: Matt (Matthew Wilkas) in "Gayby" (2012)

A series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope

How many of us have had babies with our straight female friend?Who doesn’t love gay lunacy? 

The classic straight girl-gay best friend trope takes center stage in the hilarious 2012 microbudget comedy Gayby. Unlike other films that have tackled this relationship (think The Object of My Affection), the film is set primarily in the gay world, rather than framed through the straight world. This movie has everything: gay comic book store drama, hookups lined up for every day in the week, early cameos from Girls stars Adam Driver and Alex Karpofsky plus, finally, an impromptu dance break.

Matt (Matthew Wilkas) and Jen (Jenn Harris) have been best friends since college. Both have been through their whole adult lives together and find themselves in the same post-relationship rut. Matt feels uncomfortable having one night stands with other men after his seven year relationship ended. Meanwhile, Jen feels her biological clock ticking and wants to have a baby. How to do it though? There’s no romantic interest to speak of in her life, and Matt has been the most consistent relationship in her life. She proposes they do it… the old fashioned way. Soon, Matt also becomes excited about the idea of having a child with Jen. He can move on to this stage of fatherhood and bypass the frightening world of being single.

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Celebrity Patriots

These showbiz peeps rocked the vote, today. Their next important vote: guild voting for Best Movies / Performances of the Year (or just continuing to be fabulous if they're not a guild member)!

Cute election day photos of Zoe Kazan, Mae Whitman, Justin Theroux, Drew Barrymore, Erich Bergen, Jonathan Lisecki (Gayby), Judy Greer, Neil Patrick Harris, Marisa Tomei, Adam Scott, Kelly Mantle (RuPaul's Drag Race), Anne Hathaway, Melissa McCarthy, Garrett Dillahunt, Chloe Bennet (Agents of SHIELD), Jason Ritter, and Nicole Kidman after the jump.

Which photo is your favorite?

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Good Laughs in "Gayby"

Because of time constraints and interview availability I ended up having to watch the new comedy Gayby, which opened this weekend in NYC, alone a week or so ago. Though comedies are much funnier with crowds, I still laughed out loud. So it was a joy to interview the writer/director Jonathan Lisecki for Towleroad. He also co-stars in the movie as one of the central couple's best friends, "Nelson". He was smart enough to keep some of the best lines for himself.

Here's two bits about his actors that I couldn't fit into the published interview. 

NATHANIEL R: I noticed you're cross-pollinating with HBO's Girls with your casting. 

JONATHAN LISECKI: Some people ask if I cast Alex Karpovsky and Adam Driver because they’re both in Girls – there was no Girls last year. I love Lena. She’s awesome. My short played with Tiny Furniture on the festival circuit. Once upon a time when we were out to lunch she said 'You should be in your own movie you’re so funny.' I was like 'Well, I’m going to take your advice Lena Dunham!'  

She was shooting Girls the same time I was shooting the movie.

NR: I just saw Jenn Harris, your lead, in Silence! the Musical Off Broadway as Clarice Starling.

JL: Oh god she' s amazing in that, isn’t she?

Jenn Harris as Clarice Starling in "Silence! The Musical" and Jenn Harris as Jenn in "Gayby"

NR: Just hilarious. She wasn't just spoofing the movie and Jodie. I swear to god she was also totally sending up actors who are tired of being in the shows they're in. 

JL: I saw it two weeks ago and she really was! [Laughter] She’s so funny. She's such a gifted comedic actor. Especially on stage. One of the reasons why I wanted her to be the lead of the movie is that I’ve been onstage with her and she's one of the few people in the world who has ever made me crack up onstage and lose character. She'll do anything in the moment. Comedy is important to her and it’s an art. She'll go that extra mile which not everyone will do and she's willing to look goofy to get a laugh.

Read the Full Interview @ Towleroad

P.S. I'd love to send you to see "Silence! the Musical" but Jenn recently left the show after a long run so I can't vouch for the new cast members. But I can send you to see 'Gayby'! It's in NYC now and Los Angeles in a couple of weeks.