Spoiler Alert

Based on a true story, Spoiler Alert follows Jim Parsons’ Michael Ausiello and Ben Aldridge’s Kit Cowan as their long-term relationship is threatened by a possibly dire medical diagnosis. It’s compelling subject matter that’s employed to mostly watchable (albeit entirely familiar) effect by Michael Showalter, as the filmmaker, armed with David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage’s screenplay, delivers a subdued endeavor that benefits from the appealing efforts of its stars and their palpable chemistry together – with the latter ensuring that the movie fares especially well during its initial stages (ie the burgeoning relationship between Michael and Kit proves awfully difficult to resist, ultimately). And although the picture’s been peppered with a number of standout sequences, including a terrific (and thoroughly awkward) scene wherein Kit finally comes out to his parents, Spoiler Alert‘s reliance on well-worn conventions and tropes does result in a midsection that’s perhaps not quite as consistently stirring as one might’ve hoped – with the generic atmosphere, as well, diminishing the impact of certain happenings within the story’s closing stretch. (That being said, it’s hard to deny the emotional resonance of a few key interludes here.) It’s clear, in the final analysis, that Spoiler Alert succeeds as an old-school tearjerker that’s heightened by its uniformly top-notch performances, with, in particular, Parsons’ engaging, endearing efforts going a long way towards enhancing the movie’s overall effectiveness on a recurring basis.

*** out of ****