Prick Up Your Ears (1987)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Joe Orton	Gary Oldman
Kenneth Halliwell	Alfred Molina	½
Peggy Ramsay	Vanessa Redgrave
Leonie Orton	Frances Barber
Mrs. Sugden	Janet Dale
Elsie Orton	Julie Walters
John Lahr	Wallace Shawn

Review

Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina give virtuoso performances as the tragic gay couple Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell – two of Britain's first openly homosexual intellectuals/celebrities. Oldman is a delight to watch as Orton, physically transformed/distinct with minimal alterations, giving a daring, carefree multilayered performance filled with charm, confidence, passion and spite. He is sexy for all the wrong reasons (as usual). Beside him, a harrowing, deep and exposing performance by Molina, whose character provides the film with both its sanity and insanity - all wrapped in Stephen Frears' clever and playful handling of a serious subject matter. He brings the right amount of satire and distance while at the same time retaining the story's sentiment and relevance, well helped by Alan Bennett's refreshing dialogue.