Tight, smart and tender, Trick is the highlight of the late-1990s gay film explosion. Gabriel (Christian Campbell) is a sensitive, old-fashioned young guy trying to break into Broadway muscial composing. His actress friend Katharine (Tori Spelling) helps him out by belting out his tunes a little too enthusiastically to potential backers and the attendees of various writing workshops. On a night out, Gabriel sports Mark (John Paul Pitoc), a buff go-go dancer. Coincidentally, they share a train ride home, and from then try in vain to find a place to have sex. Gabriel's roommate has the apartment tied up, and every other option turns up dry. As they hunt all night for a suitable place, they chat a bit and a warmth grows between them. The film's ending is sweet and touching.

Christian Campbell is smart enough to play his ambitious young character, but no where near unnattractive enough for him to contrast with Pitoc. Campbell is a neat, prep-school hottie and it's no surprise that throughout the film, older queens and drag queens try to trick him into bed. But Gabriel only has eyes for Mark, who keeps bumping into old club scene tricks, kissing one of them and sending Gabriel into a tiff.

The film is quite well written, with Gabriel and Mark's douologues never laboured. Mercifully, there's no gay-pride instruction and hardly any anti-gay invective either. The most we get is Gabriel's comment that he just doesn't feel really comfortable in gay bars. A club scene commendably shows a fairly boring scene with more than one patron messy on recreational drugs. We're treated to a stellar monologue from Clinton Leupp as Miss Coco Peru, a drag queen who gives a spitting life plan to Gabriel as he nervously tries to pee in a club toilet.

Most surprising of all is Tori Spelling, who gives a fun and well-thought out performance that never slides into hamsville. She's funny, her comic timing spot-on, and she actually looks quite good too. Her performance in this film wouldn't have been out of place in an episode of Sex and the City.

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