I Think I Do

1997 American film

Alexis Arquette
Maddie Corman
Guillermo Díaz
Marianne Hagan
Jamie Harrold
Christian Maelen
Marni Nixon
Lauren Vélez
Tuc Watkins

CinematographyMilton KamEdited byFrançois Kraudren

Production
companies

Danger Filmworks
House of Pain Productions

Distributed byStrand Releasing

Release date

June 20, 1997 (1997-06-20)

Running time

90 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office$345,478

I Think I Do is a 1997 American gay-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Brian Sloan and starring Alexis Arquette. It premiered on June 20, 1997 at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, and was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival later that year, before receiving a small theatrical run on April 10, 1998.

The film was restored and re-released for its 25th anniversary on April 19, 2024.^[1]^[2]

Premise

The film follows the relationship between Bob and Brendan, roommates at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., five years after Bob made his romantic feelings toward Brendan known. When the two reconnect at the wedding of college friends, Bob is in a serious relationship with a soap opera star Sterling Scott, while Brendan is single and re-examining his own identity.

Cast

Alexis Arquette as Bob
Christian Maelen as Brendan
Lauren Vélez as Carol Gonzalez
Tuc Watkins as Sterling Scott
Jamie Harrold as Matt Lynch
Guillermo Díaz as Eric
Maddie Corman as Beth
Marianne Hagan as Sarah
Elizabeth Rodriguez as Celia Gonzalez
Patricia Mauceri as Barbara Rivera
Marni Nixon as Aunt Alice
Mateo Gómez as Mr. Gonzalez
Arden Myrin as Wendy
Richard Salamanca as Fr. Paulsen
Leonard Berdick as Mr. McPherson
Lane Janger as wedding bartender

Production

In an interview with IndieWire, director Brian Sloan said, "I wrote a ten page treatment first and from there I started writing the script. It took me about three weeks to get the first draft. I get very nervous sitting at the computer and not doing anything, so I work very fast when I actually sit down to work. Then in the course of three years, I went through ten drafts. The hardest thing about going through ten drafts during that time was to get all the characters to connect. To find a balance between all the couples and to make the different story lines work together."^[3] Filming would take place in New Jersey^[3] and Washington, D.C.

Reception

I Think I Do grossed $345,478 while in theaters during 1998, only having been released in 10 theaters.^[4] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 42% from 31 reviews.^[5] In her review, Anita Gates of The New York Times claimed that the film requires "a taste for pointed, topical humor and a particular brand of clever conversation"^[6] and that "The characters are uniformly funny and sympathetic, and you want all of them to find the right person and be happy."^[6]

References

^ King, John Paul (April 18, 2024). "After 25 years, a forgotten queer classic reemerges in 4K glory". Washington Blade. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
^ Scheetz, Cameron (April 19, 2024). ""We were taking a risk": Tuc Watkins reunites with the director of his first movie, the gay rom-com 'I Think I Do'". Queerty. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ""The Director Knows Nothing" — Brian Sloan on I Think I Do". IndieWire. April 8, 1998. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
^ I Think I Do at Box Office Mojo
^ I Think I Do at Rotten Tomatoes
^ ^a ^b Gates, Anita (April 10, 1998). "'I Think I Do': Gay Screwball Comedy". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2019.