2by4
Encyclopedia
2by4 or 2 x 4 is a 1998 American drama film
directed by and starring Jimmy Smallhorne
. The screenplay by Smallhorne, Terry McGoff, and Fergus Tighe focuses on the closeted
foreman of a construction worker of a New York City
construction crew.
At the January 1998 Sundance Film Festival
, the film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and Declan Quinn
won the Cinematography Award. It was released in New York City on November 26, 1999.
Johnnie Maher has emigrated from Ireland
to The Bronx
, where he works as a construction worker by day and parties with his friends at night, gathering at a pub owned by his Uncle Trump to drink and sing or at someone's apartment to play cards and snort cocaine
. Exploring his true sexuality
, he dons makeup and a feather boa and begins to spend time in Manhattan
gay bar
s catering to S&M/bisexual
lifestyles, where he meets a young hustler
named Christian, and the two become romantically involved.
called the film "an interesting and adeptly made drama" but thought "its message is unclear."
Although Glenn Lovell of Variety
called the film a "bracing, beautifully shot upstart drama," he observed, "It's a safe bet ... [it] won't win over the Far and Away
date crowd."
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by and starring Jimmy Smallhorne
Jimmy Smallhorne
Jimmy Smallhorne is an Irish filmmaker who wrote, directed and acted in his debut feature film 2by4. The drama about a closeted gay construction worker in New York City was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and received the Festival's Cinematography award for...
. The screenplay by Smallhorne, Terry McGoff, and Fergus Tighe focuses on the closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
foreman of a construction worker of a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
construction crew.
At the January 1998 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, the film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn is an Irish-American cinematographer and a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is one of five children. His four siblings, the most famous of whom is Aidan, are actors...
won the Cinematography Award. It was released in New York City on November 26, 1999.
Plot
Blue collarBlue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
Johnnie Maher has emigrated from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, where he works as a construction worker by day and parties with his friends at night, gathering at a pub owned by his Uncle Trump to drink and sing or at someone's apartment to play cards and snort cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Exploring his true sexuality
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, he dons makeup and a feather boa and begins to spend time in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
s catering to S&M/bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
lifestyles, where he meets a young hustler
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
named Christian, and the two become romantically involved.
Cast
- Jimmy SmallhorneJimmy SmallhorneJimmy Smallhorne is an Irish filmmaker who wrote, directed and acted in his debut feature film 2by4. The drama about a closeted gay construction worker in New York City was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and received the Festival's Cinematography award for...
as Johnnie Maher - Chris O'Neill as Uncle Trump
- Bradley Fitts as Christian
- Holyoke Joe as Joe
- Terry McGoff as Billy
- Michael Liebman as Eddie
- Ronan Carr as Brains
- Leo Hamill as Paddy
- Seamus McDonagh as Conor
- Kimberly Topper as Maria
Critical reception
Anita Gates of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the film "an interesting and adeptly made drama" but thought "its message is unclear."
Although Glenn Lovell of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the film a "bracing, beautifully shot upstart drama," he observed, "It's a safe bet ... [it] won't win over the Far and Away
Far and Away
Far and Away is a 1992 adventure-drama-romance film directed by Ron Howard from a script by Howard and Bob Dolman, and stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cinematography by Mikael Salomon, with a music score by John Williams...
date crowd."