60: Making Love w/guest Sean Abley

About this episode

The episode discusses the film 'Making Love' and its significance in LGBTQ representation during the 1980s.

Pride 2026 continues with one of this year's most unexpected episodes. At a glance, Making Love is not the sort of thing you would expect to hear on 99 Cent Rental. It's a Hollywood drama. It's a "very important movie". It's from the director of Love Story (and a bunch of other really great movies). But our friend Sean Abley dropped by for what turned into a giant-sized episode of 99 Cent Rental and we go long on one of the most honest and authentic coming-out stories at a critical moment in the 80's just as the gay rights movement was gaining momentum but right before the first reports of AIDS hits the news. It offers a remarkable alternative to contemporary portrayals of gay characters, casting off the well-worn tropes of swishy queens and terrifying leather daddies, Making Love gives you gay men who are simply ordinary men. Making Love is about married couple Claire and Zach. Their life together is great. Except for one critical thing. Zach is gay and is finally coming to terms with it. He meets author Bart, an openly gay but aloof loner who loves them and leaves them and has his first sexual encounter with a man which sends his entire life into a spiral. Get…

People in this episode

Hosts: Dave White, Bryan White

Guest: Sean Abley

Topics covered

• gay rights
• coming out
• 1980s cinema
• Hollywood drama
• LGBTQ representation

Keywords

• Making Love
• Sean Abley
• gay rights
• 1980s
• LGBTQ
• Hollywood drama
• coming out

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Making Love

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