i think the meaning of homoeroticism evades the author. the appreciation of male beauty and the love between two male friends (to take two common examples of homoeroticism) do not add up to being a closet case. straight men, unlike straight women, are not generally allowed to express their attraction to the male form or even their love of their male friends. homoeroticism in cinema is an expression of the latent "homosexual" tendencies that exist amongst most, if not all, men. it is met with derision by critics not because they take it as a sign that all straight men are closet cases, but because of the clandestine way movie makers must appeal to these normal male feelings.

Well said. Perhaps I misread, but I found this article to be an instance of "out of the frying pan and into the fire." The author takes umbrage that the cinematic depiction of the male body and male friendship is labelled as homoerotic when he believes that instead it's an instance of narcissism. What a predicament for men (gay or heterosexual) to be in--friendship and the male body is either sexualized or a vehicle for egoism. That's a rather narrow worldview to project on manhood and similar in many ways to what the entertainment industry projects on womanhood. Not being male myself, I certainly hope that men don't take this out of the theaters and view friendships and their bodies as solely vehicles for self-interest and sexuality--that would strike me as incredibly myopic and sad.

Yes, that's exactly the problem in our society: men have no middle ground - it's either chest-thumping football watching and namecalling or gay. Guys can get along, appreciate, respect, and honor each other without being attracted to each other. I think the gay community is too eager to label something "secretly homoerotic" in an effort to make homosexuality seem more universal, and to force straight men to admit they have some "gay tendencies." It would be more productive, imo, to show straight men they can be less "big dumb male"-y without being slapped with "Ha! You're more gay than you think."

The gay community would certainly benefit from additional empathy, but I think society in general would benefit more from recognizing and embracing nonsexual male intimacy for what it is.

And obviously the media plays a part as well - "Lord of the Rings: secretly gay?" gets more notice than "Lord of the Rings: two male hobbits enjoy a platonic hike together."