Film

Trick

Name: Trick
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 1999
Cast: Christian Campbell, John Paul Pitoc, Tori Spelling, Brad Beyer, Lacey Kohl

Comedy
Light-hearted

A fizzy 1999 gay romantic comedy about a sheltered composer who ventures into New York nightlife seeking inspiration and finds unexpected romance instead. It's warm, funny, and genuinely charming—the kind of film that loves its characters without irony. Perfect for anyone who misses when rom-coms were allowed to be unambiguously about queer joy.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy talky, affectionate romances where a self-absorbed hero bumbles toward love, with sharp one-liners and songs woven through the mess, and a composer's ear for a good line.

Skip it if you need big set pieces or a plot that keeps tightening; this loose, talky hangout leans on chatter and a small circle of friends.

What it asks of you: Expect about ninety minutes of unhurried, scene-by-scene conversation, with the mood shifting between goofy and wistful, and some patience for characters who can be prickly.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Boys in the Band1970

A landmark film about gay men gathering for a birthday party that crackles with wit, desire, and real vulnerability. It captures the same emotional honesty and sharp dialogue that makes Trick work.

But It's considerably darker and more bruising than Trick—the 1970 setting means attitudes and outcomes are more constrained. Not everyone wants their comedy served with existential dread.

Love! Valour! Compassion!1997

Another intelligent gay ensemble comedy about eight men spending a summer together. Smart, theatrical, genuinely funny, with that same balance of romance and wry observation about desire and connection.

But It's more cerebral than Trick and occasionally feels like watching very attractive people have very articulate problems. The pacing can drag in the second act.

But I'm a Cheerleader2000

A candy-colored teen rom-com about identity and self-acceptance that shares Trick's genuine warmth and refusal to apologize for its romantic sentiment. It's buoyant without being stupid.

But The deliberately artificial aesthetic won't appeal if you prefer subtlety. Some find the cheeriness relentless.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Trick

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Chasing Amy1997

Both are comedies about gay/queer desire and romance that refuse to treat their subject as inherently tragic or ironic. Both center on smart, funny people trying to figure out what they actually want from each other, not just what they're supposed to want.

Kevin Smith's most emotionally mature film about desire, identity, and monogamy, wrapped in his characteristic snappy dialogue. Like Trick, it takes queer love entirely seriously while keeping the tone light and often very funny.

But Smith's voice is aggressively mid-90s indie—the characters debate comic books and pop culture constantly, and some of the sexual politics haven't aged well. The self-consciousness can overshadow the heart.

Breakfast at Tiffany's1961

The ur-text for romantic comedies about glamorous people finding themselves in the city. Like Trick, it's primarily interested in charm, dialogue, and watching characters figure out what they actually want.

But Holly Golightly's characterization has aged unevenly, and the film's New York is very much a fantasy version. The pacing is glacial by modern standards.

Four Rooms1995

A real-time comedy ensemble piece set in a hotel on New Year's Eve. It shares Trick's interest in chance encounters and the specific energy of one night in a city where anything might happen.

But It's anarchic and deliberately loose in a way that frustrates some viewers. The novelty wears thin if you're not on its wavelength from the start.

Torch Song Trilogy1988

A semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about a drag performer's life and loves. It has Trick's emotional generosity and the same commitment to treating gay relationships and emotions as genuinely important.

But It's considerably longer and more serious, with real tragedy mixed into the comedy. The drag performance sequences are camp in a way that didn't age everyone's patience.

A Serious Man2009

A darkly comic ensemble piece about coincidence, chance, and people failing to connect in thoroughly amusing ways. The same structural DNA as Trick—one night (or one week) where everything spirals.

But It's the Coen Brothers at their most deliberately alienating. Where Trick wants you to feel warm, this wants you slightly uncomfortable. Entirely different project.

Legally Blonde2001

Pure romantic comedy DNA: a protagonist dismissed by everyone who sets out to prove something, finds unexpected allies, and discovers what they actually want. Equally committed to being both funny and genuinely likable.

But The humor is broad and the feminism is decidedly light. If you need more edge to your comedy, this will feel saccharine.

Ocean's Eleven2001

An ensemble heist comedy where the pleasure is primarily in watching charming people have fun together. The plot barely matters; the chemistry and banter are everything, just like in Trick.

But The actual heist is fairly conventional and predictable. If you need genuine stakes or emotional weight, the frothy surface will feel empty.

Muriel's Wedding1994

Both center on characters discovering a whole version of themselves they didn't know existed, facilitated by music, nightlife, and the acceptance of people who actually get them. Both are comedies where joy and self-acceptance feel like radical acts.

An Australian comedy about self-reinvention and finding your people. It has Trick's effervescent charm and genuine affection for its characters, but it's set in suburban '90s Australia watching characters escape into disco fantasy and unexpected friendship.

But The Australian accent and specific cultural references require a bit of tuning in. The pacing is deliberately scattered and some find it chaotic rather than charming.

La Cage aux Folles1978

Like Trick, it's a film from outside the American mainstream that treats queer love and queer life as worthy of genuine emotion and comedy in equal measure. Both refuse the option of making their gay characters sympathetic through tragedy—they're just people, trying to live and love.

A French farce about a drag queen and his partner preparing for a dinner with the partner's son and his fiancée's conservative parents. It's hilarious, genuinely touching, and treats its queer couple's domestic life as the emotional center—no apologies, no tragedy.

But It's a farce with all the machinery that entails: loud, fast, and reliant on physical comedy and misunderstanding. The 1978 French sensibility is very much present. Subtitles required.