Some comedy shorts know when to stop. Mac Isn't Gay isn't one of them. 

Mac Isn't Gay starts with a premise that you'd swear is going to wildly awry. You'd swear that it has to end up being offensive. 

Then, it keeps going. And going. And going. 

And it works. 

Mac (Joshua Jordan) is a guy who has, well, intimacy issues. With women. Sitting in his psychiatrist's office, he's a befuddled sort whose clean-cut persona and nerdish linguistic stylings instantly tell us one thing. 

He's gay.

But, he's not gay. He swears. 

Doc (North Roberts, Plastic) isn't there to judge him, but to help him solve his dilemma even if, it would seem, his dilemma his rather obvious. 

Mac Isn't Gay should have gone terribly wrong. Heck, Mac Isn't Gay is terribly wrong in so many ways. It's also a delightfully funny and slightly demented short film with fantastic performances from its co-leads and a script from Jason K. Allen that knows how to have fun with difficult material without ever crossing the line into downright offensiveness. 

It gets close, mind you. 

Nominated for Best Actor at Laugh or Die Comedy Fest, Joshua Jordan is a revelation here in his first film credit. He's hilarious, sweet, sensitive, a little naughty, and delivers his lines in just the right way that you can't help but laugh even when he's not saying a single word. It's the kind of performance that should lead to a multitude of future offers.

North Roberts, on the other hand, is an indie vet with a variety of credits to his name and that shows here as he brings Doc to life in ways that are semi-serious, nearly always simultaneously funny, and more than a little mischievious. Roberts has a tremendous sense of comic timing, allowing lines to linger in the air while you look at him just knowing something great is about to drop.

It always does. 

Together? The two are sublime.

The film is directed by veteran actor/writer/director/producer Willy Adkins. Adkins brings his A-game here and gives us a film with a sweet spot, naughty spirit, and a gleam in its cinematic eye. You may be offended by it, but you'll likely still laugh anyway. 

I sure did. A lot.

Original music by Ashsha Kin is bouncy and sublime, while supporting performances, brief as they may be, are spot-on by Elise Delap (Father, Slow Burn) and Colin Gorman. 

For more information on Mac Isn't Gay, visit the film's Facebook page linked to in the credits. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic