BREAKFAST WITH SCOT

Directed By Laurie Lynd

Review by RB

This story is about an 11 year old kid, Scot (that’s with one “T”), who is displaced after his mother dies unexpectedly of a heroin overdose. His estranged, would be father lives abroad, more interested in female pursuits than parental ones. So Scot goes to live with his father’s brother, Sam, for a few days, until daddy can tie up some loose ends, namely a new relationship project we’ll call “Future Mom.”

Sam has a roommate, Eric, or so we think, until eventually it becomes apparent that they are lovers. (Sometimes it helps to read a synopsis before or see a trailer, and other times it’s nice to be surprised, which I was.)  Scot arrives bedazzled, and showing a slight resemblance to an extremely youthful Freddy Mercury, with a similar bent—a somewhat effeminate flair, with a rock star attitude.  From the get go Eric, an in-the-closet retired hockey player turned sports commentator, tries to turn the thermostat down on Scot, so as to deflect attention and to keep all secrets safe. Scot resists at first, but soon finds the value in butching it up. The resident bully is his next door neighbor, and after a rough start, they become good friends. Scot ends up playing little league hockey, just like surrogate dad, Eric.  

The performances in this film are great. Breakfast With Scot will make you laugh and possibly wink out a few tears. It’s a fascinating dissertation, unassumingly, toward the characterization of the “traditional” family.  It showcases the breeding gentry as disillusioned and dysfunctional, whilst the homosexual pairing rises to the occasion, garnering a stronger skill set when it comes to rearing a child.