"Another Gay Sequel": "Wild," yes — but also pretty lame

Like so many followup movies, Todd Stephens' "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild" lacks the freshness of the first film. Not that 2006's "Another Gay Movie" was any kind of gem. But it did play with the relatively original idea that the clichés of gay movies are ripe for parody, and it did so with boundless enthusiasm.

While it's still driven by an occasional rush of energy, Stephens' sequel feels forced and sometimes desperate. "Maybe what we need is a nice, long dream sequence," says Nico, the flamboyant central character played by Jonah Blechman, at a particularly clueless moment.

When Nico and his pals start discussing the possibility of a trilogy, ending with a science-fiction entry to be called "Another Gay Movie Strikes Back," you can only hope that it will have a more substantial story and better jokes than this installment.

Blechman's Nico is a holdover from the previous film, and so are his buddies, but they are played by different actors this time. Jake Mosser is randy Andy; Aaron Michael Davies is nerdy Griff; and Jimmy Clabots is Griff's confused lover, Jarod.

This time they end up in Fort Lauderdale, the land of "Where the Boys Are," where Griff and Jarod's monogamous relationship quickly disintegrates. Meanwhile, Nico and Andy can barely get to first base. They're staying at a resort hosted by queeny Tyrelle Tyrelle (RuPaul), and eventually Andy's bisexual dad (Scott Thompson of "Kids in the Hall") joins them.

The boys sign up for the resort's annual spring-break competition, "Gays Gone Wild," and go up against "The Jaspers," the previous year's winner.

It's not a movie for delicate sensibilities. One particularly raunchy episode of gay incest leads to projectile vomiting on a scale that seems designed to top the restaurant episode in "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life." If the distributor had asked for a rating, surely it would have been NC-17.

The new actors are convincing enough (their introduction via a "Wizard of Oz" parody is the film's slyest touch), but Blechman (who is also listed as executive producer) takes over the movie with his campy asides and shockingly bright makeup and costumes.

Just how much you can take of "Another Gay Sequel" depends largely on how you respond to Blechman's Nico, who wholeheartedly embraces the concept of "leading lady."

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com