This may have already been answered elsewhere on this board but is Paulie supposed to be gay? He seems to be portrayed that way, IMO.
Just wondering what everyone else thought.
No Paulie is not suppose to be gay. He is suppose to be a fun loving, in over his head, goof off!
shareDidn't you see him oogling those incredible spandex clad specimens of womanhood in the aerobics class???
shareI got a mix of New York Italian, mild retardation, speech impediment & 1/2-suppressed gay in his speech & attire. Apparently Eric Roberts intended all of this as a 'mama's boy' persona. As to his ogling the girls: He wouldn't want the hood to know his preference, the exaggerated hetero behavior a diversionary strategy.
shareAlso; you must acknowledge the effect of his clothes. Many younger viewers of this film may get incorrect vibes from his exaggerated style of dressing: the extra-tight jeans to show off his hot ass, the tight grooming of his hair, the very slim physique...but that's just how straight men dressed during that time. I didn't particularly get a gay vibe from Paulie (and I'm gay, for what that's worth). I also didn't think that his reaction to the hot girls wasn't exaggerated hetero behavior; I actually thought it betrayed a nervousness at being looked at by all the chicks. There really was nothing in his demeanor--nothing positive--that indicated being gay at all, IMO.
Allen Roth
"I look up, I look down..."
No question there's some gay thing going on with the character here, but I couldn't say if it was intentional or not, or something that just seeped out. You'd have to ask Roberts.
One problem is he looks a lot like his sister Julia, so there might be some subliminal thing in that.
Whatever attire he wore are what the director told wardrobe to clothe him in. That being said, you have to wonder why doesn't a stud like that have girls in his life? Hmm...
shareOk he is gay, do you feel better now? Move along with your life.
sharewhy during a couple of parts of the movie is his arm like interlocked with mickey rourkes? lol that was weird to me
shareit's something that's kind of lost on most viewers today. I was very confused the first time I saw Paulie putting his hand in Charlie's arm. But it's just a genuine affection that is shown. It's not meant to be homosexual. He simply stays at Charlie's side, being the less masculine, notably weaker of the two. And Charlie knowingly keeps him under his wing, when he's driving he puts his arm around him, he feeds him when he's recovering in bed, and even goes easy on him at the restaurant even to the point it gets them fired. It's basically meant to show a strong Italian family love for each other.
I think since it's just about 25 years old, it's easily misconstrued with typical mannerisms of today which would suggest a different presence. For most families of New York Italians, there are a lot of characteristics that Paulie and Charlie both show that prove to be accurate of many relatives. At least, that's how it is in my case.
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That's more an Italian thing than a gay thing. Straight men walk arm in arm with male friends/family more in Italian cukture (and hence, some Italian-American culture) than they do in American culture. I've seen this myself in Little Italy a number of times.
shareDefinitely. In anceient Sumerican culture, the thumbs were considered to be the source of one's heterosexuality. Stuart Rosenberg, an avid historian who specializes in Sumerian history, would of course know this. Having Paulie lose his thumbs is his subtle and obscure way of letting the audience know that Paulie enjoys the occasional wiener.
shareIn some scenes it looks like he is wearing eyeliner.
Also, Eric Roberts overacts way, way, way too much. I can see why Paulie might seem gay.
I didn't think he was gay at all. A momma's boy definately. He acts a bit feminine but that's just his persona. Roberts might have over done it a bit. If you recall, he was giving Charlie advice about how to treat women which was absurd. It makes you wonder if his father treated him mother that way. All the talk about putting them in their place. Perhaps his momma had convinced him that no woman was good enough for her boy. Isn't this more or less the same thing with Detective Bunky and his mom? He lives at home and he's no kid, he's looking at retiring from the NYPD in a year or two which would have put him in his early 40's.
shareYes, he is gay, it's pretty obvious? The conversation about gay and leather, his strange relation with his uncle, that unknown man that says hello to him in almost the end of the film, probably a lover.... And also the way he speaks and walks.
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It crossed my mind that he was, but then when I saw his behavior in the dance class I concluded othrwise. Yes, the clothing and hair fashions of the early 80's were somewhat foppish, especially in certain parts of the country snd maybe it was an ethnic thing, too. I noticed the contrast between Charlie and girlfriend Diane--he's nearly always dressed up and she never is, the reverse of what you see in most couples. That one short-sleeved silk shirt he's seen in must be oe of the loudest shirts in the history of film. I think that the speech Paulie gives to the clearly disapproving Charlie about "managing" women with a dose of mild abuse gives insight into why he doesn't have a girlfriend. He lives in such as world of fantasy and false memory that even though he has no girlfriend he doles out advice to advice to the guy who gets girls.
"I didn't betray you--I put a stop to you."
Anybody who thinks Paulie was queer must be one himself. He/she/it who thinks that also has no cultural knowledge whatsoever. Italians are always oddly affectionate. But then, what more can be expected from a 15 year-old wuss living in his parents' basement who posts on imdb all day eating cheetos in his underwear (real men do it naked in a bean bag chair).
shareAs for myself, I detected a hint of bromance in the post-thumb chopping, chicken noodle soup scene.
The leaves are changing colors...
The theme of homosexuality is present in this film despite what some posters say. It's not only latent. In some scenes, it's overt. Paulie fantasizes out loud about what would happen to him in prison. He finds it funny, even titilating. The spoon feeding scene is bizarre as well. Sure, he'd been hurt. Sure, they were cousins. Still, there's something not quite right about their relationship.
shareHe's not gay. People dressed diff. in those times, and also its a cultural thing. Diff. times, diff culture. Anyone remember Saturday night fever? And how they dressed? Look at all those movies, the guys in those times dressed in tighter clothes, that was the stlye back then. As for Paulies personality, he is just a goofy guy. Its almost as if there was something wrong with him mentally. Like a little slow. which i think is why he is not so popular with the ladies.
As a side note: i was once on the subway here in L.A, with my friend who is from Jersey, and this guy walks in with real tight clothes. I'm like, " Is that guy gay?". My friend says ,"No, thats just how they dress back east".
Nope, not gay.
shareHe sounded like half a fag....
Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
am i missing something? that bloke who kisses his lips when hes on the fence?? is that not gay? obviously a past connection. how can people not tell hes gay... looks just like a new york dog walker..... and as if a hit man or loan shark kisses blokes??????
shareYou're gonna believe what you want, but the kissing thing is not gay, it's Italian. He didn't french kiss him for chrissake...And..Every guinea in the 80's dressed like that.
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