In I Do, Jack (David W. Ross) is a British gay man living in the states whose work visa expires just as his brother dies and Jack is left with the task of helping to raise the child alongside an embittered sister-in-law (Alicia Witt). In an effort to stay in the U.S., Jack fakes a marriage to a lesbian friend (Jamie-Lynn Sigler). This works out great until, you guessed it, Jack meets Mr. Right. 

There are those films you watch fully expecting to really enjoy them only to find yourself watching the closing credits roll by and wondering why it just never clicked. I Do is such a film. The film was quite popular on the LGBT fest scene including picking up an award for writer/actor David W. Ross as "Emerging Talent" at Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2nd Place for the Audience Award among narrative features at Palm Springs International Film Festival, another Rising Star award for Ross at Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and the Audience Award at Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. 

The DVD packaging for I Do is filled to the brim with extras (listed in the credits) and it's clear that the fine folks at QC Cinema, the LGBT distribution arm for Breaking Glass Pictures, has high hopes for this indie release come September 3rd. While it's unclear if this was a production issue or a filming issue, the film suffered quite a bit from noticeable tracking issues on the DVD screener sent to The Independent Critic for review. Given that the full packaging was received, it's hard not to wonder about the issue that served as a distraction on more than one occasion. 

Unquestionably making statements about the state of marriage equality in the United States, I Do is for the most part a simple and straightforward film that does reveal Ross's promise as both writer and actor (though I'd lean towards writer). He's penned a film that clearly has his own character as the focus, with both female counterparts a little too consistently edgy and angry to ever become truly compelling characters. In fact, beyond the film's production issues its biggest problem may very well be the lack of a character that really draws you in and makes you want to follow through with the entire story. The situation itself has been done to death before in cinema and, quite honestly,feels just a touch antiquated. Without a character to draw us in, I Do never really does. 

© Written by Richard Propes 
The Independent Critic