Dir: Greg Berlanti. US. 2000. 91 mins.

Prod co: Meanwhile Films. US dist: Screen Gems. Int'l dist: Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International. Prods: Mickey Liddell, Joseph Middleton. Co-prods: Julie Plec, Sam Irvin. Scr: Berlanti. DoP: Paul Elliott. Prod des: Charlie Daboub. Ed: Todd Busch. Mus: Julianne Kelley, Joe Guthrie. Main cast: Timothy Olyphant, Dean Cain, Andrew Keegan, John Mahoney, Matt McGrath, Billy Porter, Nia Long, Mary McCormack.

Gay-themed movies may have finally come of age with The Broken Hearts Club, a warm and witty Diner-esque ensemble about a bunch of gay male friends in West Hollywood, California. Studiously avoiding AIDS, drag queens, ABBA or parental conflict, it focuses on characterisation and plain old human dilemmas in a way that any viewer - gay or straight - will relate to.

The only thing that could hamper its chances of crossing over from gay to mainstream audiences is its very uninhibitedness: it's a full-on portrait of gay life and that includes every shade of camp, bitchiness, drug-use and promiscuity.

Nevertheless, its feel-good nature and refreshing self-confidence should win it wider audiences, if that is, it's given a correspondingly unabashed marketing push. And, unlike recent gay movies such as Trick or Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, it's an absolute must-see for gay men - a market never to be under-estimated.

First-time writer-director Berlanti - a co-executive producer on hit teen TV show Dawson's Creek - focuses his ensemble around a waiter cum wannabe photographer called Dennis (charismatic Timothy Olyphant). Dennis is at the centre of a group that includes buff actor Cole (Dean Cain), neurotic psychology grad student Howie (Matt McGrath), party boy Benji (Zach Braff), miserable loser-in-love Patrick (Ben Weber) and recently dumped Taylor (Billy Porter).

Among the sub-plots are a softball team they all join called The Broken Hearts Club run by restaurant owner John Mahoney and the arrival of a newly-out youngster called Kevin (Andrew Keegan) who starts off sleeping with Cole but moves to Dennis. The story, as such, follows each friend's quest for self-esteem in the often cruel gay dating scene and their reliance on each other for support.

Non-US audiences might be perplexed at the smart-ass references to all things American from clothes stores to food brands, but dubbing could take care of that in many territories.