"Oy Vey, My
Son Is Gay" is the story of the Hirsch's, a Jewish family living in
the North Shore of Long Island, where every Friday night Shirley Hirsch (Lainie
Kazan) invites another "perfect" girl for Shabbat dinner
in hopes that her son, Nelson (John
Lloyd Young), will marry a nice Jewish girl.
When Shirley and Martin (Saul
Rubinek) once again set him up on a date, Nelson reveals that he
is already seeing someone. Shirley and Martin are thrilled and can’t
wait to meet the lucky lady.
In a motherly
attempt at finding out who her son is dating, Shirley stops by Nelson’s
apartment. She is greeted by Angelo Ferraro (Jai
Rodriguez), Nelson’s live-in boyfriend, and in order to not
divulge Nelson’s secret life, Angelo introduces himself as his
decorator. Shirley also meets the gorgeous Sybil (Carmen
Electra), Nelson’s neighbor and Playpen magazine centerfold.
Shirley believes that Sybil is Nelson’s mysterious girlfriend. She is
concerned that Sybil isn't Jewish but resigns to the fact that if her son
is happy, that’s all that matters and she can’t wait for the rest of
the family to meet Sybil at an upcoming wedding.
Nelson attempts to
tell his mother that he is gay, but Shirley is too busy with her own life
to listen to her son. After a long and emotional argument between Nelson
and Angelo, Nelson agrees to take Angelo to his cousin’s wedding,
instead of Sybil. Halfway through the ceremony Nelson finally breaks the
news to his parents that he’s gay. At first, Shirley and Martin are
confused and distraught, but when the reality starts to set in they begin
to blame one another for Nelson’s sexuality.
As Shirley and Martin
struggle to accept this, they meet with a psychiatrist, talk with local
members of the gay community, Martin goes to a gay bar in an attempt at
understanding his son and he even goes as far as to try to get Sybil to
sleep with Nelson to make him straight. As a last resort, Shirley and
Martin have dinner with Angelo’s parents, Teresa and Carmine Ferraro (Vincent
Pastore), in order to understand their son’s lifestyles. Shirley
and Teresa have sympathy for one another, unlike Martin and Carmine, who
accuse each other’s son at being the cause of their own son’s
homosexuality.
Both families continue
to try to hide the fact their sons are gay from their friends and
co-workers, but when Nelson and Angelo decide to adopt a baby and it makes
headline news, the two families must unite to defend their son’s cause.
In an emotional confrontation, the families stand up and fight for their
gay sons’ right against opposition. In
an emotional victory for the two families and the country, the Hirsch's
and the Ferraro's not only accept the fact their sons are gay but realize
how much they love them.
Oy Vey! My Son Is
Gay!! is a romantic comedy about how far we come and yet how far we still
have to go…