Chad Allen's a gay detective in "Shock to the System"

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While not out sleuthing, Strachey cuddles up to handsome lover Tim Callahan (played by a charming Sebastian Spence), a government attorney and LGBT activist who takes his man to lots of black-tie dinners where cute bartenders toss off witty remarks like "Every time a martini shaker shakes, an angel gets his wings." Lauren Bacall has nothing on Strachey's swankier half, and Nick and Nora (from the "Thin Man" movies of the 1940s) do not have a corner on the swell life as long as these two gentlemen are around.

Gay in-jokes season the film nicely; you know queers are in the kitchen at Here! TV. For example, Strachey's wisecracking secretary Kenny Kwon (Nelson Wang) is a welcome throwback to the working girls of early last century, with a distinctly gay millennial twist. Kenny's running gag is to share snippets from his colorful gay love life, usually in the form of, "Sex was great, but . . . " as in, "Sex was great, but I always had to hide in the back seat at away games . . . "

"Shock" doesn't always strike the perfect tone of stylish '40s stardust. Scenes at glamour galas and Morgan Fairchild's grand estate fly by too quickly; once Strachey and his boyfriend have gone to the trouble of putting on their tuxedos, can't the plot keep them at the ball a while longer? And shooting the film in suburban Vancouver (most likely to save money on production costs) doesn't help us imagine America's gritty underbelly, especially when the local gay bar is decorated with tiki torches and palm fronds. (Granted, the action is meant to take place in upstate Albany, N.Y., but even that small city is tougher than clean, green Vancouver.)

Quibbling aside, it's a rare treat to lose yourself in dapper Don Strachey's detective fantasy world. Our hero's lover
tells him he's glad to be gay, because if he weren't he wouldn't have Strachey in his life.

I feel the same way about Chad Allen and "Shock to the System."

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