Movie review: ‘Violet Tendencies’

Pity the poor “fruit fly.” That’s the term Violet ( Mindy Cohn), a straight woman whose social life revolves around gay men, uses to describe herself in the enjoyable if uneven sex comedy “Violet Tendencies.” So immersed has this plus-size 40-year-old become in the romantic, er, comings and goings of her tight circle of party-down gay pals that she finds herself at a dead end for any amorous satisfaction of her own.

At the urging of a noodle-brained co-worker (Kim Allen, funny), Violet decides to step away from her circle and find Mr. Right. But it’s a move that requires the kind of enormous changes at the last minute that might prove more than the free-spirited, staunchly gay-centric Violet can handle.

Though at times predictable and unconvincing, Violet’s valiant attempt to shift her longtime allegiances for a shot at hetero love provides the game Cohn (best known as Natalie on TV’s “The Facts of Life”) ample room to showcase her ace comic timing and warm charisma. It’s a generous, often lovely performance.

Playing Violet’s “Broken Hearts Club”-like circle of gay friends are director Casper Andreas and writer Jesse Archer, along with Samuel Whitten, Adrian Armas and Marcus Patrick. They supply a Gold’s Gym’s-worth of eye candy, but Andreas and Armand Anthony, as Violet’s all-wrong suitor, are weaker links in the acting chain.

“Violet Tendencies.” No MPAA rating. Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes. At Laemmle’s Sunset 5, West Hollywood.