In “Breakfast with Scot,” Tom Cavanaugh plays Eric, a professional hockey player with a particularly brutal reputation on the ice. Even after an injury ends his career, he’s recognized as an enforcer.
There might be a little overcompensation going on here: Eric’s gay, and in the closet. Now a sportscaster, he lives with longtime partner Sam (Ben Shenkman), a relationship that doesn’t need to be mentioned on the air. And never is.
The film’s plot kicks in when Sam is abruptly given custody of his brother’s 11-year-old stepson, Scot (Noah Bernett). So suddenly Scot has two daddies, but this is hardly a pressing concern for him — this kid is already a dedicated fan of Broadway musicals, Judy Garland and festive outfits that sparkle.
Scot’s arrival presents quite a problem for Eric. (Forget about Sam — he’s just around to be the solid support, blending into the background quite neatly.) Not only does Eric have to take care of this new arrival, but the kid is a constant reminder about the idea of being openly whatever you are.
“Breakfast with Scot,” based on a novel by Michael Downing, has absolutely nothing earthshaking to say about any of this. It trundles along in a crowd-pleasing, inoffensive fashion, and is enjoyable enough on its own merits.
Most of the enjoyment comes from watching the actors, especially Cavanaugh and Bernett. Cavanaugh, who played the soulful leading man of TV’s “Ed,” is hardly anybody’s idea of a vicious member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his diffident style and self-deprecating humor wear well.
Noah Bernett was in “Gothika” and some TV movies and is obviously a very funny kid. Whether his performance jibes with any known 11-year-old that has ever lived is another issue, but for the movie’s purposes it’s a winner.
Shot in Toronto, with the National Hockey League’s explicit blessing, “Breakfast with Scot” operates in a low-key Canadian groove, presenting a world in which even the school bullies are more or less nice, or at least redeemable. This movie seems intent on not making too many waves … and it probably won’t.
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