Brimming with wit and originality, "Dorian Blues" magnificently proves that the coming-out genre is evergreen. First-time feature director Tennyson Bardwell reinvests the universal story form with novelty and delight, like fresh air in the tire of a faithful old ten-speed.

Bright, charming - and closeted - Dorian finds himself at a crossroads. Harassed as a probable "fag" at high school and overlooked by his family (especially his overbearing, right-wing father), Dorian is ready for his getaway to New York City and college. But something uncontrollable stirs in him, and suddenly he's talking back to his father, making out with another guy for the first time, and admitting his gay feelings to his sports-star brother. Ricocheted this way and that by his inner voice, Dorian finds himself in one absurd and awkward situation after another, as he seeks enlightenment and happiness with the help of a cute therapist, a well-meaning priest, and a first boyfriend. Along the way, life rewards Dorian's haplessness with the chance to see that he can be as strong for others as he's had to be for himself.

Bardwell's ingenious screenplay embellishes familiar milestones with an exhilarating quirkiness and the intoxicating suggestion that each of us is eminently loveable, even at our most geeky. Boasting superb performances by a cast of relative newcomers (capped by Michael McMillian of TV's "What I Like About You" as Dorian), "Dorian Blues" heralds the arrival of an exciting new filmmaking talent.