Welcome to the City Paper‘s guide to the 18th Reel Affirmations, D.C.’s annual GLBT film festival. Tonight, the fest kicks off with an opening night film and after-party. The film, Breakfast With Scot, is a 2008 feature directed by Laurie Lynde and starring Tom Cavanagh and Ben Shenkman. Read the City Paper‘s entire Reel Affirmations coverage here, and stay tuned tomorrow on The Sexist for the highs and lows of the film fest’s weekend slate.

CP‘s own Tricia Olszewski reviews the film; how the party goes is up to you.

If ever a Reel Affirmations selection seemed destined for the Disney Channel, it’s Breakfast With Scot. The fest’s opening-night film is about two manly gay men whose machismo is threatened when they become guardians of the World’s Feyest Boy. Based on a novel by Michael Downing, Laurie Lynde’s adaptation offers a sanitized, broad, and inevitably gooey portrait of gay life­but it’s still more watchable than many of the festival’s softcore-with-a-side-of-story features. Tom Cavanagh stars as Eric, a former Toronto Maple Leaf turned sports anchor who lives with his partner, Sam (Ben Shenkman) but remains closeted in professional circles. A contrivance of events involving Sam’s no-good brother leaves the couple with temporary custody of Scot (Noah Bernett), an 11-year-old with a penchant for boas, Christmas carols, and gardenia-scented hand cream. Eric and Sam, meanwhile, are anti-PDA­—-they share only one peck on the lips during the entire film—-­with Eric in particular horrified at Scot’s every swishy move. His strategy? Get the figure-skating boy playing hockey. Breakfast With Scot is NHL-approved (it’s reportedly the first gay-themed movie to get permission to use a professional sports league’s logos) and occasionally funny, mostly due to Cavanagh’s way with a quip. But the oh-please moments pile on as Eric’s and Scot’s personalities become more exaggerated and the story turns trite. (Spoiler alert: In parenting Scot, Eric learns something about himself.) Worse is the line that marks their official bonding moment, with Eric responding to Scot’s worry that a friend will think he’s a sissy: “We’re all a little sissy around here.” -TO

Catch the film at 7 p.m. tonight at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Directly following the film, night owls can head to Town Danceboutique for the Reel Affirmations opening night party at 2009 8th St. NW. Breakfast With Scot is $20; the film and party together cost $40.

Reel Affirmations runs from Thursday, Oct. 16, to Saturday, Oct. 25, at multiple venues. Head to the Reel Affirmations Web site for a full film schedule.