Looking Back at 'Wedding Wars' - a Marriage Equality Film Ahead of Its Time

What happens when a politician's agenda against marriage equality prompts a protest by a gay man whose brother just happens to work for that politician... and that gay man is played by none other than John Stamos?

You get "Wedding Wars," the film which last week celebrated 10 years since it first aired on television in 2006. Besides ageless dreamboat Stamos, the cast also included out actor Sean Maher (as Stamos' boyfriend), Eric Dane (as the brother), Bonnie Somerville (brother's fiance� & daughter of the politician) and James Brolin as the politician.

Last week, Outfest hosted a celebration of the film with a screening with Jim Fall (director), Stephen Mazur (writer) and Melvyn Warren (music) in West Hollywood.

Fall told EDGE that when Mazur's script came into his life, it was five years after he had helmed the beloved feature film, "Trick." "I had already turned down a lot of gay movies because I just didn't want to do a bad one," he said. "This came around and it was really sweet and funny and clever because it was a political statement." Stamos was already attached and super producers Neil Meron and Craig Zaden ("Chicago," "Hairspray") were involved so, for Fall, "it was already this wonderful package."

Keeping it light

A major appeal to working on the film for Maher was the way in which the subject matter didn't weigh down the tone of the film. "The subject matter was delivered to the audience in a lighter way. It wasn't overly dramatic," the actor told us. "I think it was a great way to deliver this issue to people in a more universal approach. It was funny and enjoyable to watch and of course it was tackling an issue that is near and dear to my heart but I didn't think it needs to be shoved down people's throats. You can laugh at it and understand the undercurrent of what's happening but in a less dramatic way."

Maher, who publicly came out in 2011, also remembered working on the film as one of the first times he opened up about his personal life. "Neil Meron and I had been friends for years since we worked together on 'Brian's Song' and I had confided in him that I was gay and I just wasn't out yet and he and Craig [Zaden] were remarkably amazing mentors to me as older gay men in the industry. I remember we had our first cast dinner and we were going around the table... and Bonnie asked me about my ring and she said 'Your wife... how long have you been married?' And I said, 'Actually, my partner' and Neil just beamed and said 'I'm so proud of Sean!' It was one of those times where I was 'here it is.' I was still so guarded but I felt so comfortable with that group."

Planting the kiss

While having two men kiss on television and film doesn't raise flags as it once did, in 2006, it was still a topic worth discussing and it was important to Fall to have two men kiss in the film, maybe more than once. Fall told us that originally Stamos and Maher weren't going to share a kiss until the end of the movie but he knew a kiss had to happen much sooner in the film's narrative. "I wanted it to happen quickly," Fall explained of a quick kiss between the men that happens in an early scene during a pool party. "It wasn't in the script and then there's [another] scene where John is asleep on the lawn and I had Sean show up and put a blanket on him and kiss him on the forehead. I wanted three kisses in this movie and there was only one written in, which was at the end."

Maher shared that seemingly everyone was excited that he'd be getting to kiss Stamos in the film. "I remember lots of people after I got cast couldn't believe that I got to kiss John Stamos, men and women! Everyone's in love with Uncle Jesse!"

And, as far as onscreen kisses go, Fall said that he and Stamos discussed in detail about the kisses but never due to the actor feeling uneasy. "Of course he had no issues with it," said Fall, "but he was just wondering how long is it going to be? Just normal actor questions. I remember slipping those other kisses into the script and no one ever said anything."

Sibling rivalry

And while the film included a message about marriage equality, Fall knew that the core of "Wedding Wars" was about the relationship between the openly gay and somewhat uncomfortable straight brother. For that reason, he made some changes to the original script to reflect this component. "In the original ending of the script, John Stamos gets married to Sean Maher's character and that never set well with me," he remembered. "I introduced the whole element that Sean's character doesn't want to get married and this was my point at the time. I never even thought about getting married until the marriage issue came around."

Instead, Fall shared, "I thought what action could Eric Dane's character take that would prove he's grown? I thought, dancing. Dancing with your gay brother at a wedding in front of everybody. I also knew John Stamos sang because he was on Broadway. So the whole thing with the song "Ben" (Michael Jackson's Academy Award-nominated song, which the brothers sing together earlier in the film), I wove that so he would sing at the end. I think originally the script had the gay men's chorus singing 'Ben' but I wanted John to sing it with them. It really was just lovely."

Of course, you can't talk to Jim Fall without at least asking about the status of the long-awaited sequel to "Trick." The continuation of the 1999 film starring Christian Campbell, Tori Spelling and JP Pitoc is still something he hopes to see become a reality but as of now there's no official announcement. Keep those fingers crossed, "Trick" fans!

"Wedding Wars" is available to rent on Netflix DVD or to buy on Amazon.