It's labeled gay interest because a young Matthew Modine is naked throughout half of it.

I just got this movie with a laserdisc player (if you can believe it) and there was a scene when Al is talking to the Army doctor and said he wasn't "queer for him" (or similar)

If you bothered to read the book you would know that Al is doing chiks all the time. So no, nothing related to gay story.

You are right and wrong. They are not gay (this is clear by Al's behavior (esp at the beach, where he's getting down under the boardwalk. Birdie seems to have Asperger's; he possesses poor social skills, and his family doesn't help. However, they don't go their separate ways to pursue their own lives (kids from their neighborhood/class/time rarely did). . . they were drafted and sent to Vietnam! They return wounded, physically and mentally, and are reunited, but still not gay.

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Ain't gay by a longshot.Though I consider this a love story.Birdy & Al became bonded like brothers.The kind of bonding where someone becomes part of you & you'll sacrifice & fight for them no matter what..
Stars,Al. Look at the stars.

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Wow. You can say that again and again!
"The value of an idea has nothing to do with the honesty of the man expressing it."Oscar Wilde

I've noticed that peoples gadars are tuned up way too high on IMDB.

very good friends. Al was straight; Birdy was asexual. Birdy might have been/ potentially could have fallen in love with Al, because his human connection and emotional bond was with himalthough it could have easily been with a girl had she made the connection with him and shown interest in him as Al did. Just my quick take on the two.

It isn't about "being gay." It's of INTEREST to gay guys because both stars are hot and you see a lot of them. The friendship is what the movie is "about" and it's clearly not sexual.
"The value of an idea has nothing to do with the honesty of the man expressing it."Oscar Wilde

no it's not "clearly about being gay"
it just "can" be interpreted in that wayand a reason why it's been labelled as "gay interest" would probably be cos gay people could watch the movie and "identify/connect/relate" with birdy's character..some of his experiences.anything like that..eg for the reason you described: "cage's character just can't figure out why birdy isn't like most other people". And so they could also relate with a friendship they had with a straight guyand the point where the straight guy accepted that they were different and they stayed friends and things like that
if the movie was "clearly about being gay"then birdy would have been gay in the movieor done something "gay".he doesn't.
there are plenty of other ways that people can be differentand have problemsor anything like thatso plenty of straight people can also relate and identify with either modine's or cage's character and the friendship
So it's not specifically "clearly" about being gayI don't think.

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maybe someone should label it as heterosexual interest?
hehe

Well, it'd be nice to think they might rethink their interpretation.
I can't say it's a crime demanding of a coach-trip to Hades, though.

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You're right. They clearly weren't gay and some wally has stuck that label on it anyway Cage is about as hot-blooded a girl-chaser as the come and Modine is asexual. Several scenes make all that clear.
Anyway, I've just asked for it to be recategorised so hopefully that'll be changed soon.