Comedy Central’s ‘Straight Plan for the Gay Man’ is an anti-fabulous takeoff on Bravo’s ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.’

Instead of Gucci-hawking fashion savants, the show features five slovenly, plaid-clad comedians who teach the finer points of gluttony to a primed-up gay man. The result is far more amusing than ‘Queer Eye,’ and surprisingly less offensive.

‘Queer Eye,’ which uses stereotypes for humor under the guise of a culturally-relevant reality service show, prompts far fewer laughs than this parody. ‘Straight Plan’ succeeds because it lampoons Bravo’s absurd concept by making fun of stereotypes rather than reinforcing them.

The first of three episodes, which premieres tonight at 10 on Comedy Central, follows the transformation of Jonathan Schneider, an ‘uber-fabulous’ Manhattan socialite, as he attempts to temporarily shed his gayness. The goal is simple: his immaculately decorated apartment must go, his wrists must de-limp and his wardrobe of pressed designer clothes must vanish in favor of jeans and lumberjack shirts.

The humor comes in the various bits of straight-guy advice doled out by the so-called Flab Four. They preach on everything from dumpster-diving to personal grooming in what is essentially a stand-up comedy routine placed in better context.

‘Basically we’re going to have to take all this and throw it out,’ said Bill the appearance guy as he looked at Jonathan’s closet, which was stocked with a decidedly flamboyant wardrobe.

The Flab Four and Jon later drive to the Salvation Army to equip him with outfits needed to pass as a straight man.

‘The beautiful thing here is that all these clothes have been worn before,’ Bill said. ‘The key is layers. You want to dress like you would make a lasagna.’

Much like ‘Queer Eye,’ the most important tips pop up on the screen, such as ‘Wanna play straight? Always top the other guy.’ In this case, the Flab Four are talking about men trying to out-do each other in competition, but Comedy Central’s flare for the subtle double entendre comes through to great effect.

Some of the funnier pieces of advice:

n ‘Don’t smile. Smile means you’re happy. Happy means you’re gay.’

n ‘No man should have an herbal laxative. If you can’t get it done with coffee and cigarettes, you shouldn’t be in the bathroom.’

n ‘If you can’t get it out of a can, what good is it?’

n ‘You don’t really need to flush the toilet unless you’ve got a floater in there.’

All the advice, which Jonathan applies to himself and rehearses, culminates in a day at the meat factory, where he is forced to ‘prove’ his masculinity by going through the meat-cleaving training process with two of the Flab Four. The result is anticlimactic, but the comedic buildup makes the ending enjoyable to watch.

Jonathan’s journey isn’t meant to be taken seriously. He doesn’t really want to act straight – just like the men on ‘Queer Eye’ don’t want to act gay. But Comedy Central unabashedly finds humor in the stereotypes themselves, and ‘Straight Plan for the Gay Man’ is proof that they can be exploited harmlessly.

Published on February 22, 2004 at 12:00 pm