Makkena and Hickey have an energetic on-screen chemistry that, with the help of first-time director Tanya Wexler, lets them skirt the already overdone straight-gal/gay-guy issues and set out on a universally familiar journey of self-discovery and companionship. Their mission -- to complete a scavenger hunt based on audiotaped clues left behind by Travis's AIDS-stricken lover, Bobby -- opens the door to a natural, subtle comedy that softens their struggle with loneliness, dependency, and loss. Ultimately, their relationship is more of a comfort than the dreary statement on death, homosexuality, or AIDS it easily could have been. By the end of the film even Bobby, who is only a voice from a tape recorder, feels like an old friend.