I Love you, Philip Morris has been knocking around for so long now I was surprised that it still hasn’t been released. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for this ambitious gay movie and it hits US theatres on 26 March and UK cinemas 9 days earlier on 17 March.

This expensive movie premiered a whole year ago at Sundance 2009, but didn’t get picked up at the time, cautious film distributors feeling the story of a married cop who realises he’s gay after a car crash and then embarks on a life of crime before falling in love with his male cell-mate (the Phillip Morris of the title) while incarcerated was just, well, ‘too gay’.

Fortunately, Consolidated Pictures Group didn’t think so and are now releasing this gay movie so audiences can make up their own minds about it.

What I really like about this film – without having seen it – is that Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey have made a gay indie movie and not a gay Hollywood movie, turning convention on its head in the process.

Usually, male Hollywood movie stars will only touch a gay story if it’s prestige enough to have a good shot during the awards season, thereby justifying their homo-ness on screen artistically. They also make sure all the gay stuff is watered down to nothing more than a brief peck on the lips.

Not in the case of I Love you, Philip Morris – Carrey and McGregor have made the kind of gay film that gay filmmakers and movie companies make and, by the looks of it, have watered down very little – the new International trailer shows Carrey buggering a guy!

What’s really incredible is that this gay movie is based on a true story – the real Steven J Russell has made some really audacious and successful prison breaks, along with conning his way to millions of dollars and impersonating scores of people – all to be with his lover, Morris.

I Love you, Philip Morris is written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Bad Santa).