I think we've all seen the classic love triangle poster on books and movies a million times, and when the material is gay, it's usually pretty dire.
Kept Boy was a pleasant surprise. First thing you key to is that the acting standard is uniformly high, and the production standards are good. The plot is a trifle melodramatic but that's the nature of the beast. The reviews of Robert Rodi's 1996 book suggest it was a written as a comedy of manners, but the film takes a less light-hearted reading than the rom-com poster implies.
Overall, I'm both intrigued enough by the source material to seek out the book, and found the film to be rewarding enough to deserve future re-watching. A keeper.