Boy Meets Girl

Conceptually, I really liked Boy Meets Girl. It managed to twist the conventional narrative of a transgender woman coming to terms with her identity, and the challenges that come along with it, on its head and have it so that it is the other characters who are unsure of themselves and are seeking clarity and the conviction to be who they are. Unfortunately, unlike the lead characters, the script never found this clarity and conviction to make good of its concept and finds itself train-tracking cardboard characters through stilted conversations and coming-of-gender conventions leaving the whole film feel to feel just a little bit flat at the end of the line.

It is a shame that we have to talk about casting and how it is commendable that an actual transgender actress was cast in the lead role. Michelle Hendley certainly looks the part as Ricky Jones; she is a beautiful transgender woman playing a beautiful transgender woman on screen. The problem is that, based on this performance, she is just not a very good actress. Her delivery never felt natural, regardless of whether she was trying make a snarky comment at an acquaintance or simply serve a customer some coffee. This is made even more noticeable by the performance of Michael Welch as her non-gay best-friend who manages to convey his conflicting feelings with passion and depth, which made it so disappointing that his character was so under-written.

The issue with the script itself is that all of the characters felt as if they existed to interact with Ricky and didn't have enough screen-time to get to really know them so you could understand the journeys that they were going on. This meant that when it was time for them to do the things they needed to do to make the story go forward it rarely felt like it was their choice. There were still moments of comedy and pathos that made the film enjoyable, and it is all very, very sweet, but there wasn't much to think about beyond the superficial once the credits kicked in.

Overall I would say that your enjoyment of this film will very much depend on how much you buy into the lead character. If you can relate to them and project your own personality and experiences onto them I suspect that you'll be left feeling very happy. If you are looking for a character to make you think about yourself, then this is not the film you are going to meet them.

A movie is the sum of its parts, its got to be interesting, be cast well, be believable even when its science fiction of a fairy tail and the characters... well... you have to care what happens to them.

Though the story line is closer to fairy tail in today's world than reality, the performances are so good you don't think about this at the time.

Ignore the 1 star from digital pimple, I am yet to see any reviews from said person higher than a 2.

Michelle(the lead) was so credible as Ricky it leaves you pondering if the story is autobiographical though it clearly isn't.

Just superb.

Indie gem. Authentic small town atmosphere. Superb acting especially from leads. Few movies stay with you. This one did for me. (viewed 9/16)

Someone said this movie is a piece of propaganda, and I'm no film expert, but EVERY movie is some kind of propaganda. This is a low budget indie film, no one makes these movies simply for entertainment, the filmmaker had something to say and they SAID IT!

So A) if you're homophobic or transphobic you WILL NOT like this movie B) if you expect the main characters to be Sandra Bullock and James Franco, you WILL NOT like this movie.

These are young people and for many if not all of them this is their first movie. In the beginning especially the script is rough, the chemistry is questionable, and the plot moves unrealistically fast. BUT about half-way in you can see the characters (and their actors) develop, the chemistry grows between everyone, and the plot is actually very interesting and unexpected.

The academy and people who watch movies for technical things are not going to applaud this film, because to be honest it could have used a lot of work. But the subject is fresh, the content is good, and if you're trying to learn more about the transgender (and LGBQ) community this is a great film that I'm sure you will enjoy!

PS - someone said this movie is trying to suggest everyone is a little gay, it kind of is. We kind of are :)

Saw this at the Louisville LGBT Film Festival. Being a trans woman myself probably makes my review slightly biased, but oh well. The fact that it is based in my home state of Kentucky doesn't really influence my opinion either. This film had it all as far as the triumphs and pit falls of a young trans relationship in today's times. The hetero / gay / trans relationship scene can be a jumbled mess....as this film shows. This was the lead character's first performance on screen and she did an amazing job!!! The male lead is a seasoned actor and it showed. They had great chemistry together. That also made the film flow really well and seem very believable. I give it a 9 for content and storyline, but a 7 for editing quality and overall filming quality. That really isn't a slam, just evidence of the lower budget, indie film that it is. I hope to see more from this director and from the two lead performers!

I think this film has the ability to capture the hearts of both the easy target of the LGBT community but also the more mainstream hetero community. Go see it if you can! You won't be sorry and will probably cry!