But I'm a Cheerleader

I was fortunate enough to catch "But I'm a Cheerleader" last night, and I must say the only thing that bothered me was the fact that I hadn't stumbled upon it sooner.

Megan Bloomfield is a beautiful blonde, who seems to have the life that every girl has once dreampt of. She is a popular cheerleader, dating the captain of the football team. All seems well until she arrives home from school one day. Megan's family and friends confront her, and in classic Intervention fashion proceed to tell her what they KNOW to be the truth: That she is a repressed lesbian. She is sent into a "Rehab" program ran by "Reformed" gays and lesbians. What could possibly go wrong?

I believe it is worth mentioning that this film has an early John Waters feel to it. Mink Stole, who has been in every John Waters movie beginning in 1966, plays the role of Megan's Mother Nancy.

If campy humor and love catch your eye, check it out. It might make you think a little, and it's sure to give you a few laughs.

This film is a biting and hilarious parody of people who not only force themselves into artificial molds but also feel the to make other people fit the same stereotypical molds. The main attack of the satire is on the delusion that homosexuals can be cured by people who are themselves repressed homosexuals.

Deliciously silly victorian roles of males and females are superimposed on the teenagers who struggle not to be who they really are. But the garishly-colored costumes of the 1950's "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It To Beaver" style are as incongruous as the fake role-playing. In the end, at least some of the young victims of this cruelty escape to face a life of being themselves.

So you run like, the underground homo railroad?

Endlessly quotable comedy with an all star 90s cast like Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Michelle Williams, Melanie Lynskey, Cathy Moriarty, even a funny turn from RuPaul.

Underrated 90s comedy.

So many people do not like this movie simply because they do not understand it. First of all, yes the movie is full of stereotypes, but that's the point. They're there to show how ridiculous these stereotypes really are and to show that in the end, you cannot change who you are, you just have to learn to accept it and get the people around you to accept you. Second, some stereotypes that I've heard people notice really weren't there. I don't think anywhere in the movie did they try to make Christians look stupid (hey, the homophobic Christians are pretty good at making themselves look stupid WITHOUT help). Okay maybe Megan's comment about "God is good, God is straight - hey that's pretty good," but still, I think sometimes people LOOK for something to be offended by. I think this movie does make fun of many straight people, who claim that gays are recruiting, when it is actually the other way around (as one can see by the existence of True Directions, and in the fact that when Megan asks them to teach her to be a lesbian, they tell her that they can't do that). All in all, this is a great movie and I really enjoyed it! As for people who didn't, hey, you're allowed to not like it, but if it is for reasons that really don't seem warranted, maybe you should give But I'm a Cheerleader another look.

An acquaintance of mine saw this movie and told me, with a negative connotation, "that movie was about a bunch of lesbians!" This was a while ago and I had forgotten about the movie but I picked up the box at the rental store the other day and decided to make my own judgments. This story was a stroke of genius! A cheerleader who thinks she is straight, talked into being a lesbian by a bunch of people trying to make her straight, well, they talked her into the realization that she was, in fact,homosexual, although, I don't think I'd enjoy kissing Megan's boyfriend either, I thought he'd drown her in his salava.

This movie was in the spirit of some John Waters' films I hold close to my heart. Mink Stole (Cry-Baby) must smell a great movie from a mile away. The casting was great. Cathy Moriarty was so funny as the spokesperson for the kind of "normalcy" preached in the 1950's. RuPaul was hilarious as the reformed closet homosexual, Julie Delpy (Before Sunrise) proves again to be the mysterious and beautiful European type character. Lastly, but most importantly, Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall. These two women, who are spectacular actors in themselves, had strong and intense chemistry. Their portrayals of Megan and Graham were up to perfection and I truly believed in their characters, in short, they just really got me.

This movie is perfect for anyone who wants to see two people, who were meant for each other, overcoming obstacles to be together. And their obstacles were hilarious. I almost died during the "sexual simulation"

"You know who you are and you know who you want. Aint nothin' gonna change that, s***!" Everyone should have a friend like Andre.