Customer Reviews

But I'm a Cheerleader

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

This is the most ridiculous film I have ever seen. The absolute absurdity and unbelievability of the entire plot is beyond belief. And you know what? I loved this film. Natasha Lyonne gives a stellar performance as Megan, a high school cheerleader who is sent away in order to rid herself of what her parents see as "unnatural tendencies". While there, she meets Mary, brilliantly played by Cathy Moriarty, the head of the camp who has taken over the task of ingraining heterosexual values into the ditzy high school student. During her stay she comes into contact with a motley group of people trying to go straight. Clea Duvall's portrayal of Graham as a pessimistic and brooding parental disappointment is the perfect foil for the optimistic/goody two shoes Megan and is never overblown or excessive. RuPaul's performance as Mary's assistant and Eddie Cibrian's portrayal as her son Rock, are extremely funny and absurd at the same time. Although this film is a satire on the "ex gay" movement, there are some scenes that are so accurate and true regarding love, attraction and disappontment, that the viewer ends up nodding in agreement. Do yourself a favor and watch this film. It's hilarious!

I really really enjoyed this gay cinderella story. Even though, the rest of America didnt enjoy this movie, because it wasn't released nationally, but I saw it when it came out in NYC and I absolutely loved it. It's was a cute satrical look at the coming of age gay girl in many middle americans, that just dont know that they are. So the main character's mom sends her to a camp to be straight again. This is where the fun begins. The camp is full of different characters each portraying some gay stereotype one way or another. Certain scenes will leave you chuckling to yourself or laughing out loud. Clea Duvall is always an enjoyable sight, but she has to be careful before she's type cast. She's already played a few lesbian characters before. Natasha Lyonne was such a believable, closeted gay character that you cant help, but laugh at her funny looks of confusion. Rupal is hilarious and is great as a man as he is in drag and it was good seeing him without the wig for a change, but the funniest character, Eddie Cibrian, who plays Rock, a gay guy trying to be masculine for his mother, Cathy Moriarty who is the head of the camp. It's funny seeing him flip flop back and forth from being butch to queen. This is definitely a movie worth checking out and something not to be afraid of watching. It's good exposure.

Not a movie that's meant to be taken terribly seriously, but a one that's fun to watch and one which at moments catches you off-guard with its insight. Natasha Lyonne stars as a cheerleader who hugs her friends too much, can't stop thinking about her fellow squad members while she's kissing her boyfriend, is a vegetarian, and has a poster of Melissa Etheridge on her wall. Her parents, boyfriend and friends decide that she needs to be straightened out, and send her off to True Directions, a sexual rehabiliation camp where she will reclaim her true heterosexuality. Girls wear pink, boys wear blue, and they must participate in a five-step program to relearn their gender roles and their sexuality.

The problem, of course, with putting a bunch of lesbians in the same (pink, pink, pink!) room is that you're bound to have some attraction. The object of Megan's affections is the moody Graham, played by Clea DuVall. (At which point most of the audience decide that this is going to be a very good movie indeed. ;))

Megan fights her attraction but soon accepts that she is who she is. Graham, despite acting brave and proud of her sexuality ("I'm Graham and I like girls. A lot.") is under pressure from her parents to 'get it out of her system' with the threat of no college fund or support of any kind if she doesn't. Megan turns out to be the one who's not ashamed of who she is - and the question is whether Graham will follow her or not... the answer to which can be found in the movie, so let me take this moment to highly recommend that you buy it.

The soundtrack's fabulous, as well. Not available on CD, but try to get your hands on the mp3s, because there are some truly amazing songs featured in the movie.

All in all - great movie, with some funny moments, some touching, some silly, some beautiful. 10/10.

This 1999 comedy is lightweight, but it tackles a unique theme for
Hollywood, that of a "re-education" school for gay
teenagers. Starring Natasha Lyonne as a high school cheerleader whose
family and friends have identified as gay, she is hustled off to
"True Directions" where something like a 12-step program is
offered. The film is a fun romp, making fun of itself as well as
homophobia by making all the characters stereotyped caricatures. In a
brilliant bit of casting, RuPaul plays the role of a formerly gay
instructor who tries to teach the boys how to act like "real
men". I didn't recognize him until the credits rolled however
because he is NOT in drag. This is, after all, a comedy, and it's
best not to look too deeply for meaning.

Like many other comedies,
this is a one-joke situation. After the first 20 minutes, the film
drags (no pun intended). Surprisingly, the acting is not bad. I
particularly liked the performance of the young Clea DuVall, who also
played a troubled teenager in Girl Interrupted. Cathy Moriarity, who
made her acting debut in Raging Bull in 1980, played the role of owner
of the school. She was always dressed in a bright pink suit, her hair
was teased into a beauty parlor hairdo. Just looking at her in her
perfect makeup was enough to bring out a chuckle. This was certainly
not a great film; it wasn't supposed to be. It tried hard through and
did grapple with a controversial subject in a lighthearted way.
Certainly, it isn't for everyone. And so I give it a qualified
recommendation.

Think teenaged angst in hot pink, and you have a slight idea of what this movie is about. A social satire, it mocks the theory of "curing" homosexuals by presenting us with a "camp" for doing just that. And when I say camp, I mean camp! From the Nazi-like owner/instructor, a Cruella deVille wannabee played to the hilt by Cathy Moriarty, to the uniforms forced on the male and female campers (pink for girls, blue for boys--but of course!), to the hilarious anti-gay "exercises," there is not a dull moment in this truly funny but also touching film.

The story surrounds an innocent cheerleader (played by Natasha Lyonne), who is hit with a surprise "intervention" (side-splitting) from her parents and friends, who accuse her of being a lesbian, something that had never entered her mind. Nevertheless, she is sent to the reprogramming camp. There, due to the relentless "exercises," she does indeed get in touch with her lesbian self, and falls in love with a tough-talking but vulnerable girl named Graham.

Along the way, every cliche ever implied about gays and lesbians is lampooned in a way that not only makes the viewer laugh out loud, but also lays bare the ridiculous nature of such stereotypes. The end, which borrows liberally from "The Graduate," is a masterpiece in itself.

This is one of the great comedies. The acting is superb (look for a cameo by RuPaul Charles), and the script works. This film is a keeper!

"But I'm A Cheerleader" is a light movie that tries to be both comedy and drama. It succeeds more as a comedy, somewhat in the style of John Waters, but does not go as over-the-top as a Waters film.

Natasha Lyonne plays the main character, Megan, mostly by balancing her headful of Big Hair effectively and pouting mightily throughout. Cathy Moriarty is the hetero Nazi drill sargeant at the sexual orientation "rehab" camp Megan attends. Moriarty is a bit tense and intense, clad in pink with perfectly starched hair, doing her best Faye-Dunaway-as-Joan-Crawford. Ru Paul (NOT in drag) plays her best lieutenant at the camp, trying to bark the male camp attendees into proper heterosexual manhood. The only really good acting is by Clea DuVall, who plays one of the queer girls at the camp...she does a lovely job of modulating her anger and her attraction and, well, being lovely to boot.

Director Jamie Babbit curiously has drawn the male characters more as swish caricatures, while the female "campers" are permitted more normal range, less vicious stereotyping. Because the movie doesn't quite escape mediocrity, this double standard is not a critical flaw.

The soundtrack has some real gems, and it's a crime it's not separately released. It's generally a great collection of edgy pop music by female performers (except for "Party Train" by Ru Paul). "Glass Vase Cello Case" by Tattle Tale is the real winner - somewhat Sarah McLachlan-esque ballad that's not too soft nor too edgy. Go Sailor contribute "Ray of Sunshine" and "Together Forever in Love." People are scouring the internet for mp3's of this soundtrack. However you might come across this soundtrack, I encourage you to glom onto it!

"But I'm A Cheerleader" is a thoroughly watchable movie that just misses its ambition to be high camp. If you keep your expectations in check and pay attention to the soundtrack, you'll be well-pleased with this entertaining film.

This movie was great. Alot of people have said that it couldn't decide weather it was funny or serious but that's actually what makes it so good--and a romantic comedy!

It gets laughs by exaggerating gay and lesbian sterotypes (in a non-offensive way), making fun of those 'gay rehab' places, at homophobia, and at itself. There are also a lot of "inside jokes" in there--pay attention! ("raging bulldyke", "it's time to wake mary")!

The romantic part is truly sweet and is in classic love/hate relationship format. You walk out just feeling happy! :) This is the first movie that I've seen that doesn't portray lesbians as either: man-hating super-butches, leather bound kink-freaks, psychotic killers, or soft-core porn icons to please the straight males in the crowd. That's really important for all us young lesbians who don't fall into one of those categories and it is a sign of society's (or at least the film industry's) changing attitude towards lesbainism!

That being said,this movie is for EVERYONE--highly enjoyable for all. My (straight as an arrow, happily married) mother went with me and there were quite a few straight couples there on dates. Everyone was laughing out loud and clapping at the end--something that doesn't seem to happen much at movies!

In case you can't tell, I highly recommend this movie!

When I was looking at this movie from the gay and lesbian list of films on border I didn't really think I would like it since I'm a gay male and couldn't possibly like anything that had to do with lesbians. Let me tell you I was wrong. I feel ashamed to even say that I couldn't like this movie. Let me explain the movie to you and you see if you wouldn't like it. We start off with Natasha Lyonn playing the character Megan Bloomfield. A cheerleader who is popular, kind, and the girlfriend of the star quaterback in highschool. We see that she doesn't really like to kiss her boyfriend and her family at dinner prays to make things just the way god intended them to be. After school her family, some of her friends and her boyfriend meet her at her house for an intervention. They claim that they fear she is a lesbian. Proving it with evidence of girls picture in her locker, gay memoribilia in her room, she's a vegetarian and the biggest one of all that she doesn't like to kiss her boyfriend. After that she is taken to a sexual redirection camp run by Mary J. Brown played by Cathy Moriarty with her staff RuPaul playing the character Mike who is an Ex gay and her son Rock played by Eddie Cibrian who isnt so manly himself. Where queer boys learn how to be men and Dikey girls learn how to become happy homemakers. (sorry for the rude example). This is where she meets Clea DuVall playing the character Graham Eaton. Seeming like the tough lesbian girl who will never surrender herself to the school. Unfortunately Graham has problems of her own when we discover that she will not be aloud back home, no car and no trust fund if she does not succeed this task. The girls ultimately become friends and attracted to each other. They even have a kiss session when they are rescued from Richard Molls character Larry Morgan-Gordon and his lover Wesley Manns character Lloyd Morgan-Gordon. The training sessions are funny to watch especially with the men. I don't want to ruin any more of the movie for you. If you haven't seen this then you should. I hope this review will get you to watch it.

In retaliation to the comment in the Editorial Review, I say this: But I'm a Cheerleader is not riddled with gay stereotypes. The homosexual characters are well developed and diverse. there are a couple characters who act stereotypical, but this occurs among the general population as well. Effeminate qualities are considered "gay" in our society because most men are conditioned to act macho.

With that aside, I found much of this movie to be plausible. It is inspired by our own history in psychology and the homosexual movement. When homosexuality was readily accepted as a mental illness, "cures" such as aversion therapy and others were practiced on patients. This "cure" is the basis for the plot.

I found the satire in this movie to be hilarious and contrast well with the serious nature of the subject.

Megan Bloomfield (Natasha Lyonne) thinks she's the 'all-American' girl. After all, she's pretty, popular, has a boyfriend and also is a cheerleader.

So it honestly comes as a big surprise when she is declared a homosexual and sent to rehabilitation camp. Her parents and friends have used her vegetarian diet and musical taste in Melissa Ethridge to proactively decide that she 'must' be a lesbian. The audience also sees that she does not like kissing her boyfriend very much at the beginning of the film.

Right down to the sugary sweet sessions and obsession with strict gender roles, "True Directions" is a lampoon of 'ex gay' programs which gullible parents still send their kids to. Rupal, one of America's most famous drag queens, makes a hilarious cameo appearance as 'Mike'.

Far from 'curing' Megan of her sexuality, this program actually strengthens her conviction that it is how society views them and not the sexuality itself which actually is unhealthy.

During the counseling sessions, the founder Mary (hilariously played by Cathy Moriaty) actually suggests that people are turning to homosexuality only because they do not understand proper gender roles and/or might have lived through the experience of a mother working outside the home.

Megan does manage to find love at this camp. She meets Graham (Clea DuVall) who does not even attempt to follow the "True Directions" program.

Since her own parents will literally kill her if she remains a lesbian, Graham represents conscious political resistance in this otherwise homophobic environment because she is comfortable with who she is and recognizes the program is garbage.

The relationship between Meghan and Graham is sweeet.