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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily the second-best film of 2001..., December 14, 2001
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" bursts onto the screen with a ferocity and rock-and-roll energy not seen since the great rock operas of the 1970s. Not only can it claim to have taken "Rocky Horror"'s crown as the best cult musical of all time, but it's also one of the best musicals ever put on film. It is second only to another movie musical that was released this year, "Moulin Rouge." What do these two films have in common? They are both rock operas about people trying to find love. And that is where the similarity ends. How fitting that in the year 2001, the movie musical genre, which many have considered dead for the past 20 years, can be revitalized and reenergized and deconstructed by these two brilliant productions."Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is, ostensibly, the story of a gay man, growing up in East Berlin in the days before the Wall fell, who reluctantly agrees to have a sex change operation, so that he can marry an American G.I., and leave for America. Unfortunately, the operation is done incorrectly, leaving Hansel, now Hedwig, with a one-inch mound of flesh where his male member once was. As if that was not enough bad luck for her, her new husband, soon after bringing her to America, leaves her for another man. Hedwig is left high and dry, the very week that the Berlin Wall is torn down. "Good things come to those who wait," says the television announcer. This inspires Hedwig to go on a journey of self-discovery; to discover her other half, her soulmate--but is it a man or a woman? And where does she fit in, in the grand scheme of things? Is she meant to be a male, as she was born, or a female, as she became? That is when we, the audience, realize that this is not merely a simple story of a down-on-her-luck drag queen trying to make it in the Big World. This is a film about the search for the Platonic ideal, blending the mythic and mundane into a fascinating exploration of what it means to be complete. Is Hedwig's mother right in saying, "To be free, one must give up a little part of oneself"? Or is Hedwig's lover, Tommy Gnosis, when he tells her that "there's no mystical design/no cosmic lover preassigned"? The film uses the Berlin Wall as a symbol of the division between two soulmates. Hedwig believes that no one is complete until he or she has found his soulmate. Once they are reunited, one has finally found oneself. Like Berlin finally reunited, Hedwig longs for that herself. "Hedwig" plays like a cross between a documentary-style film a la "This is Spinal Tap," an MGM movie musical, an episode of "Behind the Music" (including tabloid covers and a clip of Hedwig on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show"), and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." But it is so much more than that, based mostly on (1) its use of complex symbolism and mythical allusions and (2) the brilliant, heartfelt, funny, and sad performance of John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote, directed, and starred in both the original off-Broadway production of "Hedwig" and this film. The man is a creative genius and should receive a Best Actor Oscar nomination. And what of the music? Simply brilliant, as well. "Hedwig" boasts, bar none, one of the best rock opera score of all time, except for, perhaps, "Rent." The music is raw energy incarnate. The melodies are amazingly tuneful, and range from hardcore punk to rock n' roll, to folksy, to soft, but never overly sappy, ballads. The lyrics are a revelation: more mature, nuanced, and finely tuned than any songs you are likely to hear in any other Broadway or rock venue. And, yes, contain a great deal of mythical, literary, and even biblical allusions. The musical numbers are staged brilliantly, particularly "Wig in a Box," my favorite song in the film. A grungy trailer opens up and transforms itself into a beautiful, shiny, brightly colored stage for a great rock number. It's flights of fancy like this that make "Hedwig" so much fun. The film also contains amazing work from its supporting cast, including Miriam Shor, playing Hedwig's husband, and Andrea Martin, playing Hedwig's publicist. If you are looking for a rock musical that really rocks, but also has a very complex, multilayered, thought-provoking story under its shiny, glitzy veneer, look no further than "Hedwig." And you might want to consider buying the soundtrack, as well. The songs are impossible to get out of your head, but in a good way. And I didn't even get to mention how hilariously funny the film is, as well. You will laugh long and hard; you will find yourself singing along to the music; and yes, you'll also find yourself extremely touched.
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~ Stephen Trask
DVD ~ Ewan McGregor
~ Various Artists
