Fag Hag

This film has the earnestness of Judy and Mickey's `let's do a show' but with more amateurishness. Its from the John Water's school of film but not quite so gross.

Do not rent this movie expecting anything great but it's the perfect film to have on the background when you have friends over. No matter how much plot you miss, you can still enjoy the bits you see.

I was lucky enough to catch this one at the Gay/Lesbian Film Festival this past summer (98) in Philadelphia and am anxiously awaiting its release to theatres and video to see it again!

My friends and I were surprisingly impressed by this spirited,

kooky flick when it turned up, inexplicably, at our local bar's "Movie

Night" recently. The bartender asked whether we should take a

chance on "Fag Hag" and showed off the video packaging.

Noticing immediately that it was distributed by Troma, I got the

jitters and became extremely skeptical that it could be ANY good,

but (thankfully) distribution appears to be the only tie this

production has to Troma. "Fag Hag" is blessedly unlike standard

Troma "cannibal zombie bimbo" fare -- in fact, it turned out to be

remarkably funny.

[Admittedly, not too long ago, Troma distributed a restored version

of the cult classic "Horror Hotel" (1961), so with "Fag Hag", I doff

my hat to Troma two times for having smarts. I won't talk bad about

Troma anymore, promise...! <WINK>]

The title "Fag Hag" was as a warning sign of sorts, also. With a

title like this, I expected the film would be miserably UNfunny, an

attempt to make the conceited "gay world" all warm and fuzzy

(attempted, unsuccessfully, by the cloying film "Broadway

Damage" (1997), featuring a "luvable" fag hag (Mara Hobel, of

"Mommie Dearest" fame).

Instead, "Fag Hag" was delightfully demented, unpretentious, and

cynical.. It was so much fun that my buddies and I were in stitches

time and again. I kept asking myself, "how did I miss this??!!! Why

didn't I see this (1997 release) sooner???!!!"

High praise for writer/director/producer/actor/wunderkind Damion

Dietz who, having his hand in all levels of production, has put a lot

of talent and imagination into this little flick (as well as his rather

tasty looking, scantily clad bod). There's a LOT to make fun of in

"gay culture" (which all too often takes itself far too seriously) and

Dietz pulls no punches lampooning the "gay life" while he gleefully

tosses daggers at American pop culture and traditional values.

Kudos to all involved, particularly Stephanie Orff (as Destiny Rutt)

who pulls out all the stops. Another actress (not named here in

IMDBs lamentably spare details for "Fag Hag") who plays

Destiny's main opponent in the beauty pageant also makes a

memorable splash. Then there's the party host who is utterly

obsessed with Madonna, the "gay basher" who shows his true

colors, and on and on runs the list of wacky characters. Dietz uses

them all to winkingly point out the flaws our society (including gay

society) ought to recognize but usually won't cop to. Applause!!!

Dietz also knows how to make the most out of very little.

Rock-bottom production values add the right kind of tinsel-and-papier-mache "glamour" to all aspects, particularly the

climactic beauty pageant, which is an all out riot containing a

memorable song.

Put your "gay pride" in your hip pocket, take a chance, and rent this

insane bit of burlesque -- gather a group of friends together to

enjoy it to the full (and keep the alcohol flowing). Further

suggestion: Pair "Fag Hag" up with a 1985 documentary about the

Alternative Miss World beauty pageant, titled "I Want To Be A

Beauty Queen" (starring Divine and Little Nell) -- IF you can even

find it on video anymore. If that's not available, you can always trot

out John Waters' "Desperate Living" to keep the cynical, trashy

mood running high.

I didn't know it until I looked up Dietz's filmography, but he's

responsible for 2003's "Neverland" -- a film I sadly missed in

cinematic distribution. You can bet, after seeing "Fag Hag" and

what Dietz is capable of, I will rent "Neverland" ASAP. I hope we

can continue to see great things from Damion Dietz in the future,

and that he gets the recognition he deserves.

How does one try to even compare Fag Hag to what is popular in the independent circuit or even the main stream circuit for that matter. Fag Hag is in a category all by itself. It is unbelievable how Damion Dietz wears so many Hats. And he wears them all well. From Director, Producer, Writer, and Actor he is outstanding. Anyone who is anyone in the biz should be paying close attention to what Damion is doing because he is going to be the next Quinton Tarrentino in the movie industry. I have attended the Philadelphia International Independant Film Festival 6 years in a row and this is the best work I have ever seen. This is a MUST HAVE in everyone's home movie collection.

This isn't a great film, but I don't think the 2.0 rating and the one negative review in any way reflect the real quality of this movie. The median rating for this picture is 8, so IMDb's arithmetic is questionable, and who reviews a movie after only watching twenty minutes of it?

Unfortunately, this is a Troma release, so the majority of its viewers are going to expect something gross and outlandish, maybe like "The Killer Condom", which was a terrific film, but again, not even close to some of the grossest stuff by Troma. This is actually a rather gentle comedy with some acid wit and low production values that make one yearn for the early days of John Waters (beware though, this film is tame even by Waters' contemporary standards). Stephanie Orff plays a lonely, nerdish young lady who lives in a very small town that apparently isn't too far from Brentwood in West Los Angeles (go figure!). She hopes to get her big break in life by winning the town's beauty pageant, but even with only five competitors (which dwindles to just one other competitor due to various adversities) and the only judge her best friend, her chances look slim. Orff has real charm and Damion Dietz, who plays her gay friend and who also wrote and directed this, has a real talent for subtlety in his acting, writing and direction. It was also a real kick to see Wil Wheaton, formerly the sickeningly sweet Wesley Crusher on Star Trek the Next Generation, playing a seedy, scruple less owner of a Christian Book Store.

Given the lame, sit-comish, unoriginal crap of most of today's gay cinema, this film has a refreshing current of un-PC humor, original characters, and genuine laughs. Check it out!