Gonne al bivio

As gays and lesbians have achieved more and more acceptance in our society, a countervailing force – led mostly by conservative religious organizations - has been rearing its head in recent years. The movement is often referred to as `reparative therapy,' the rather absurd notion that, with just a little grit, determination and behavior modification, homosexuals can be `cured' of their `illness' and groomed to take their place as fine, upstanding members of the heterosexual community. Certain `treatment centers' dedicated to this dubious cause have even begun to spring up in areas around the country, modeling themselves after 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous.

The makers of `But I'm a Cheerleader' have chosen to have a little fun with the concept, imagining one of these centers in almost surrealistic terms. Sweet-faced Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan, a regular teenager happily content to give her all to her cheerleading squad and only mildly confused as to why she can't seem to get quite as excited by her boyfriend as by thoughts of her buxom cheerleader buddies. Suspecting her of being a lesbian – long before Megan herself does, actually – her `concerned' parents, friends and boyfriend cart her off to True Directions, a treatment center tucked safely away in the country. In this bucolic setting, Megan and a group of other `deviants' are put through the rigors of a 5-step therapy program which includes admitting their homosexuality, undergoing gender role playing and even `practicing' man/woman sexual behavior under the stern tutelage of the mistress of the place. In keeping with the near-surrealism of the subject matter, the center is done up in an almost Montessori school motif, with bold colored walls and furniture somehow emphasizing the cold, inhuman sterility of the setting.

`But I'm a Cheerleader' is, by no means, a great or entirely successful comedy. Its attempts at humor, particularly in its opening scenes, seem a bit forced and heavy-handed at times. Moreover, the tone shifts a bit uneasily every so often, running the gamut from stylized absurdity to heartbreaking seriousness. Still, the undisciplined messiness is really part of the film's overall charm. It removes the work from the same category as all those ultra-slick bubble-headed comedies about teens that major studios seem to release with frightening regularity. And the movie does have many laugh-out-loud moments of inspired lunacy, showing to what preposterous lengths many straights and even some pressured gays will go in order to `correct' the uncorrectable. We see the girls being given instructions on how to use a vacuum cleaner, wear makeup and change diapers. The boys are instructed in the fine arts of wood chopping, throwing a football and fixing cars. These scenes work, in particular, not only for their comic effectiveness but their underlying poignancy, as these scared youngsters – many threatened with disownment by their parents if they don't `straighten up' – give it their all, against all hope, to truly change, to deny the very person their raging hormones are screaming at them to be.

The movie also manages to make the gay characters seem real and believable. Thanks to a superb cast, many of the teens emerge as touching, three-dimensional people rather than the cartoon characters that they might have become in a similar film of this kind - particularly when it would be so easy for them to become so in the face of the caricatures of parents and camp counselors who swirl around them in this highly stylized setting. Prime among these is Cathy Moriarty, brilliant as Mary, the prim and proper leader of the establishment, a woman whose righteous wrong-headedness the actress captures to a comic tee. In contrast, Rue Paul, out of drag for once, gives a superbly understated performance as an `ex-gay' now working for the enemy. Among the teens, Lyonne and Clea DuVall, as the girl Megan falls in love with, are the obvious standouts. They turn these potentially cardboard comic characters into full-sized, instantly recognizable young women filled with yearning, confusion and a desire to both please others and be true to themselves.

And that is the ultimate message of this film. Though done in an absurd way, the movie strives to point out that all of us must be allowed to be who we are and to live the life that best suits us. Whether we are gay, straight or whatever, that's a philosophy of life we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

Rating: 3/4 stars.

Heres a movie that depicts a softcore John Waters like style. It's a brave movie, discussing the topic many feel either uncomfortable talking about or just is an awkward topic many don't understand. It's homosexuality. This movie is for homosexually, but many people in the film treat it as a cancer to a person. Its unnatural, unwanted, and not understanding in this world. My view on homosexuality is that people can be however they want. If you find someone you love that loves you back you're the luckiest person in the world. It doesn't matter the sex as long as you're happy with what you have. Period.

Megan Bloomfield (Natasha Lyone) is considered gay by her family, friends, and classmates. She's a cheerleading captain, has a picture of Melissa Etheridge, she fantasizes about cheerleaders when kissing her boyfriend, and she is a vegetarian. Oh yeah, she's gay! Better get her looked at. Just by the mild things she is accused of you can tell being homosexual is really frowned upon in this world. Her parents ship her to Teen Directions, a place run by a strict leader, Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) and where they teach kids to stay in the closet and be the way "God meant".

In Teen Directions, Megan meets Graham Eaton (Clea DuVall), a girl who comes from wealthy parents who threaten to disown her is she doesn't become straight. She refuses to change at the same time afraid to live a life as a lesbian without any trouble. So naturally, Megan and Graham become attached to each other and the rest can be picked out.

This film is more about homosexuality, it too teaches gender roles of both male and female. In the four step program in the film, Step 2 is "Step 2: Rediscovering Your Gender Identity" where both sides take on tasks of being a male or female to try and focus on their job reminding them what their role is in life. Though this only makes Graham and Megan hang out and get more and more attached. So it just helps matter rather than solves.

This movie is a hard one to explain because of the unusual plot and so much there needs to be said. I can go on for an hour to describe what morals and themes are found within But I'm a Cheerleader!, but some are major than others. I believe I covered the major points in this film and figure that I picked the key points of the film. All in all, it's a great movie, and Natasha Lyone plays a perfect protagonist, being not to bright, but kind hearted which is enough to expect out of the lead female role. Also, perfect musical soundtrack here as well. Excellent, catchy music that fits well to not only the tone, but the vibe and feel of the story as well. Just by the opening credit song (my favorite, April March's "Chick Habit") I knew it would be a great film.

Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Cathy Moriarty, RuPaul, and Clea DuVall. Directed by: Jamie Babbit.

Incredible social commentary. Yes, It's a little campy, but it's all supposed to be that way. It's an amusing look at attempting to 'rehab" homosexuals with therapy and "finding their roots". Great acting all around, excellent writing.

Personally, it was the subtle things that did it for me. Mary's son was funny, and the cut-outs (just pay attention to the boys' lessons) were Hilarious. I thought it was a great tongue-in-cheek way of saying "okay, this is stupid, we need to let them be" for the gay community.

If you're in the mood for a lot of laughing, and RuPaul out-of-drag to boot, rent this one.

For anyone who grew up or is growing up gay in middle-America or just about all of America, get ready to return to the most twisted version of your high school years and laugh till you're pink in the face. But, I'm a Cheerleader is one of the best gay themed movies to date. It is certainly one of the best comedies. Sort of a Jeffrey turned female high school cheerleader meets John Waters with only the best qualities of each.

I only wish this film had been available when I was a high school senior nearly fifteen years ago. It could have saved me thousands of dollars a year in therapy! If you are gay, and especially young or dealing with coming out at any age either to yourself and/or to others please go rent this movie. This is one of the only films I've seen which shows you can have a wonderful life and be happy and be loved and be gay.

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.