I'm a homosexual! I'm a homosexual!! **SPOILERS**

Cafe Society
1

I watched But I’m a Cheerleader this weekend and loved it! It was a John Waters-esque film about a teenager (Megan) whose parents send her to sexual re-orientation camp after having an intervention because they suspect she’s a lesbian.

I was pretty sure I was going to like this movie anyway because it had Mink Stole and RuPaul (wearing a t-shirt that reads Straight is Great!, no less) in it. I mean, how can you go wrong?!?!

Megan was played by Natasha Lyonne (I’ve liked her ever since Slums of Beverly Hills and American Pie). She’s a popular cheerleader who’s dating the captain of the football team. Her parents and friends, though, suspect she’s a lesbian. She’s got a Melissa Etheridge poster in her room, a picture of a gal in a bikini in her locker (instead of a hunky guy) and she’s a bit too touchy-feely with her female classmates. All of these facts, in addition to the one that she’s a vegetarian (!!!), are submitted as ‘evidence’ during her group intervention. Enter a not-in-drag RuPaul. He’s a representative from True Directions, the ‘rehab’ camp that churns out ex-gays (he’s one). After having her world turned upside down by these ‘revelations’, Megan agrees to go into rehab.

At camp, we meet the rest of the teenagers. Every gay stereotype is represented (hilariously, I might add) and Cathy Moriarty runs the camp. Some of the teenagers work hard completing the steps to ‘become’ straight except for a couple, one being Graham. Graham’s a lesbian who realizes and accepts she’s gay but is in rehab because her rich parents will cut her off if she doesn’t change. She’s the source of one of the best quotes of the movie: “You are who you are, the trick is not getting caught.” Along the way, we see some of the boys and girls completing the steps, meet two ex-ex-gays (one played by Richard Moll) who rescue some of the teenagers, see Graham and Megan fall in love and watch Megan win back Graham with a cheer.

In addition to being a rich source of quotes (“Foreplay is for sissies!” and, in response to finding your root cause for being gay, “I was born in France.” and “My mother got married in pants.”) this movie has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a very long time.

If you haven’t seen this movie, and I haven’t spoiled it for you, see it. Now. I will buy it from amazon.com because it’s truly a must-own title. I’ll also be ordering John Waters’ Polyester and Desperate Living because I should have had them by now and this movie reminded me of that.

So, has anyone else seen this flick? What did you think of it?

2

One of the best movies of all time :wink:

I saw it years ago and still quote it on a regular basis (especially the “I was born in France”).

You know, I didn’t even realize it was a John Waters film, but it doesn’t surprise me. He’s a great director.

3

I really liked this movie. I just recently mentioned it in a thread about the MPAA- how in the hell did it get an R-rating?
I thought it was cool that the parents were played by Mink Stole and Bud Cort, and I have to say that RuPaul looks good out of drag.

4

I have avoided seeing this movie because I find the premise rather disturbing. There are real reeducation camps that parents send their children to in hopes that the camp will “turn them straight”. These are not happy, wacky, or fun places. To my mind the idea of using one as the setting for a comedy is comparable to setting a comedy in a concentration camp, and But I’m a Cheerleader doesn’t exactly look like Life is Beautiful to me. As I haven’t seen the movie I may be misinterpreting it, but I am very, very uncomfortable with the idea of making light of the suffering of countless queer youths.

5

Waitaminute, a movie can’t satirize something that is bad because in order to do so they have to portray the bad thing?
For what it’s worth, the movie doesn’t present ex-gay camps as being fun or cheerful- I’m not sure where you would have gotten that impression.

By the way, it was not directed by John Waters, but is very much in his style. Mink Stole, one of the Dreamland players is in the movie.

6

No, I just think that any comedy or satire relating to something truly horrible that has caused real pain to real people should be handled carefully. I think this is especially true in cases where the “bad thing” being portrayed is unfamiliar to the general public. Many people do not know that these reeducation camps really exist, and thought that the whole idea was something the filmmakers invented to be funny.

From the advertising, reviews, and descriptions of the movie that I’ve heard from those who’ve seen it I have gotten the impression that the reeducation process is played for cheap and obvious laughs. But I’m a Cheerleader certainly seems to be a lighthearted, cartoonish romp, not a dark and biting satire.

Again, I haven’t seen this movie so I may be judging it unfairly, and even if I had seen it I might still judge it unfairly if only because I’ve got an ex who spent time forcibly being reprogrammed as a heterosexual. But I hate to think that someday she, or anyone else who’s lived through a similar experience, might mention this fact to another person and receive a chuckle and “Oh, like in But I’m a Cheerleader?” as a response.

7

Lamia, I’m sure you are a reasonable person. Do you consider the fundamentalists who attacked the recent Nick News special on gay parents without seeing it loons? I know I do. Do you consider the fundies who protested The Last Temptation of Christ without having seen it loons? I know I do.

FWIW the movie portrays the group running the camp as nutcases, and portrays the children as being victims of those idiots.

Feel free to not see the movie, just don’t judge those of us who did see it. I would be surprised if any homophobes even saw the movie, if they did it might have changed their minds by showing how unnatural it is to expect people to change who they are.

8

Lamia, the movie functions as an attack on these camps. It demonstrates the absurdity of the whole thing. Satire is the most powerful form of political argument.

It is lighthearted, yes, but that only puts in relief how silly the concept of this kind of reprogramming actually is. The camp is a place where Leave-It-To-Beaver-style gender roles are enforced through threats and punishment. The administrators of the camp are obviously on the verge of violating their own “re-education” training.

No one would judge you for not wanting to see the film, especially after what you’ve been through. But I can think of no more powerful argument against those camps – that film is worth a thousand editorials in the New York Times.

And I’m guessing that someone who would “chuckle” at someone else’s misfortune is not someone you’d want to spend time around anyway.

9

Lamia, I will in no way pretend to understand what your ex went through. To say that it sounds traumatizing would be understating it. I won’t even begin to patronize you or your ex with trying to relate. To be honest with you, I didn’t even know such camps existed!

Having said that, see this movie. It’s very funny and the good guys win in the end.

I didn’t imply John Waters directed this movie, did I? If so, I’m sorry.

10

Well, after some thought and reflection on your posts, I’ve decided that my position probably need to be turned down a bit. But I’m a Cheerleader may be a very good movie – I do know many people of many sexual orientations who enjoyed it. But its merits as a movie aside, I do wish that it were not the first/only exposure that many people had to the idea of ex-gay camps for teens. I know that some people who saw the movie failed to realize that these camps are not merely a satirical fiction but that they actually exist.

If people know what they’re laughing at, that’s one thing. If they don’t, well, that’s like laughing at “Hogan’s Heroes” because you think the Nazis really were comically inept and somewhat loveable buffoons, or that they’re a hilarious made-up group that never existed at all.

11

I can see where you are coming from, Lamia, but sometimes satire is effective whether you know all of the specifics or not. Viewers of this film get the message that anti-gay fundamentalists are nuts, when they find out the camps are real the response is “holy crap!! They really do that?”
For example: in the movie Dr. Strangelove one recurring joke about the anti-commie general is his paranoia about “polluting our precious bodily fluids”. After seeing the movie I found out that the John Birch society really did oppose flouridation of drinking water- the parody was so effective that my response was to think they were even bigger loons than I had considered them before.
I can fully understand you not wanting to see the movie, when a loved one has suffered at the hands of the ex-gay camps, but I really do think the satire was effective.

BTW, JuanitaTech, I was answering Hamish who had gotten the impression that it was a John Waters movie. Your OP was pretty clear to me, I just wanted to clarify a misunderstanding.

12

I feel as though I should qualify why I like this movie. I liked it because I did know there were progams that ‘teach’ you to be heterosexual. I didn’t know, however, that there were camps for teenagers to do so.

I laughed because a) it was very John Waters-esque and b) well, you just gotta see the movie. I wasn’t laughing at the pain and, although it’s cloaked in humor, the pain is there.

13

Fantastically funny movie, I just wish like hell it had been around when I was involved in running my local gay-youth group. The films available to show them at the time to let them see any depiction of queers were like, Personal Best, Desert Hearts, Maurice (which while its a great film joins the “unhappily-ever-after” genre), etc.

I wish I were back with my little troupe now-a-days! They would ABSOLUTLY get to see this, The amazing story of two girls in love, Beautiful Thing, Better than chocolate, etc etc. Whee movie night would have ended on a hella less miserable note.

14

It’s okay to laugh, Lamia. Even at terrible things. Especially at terrible things. It’s one of the ways humans cope with the injustices of the world. We make fun of them and we come away feeling better about ourselves because we know that if we can laugh at them, no matter how awful they are, then our spirit has not been broken. It’s a way of reaffirming our hope for a better future.

And let’s face it – ex-gay camps are not the most terrible thing it the world. They’re stupid, humiliating, and emotionally scarring, but they’re nowhere in the same league as Nazi death camps. Sorry to sound cavalier, but sometimes a little perspective is important.

15

I’ve never been to this particular variety, but “mental makeover” institutions in which you are brainwashed into “becoming” a different kind of person (usually through a social architecture of peer pressure, ranks and promotions, rewards and punishments, public ridicule, etc) are ubiquitous and largely interchangeable. (I’m a veteran of one that was set up to turn you into a substance non-user).

I think they are horrible and I think doing a light-hearted parody of them is a wonderful idea. (But I’m a Cheerleader doesn’t exactly gloss over how horrible such places are, incidentally, so much as it concentrates on how ridiculous they are).

16

I can’t wait to see this movie. Never heard of it. (Thanks!)

Lamia, I think that a comedy is a perfect vehicle to introduce some people to the shameful existence of such places. A lot of the people who need to know about them are more likely to see something if their expecting light entertainment than to go see something like The Hanging Garden, you know what I mean?

17

Remember a few years ago, a movie came out starring Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde? (Titled, cleverly, Wilde.) The preview for the movie didn’t specifically mention that Wilde was a homosexual, though of course if you knew that about him, the nature of the movie was pretty clear. The preview included a brief shot of Wilde putting his arm around a male character.

For that brief image of (implied) homosexuality, the trailer was deemed “restricted” by the MPAA. Yes, with the introductory red screen and everything. And thus permitted for exhibition only before R-rated movies.

Just one more entry on the Roster of Shame for the assgaskets at the ratings board.

18

I thought this movie was mildly interesting, but it ended up reinforcing the stereotypes I thought it was trying to dispel. The only real exception was the softball-playing butch girl who turned out to be, surprise surprise, straight all along.

19

Truly an awesome movie…LOL. I ran across it by accident while flipping the TV changer, and luckily got into it from the beginning. Friggin hilarious!!! I recommended to a lesbian friend of mine and her girlfriend. I was like “you guys will truly dig this movie. Rent it!!” She talked to me later and said “That was an awesome movie!!” She wasn’t offended at all…she thought it was a great satire, loved the stereotypes, and just saw it as a funny stupid movie.

When I myself watched the movie, I never even heard of it before, didn’t know the premise at all. It took me awhile to catch on that she was gay. Finally when I saw the chick pinups in her locker I said “Ohhh…she’s GAY!!! I get it…” heeheehee.