But I'm A Cheerleader

It's been years since I've seen this. A lot has happened in the world since it was released in the year 2000. I think the biggest difference watching this comedy now is that the premise is simply not funny. I'm not saying the movie isn't. I'm saying that while setting a heartwarming comedy at a gay conversion therapy camp isn't as bad a premise as Roberto Benigni setting a heartwarming comedy in a WWII concentration camp in "Life Is Beautiful", that is literally the only comedy premise I can think of that is more horrific.

What's interesting is that what the movie shows as part of the gay conversion torture is actually real. And regardless of whether or not current audiences would tolerate a comedy set in a place that tortures kids, the movie was eye-opening for me back in the day for every single instance it had me saying, "You've got to be kidding me," or "Can you believe this crap?" And like The Handmaid's Tale, all of the horrific things shown are based on real "treatments" from straight camps.

One of the things I really noticed this time out is the casual cruelty of Cathy Moriarty's character. She supposedly against profanity, and that sign with the f word on it is pretty much why I always questioned why Fred Phelps decided a Church was his calling. Her character was the first introduction for me back in the day that there is often a certain amount of vulgarity and spitefulness attached to conservative Christians. That is a common moral nowadays. But back in 2000 John McCain was considered a Maverick and George W. Bush's followers claimed he practiced "compassionate conservatism". Republicans back then were the same guys who put Thomas and Alito on the Supreme Court. But they had a certain sense of propriety that the "F-word your feelings" brigade simply don't bother with anymore. And this movie was my first introduction to that idea. The Access Hollywood Tape was probably my second.

It's been noted that despite the fact that the script is clever and the casting is excellent, that the movie is kind of a bad movie because the production values aren't very good. Plenty of directors work with low-budgets, but Jamie Babbitt was criticized back in the day for not doing it well. I sort of believed that myself back then, but recently, after a couple of years of binging all kinds of movies and TV shows on streaming, I think that specific complaint is overstated. Moreover, it probably always was. I'll take a clunkily shot movie with a clever script over the slickly made, but brainless blockbusters Hollywood churns out and audiences respond to. Just while we're keeping score. I think good writing trumps slick directing every time.

One thing I don't feel the movie handled very well was Jan's insistence that she was straight. I was unable to tell if she was in denial or if the message of that was simply that you can't tell another person their orientation and expect your gaydar to never be wrong. The problem is there is no follow-up (she takes off and we don't see her again), so we aren't sure which one it is. It feels not only like a loose end, but a puzzling one too.

Graham's parents suck. I understand why she fears them cutting her off, but when you see Megan with the pom-poms at the end you are glad it's really no contest.

RuPaul had a great straight role as the "former gay" counselor who actually isn't former, and who digs Cathy Moriarty's clearly gay son. I mentioned it's not a funny premise anymore, but it points out many of the expectations and activities for the boys and girls in straight camps feed into gayness, and make it more appealing instead of distracting people from it, or giving them a "straight" perspective. And when you see some of this crap, it IS kind of amusing in the same way as Ron DeSantis' recent antigay video was. A truly straight person would never come up with this level of homoeroticism. It's insane.

Dolph being grateful after the fact Megan got him kicked out was 100% the right narrative move. Stuff like that is why as tough as parts of the movie are to watch, why the movie never actually loses the viewer. Even after all that, Dolph thanking Megan for getting him expelled from Hell keeps me on the movie's side.

By the way, the whole bit at graduation of the kids having to simulate heterosexual sex? That is pure child abuse. It amazes me this crap takes place for real and yet gay people are the ones called groomers. It's infuriating actually.

I expected to have bigger objections to the film because I believed it being clunkily directed might have inhibited my enjoyment. Not a factor. I also figured I might have some objections because the actual premise is horrible instead of funny. Sadly, for that bit, yeah, it's a problem now. But it's still a weirdly sweet movie with a funny and happy ending. Plus, you've never seen either RuPaul OR Richard Moll like this. ****.