But I’m a Cheerleader was Babbit’s first feature film. It was inspired by an article about conversion therapy and her childhood familiarity with rehabilitation programs. She used the story of a young woman finding her sexual identity to explore the social construction of gender roles and heteronormativity. The costume and set design of the film highlighted these themes using artificial textures in intense blues and pinks.
A promising comedy that goes awry all too early, But I’m a Cheerleader concerns a misunderstood high school kid (Natasha Lyonne) whose parents send her to a harsh, homosexual-rehabilitation camp despite a lack of evidence that she’s gay. Ruled with an iron fist by a fascist counselor (Cathy Moriarty), the clinic only drives Lyonne’s character toward an attraction to a rebellious tomboy (Clea DuVall), though screenwriter Brian Wayne Peterson and director Jamie Babbit are curiously intent on keeping the two apart and depriving the audience of other comic possibilities. Meanwhile, hoary clichés abound: prancing boys, butch gays, lipstick lesbians. Despite a fine cast full of young talent, and cameo appearances by Julie Delpy and RuPaul Charles, this attempt to skewer a present-day trend in “curing” homosexuals of their sexual preferences is flattened by stereotypes and unimaginative thinking. –Tom Keogh
Review:
I absolutely LOVE this movie! i’m a totally straight girl, but i just find it soooo hilarious and the romance between megan and graham is adorable. Of course, when i tell people that its one of my favs, most people assume that i’m gay.
funny & girly I love this movie, its soo funny, and cute. Such an awesome and funny way to “graduate”.
Here is the “BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER” Trailer. Enjoy.
Bound is a 1996 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by the Wachowski Brothers. It is about a woman (Jennifer Tilly) who longs to escape her relationship with her mafioso boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano). When she meets the alluring ex-con (Gina Gershon) hired to renovate the next-door apartment, the two women begin an affair and hatch a scheme to steal $2 million of Mafia money.
Destined for cult status, this provocative thriller offers a grab bag of genres (gangster movie, comedy, sexy romance, crime caper) and tops it all off with steamy passion between lesbian ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) and a not-so-ditzy gun moll named Violet (Jennifer Tilly), who meets Corky and immediately tires of her mobster boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano). Desperate to break away from the Mob’s influence and live happily ever after, the daring dames hatch a plot to steal $2 million of Mafia money. Their scheme runs into a series of escalating complications, until their very survival depends on split-second timing and criminal ingenuity. Simultaneously violent, funny, and suspenseful, Bound is sure to test your tolerance for bloodshed, but the film is crafted with such undeniable skill that several critics (including Roger Ebert) placed it on their top-ten lists for 1996. –Jeff Shannon
Bound received positive reviews from film critics who praised the humor and style of the directors as well as the realistic portrayal of a lesbian relationship in a mainstream film. Detractors of the film criticized the excessive violence and superficiality of the plot. The film won several festival awards, mostly at gay and lesbian festivals.
The Wachowski Brothers’ best film…. I’m going out on a limb here, but I think this is the best work that the Wachowski Brothers have ever done.
Bound review This is a fast paced crime thriller. A must view for fans of the creators of The Matrix Trilogy.
