But I'm a Cheerleader (2000)

Some things I liked some I did not.

Just perfect...

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Suffice to say, this was not for me. My general dislike for B-movies has only grown stronger as I frequently watch grander titles. Regardless of the above, the all-round low quality really did not have me dancing with joy, it nearly had me sleeping with boredom. The parents of a cheerleader are concerned that their daughter is homosexual, so they send her to a conversion therapy camp in an attempt to revert her back to being heterosexual. An always intriguing premise which I have not seen put to film before, conversion therapy of any nature makes for a psychologically stimulating concept involving brainwashing that could create inner conflict for the characters. However, theoretical possibilities and end results are two very different events, some more problematic than others. This end result was routinely dull. A plot that never has any drive, it simply consists of a group of homosexuals performing tasks ranging from mending cars to slicing logs with an axe. Y'know, really straight tasks. It sacrificed character involvement for a quirky aesthetic style to which really hindered the story. A surprising lack of heart and emotion, where the forced relationship within a confined environment felt, well, forced. The acting was shoddy, particularly from Lyonne and DuVall who seemingly are the lead actors. Even RuPaul and Moriarty didn't feel right for the film, an underlying sense of uncomfortableness. The musical score extremely irritated me, as if I was playing 'The Sims'. Y'know that really annoying happy quirky music, except it really didn't fit in at all for this film. The ending, due to minimal characterisation, had no emotional punch and came across as a predictable bore. This is simply best described as a "made for TV" film. The type of forgettable poorly constructed production that acts as decent background noise, taking an interesting concept and hardly utilising it to its full potential. Sorry, "1. 2. 3. 4. But I'm A Cheerleader is an utter bore."

This movie has almost exactly the same plot as Save Me (2007, IMDb title tt0772200), except the sexes are reversed and it's a comedy instead of a drama. Although Cheerleader gets credit for attacking homosexual conversion therapy eight years earlier, Save Me is a very much better movie in every way.Save Me is both more entertaining and rewarding and MUCH more effective in addressing the therapy fad that claimed to turn gays straight through prayer and therapy but by now (thank God) has been pretty much abandoned even by the fanatics who most strongly pushed it.The "humor" in Cheerleader is so excessively stupid, relentless and campy that it completely undermines any serious message the movie might be trying to present. It comes across as simply a mindless, pointless, frantic, unfunny mess - like a Jerry Lewis movie, for those who remember him.The head of the conversion camp in both movies is a woman, but the characters are as different as night and day. Judith Light in Save Me is a compassionate person who honestly believes in the work she does and really loves the men who are sent to her for "help". Her realization that what she does may NOT actually help, and may instead hurt them, is a far more powerful indictment of the therapy than the gratingly moronic, maniacal, twitching monster Cathy Moriarty plays in Cheerleader.This movie's only assets are three of its actors: Natasha Lyonne, who can't help being charming no matter what she does; Clea DuVall, who is so subtly and sultrily sexy that she makes even this gay man drool; and RuPaul - OUT of drag - completely credible in an entirely male role: the relatively macho athletic director of the camp, of all things.But the movie is so stupidly written and directed, and the other actors are so bad, that it is not worth watching - unless by lesbians who can identify more easily with these women than the gay men in Save Me. Gay men have a hard enough time finding good movies, but the selection is even worse for lesbians.

MPAA rating for this film is lousy and way off base, as usual. But hey what do you expect from a bunch of 40 to 60yo, when this should be reviewed by 25 to 35yo.s I would have ratted this film somewhere between PG13, and R. Get real people, the stuff depicted in this film is actually much cleaner than anything you would see in a sex ed video in jr. high. Plus kids are much more aware of gays and lesbians in society than most people think, and they should be educated about same sex unions in the same class on opposite sex unions, it just makes sense. I would highly recommend this film to anyone. the frivolity of it all is very nice simple and straight forward. two thumbs way up. Now we just need a film about transsexuality for jr high school kids and we will be all set.

With RuPaul's Drag Race in full swing, I decided to give this gem a look see. In 2000, I saw 3 movies (But I'm a Cheerleader, Beautiful Thing and Get Real) about homos that told me that being a homo is cool and that not all homos are icky. This movie is one of the handfuls of gay movies that I find actually enjoyable (Brokeback Mountain not being one of them.) But I'm a Cheerleader follows teens as they are "dehomosexualized" at an Ex-gay camp. The 2 notable actors in this movie are RuPaul Charles (or just RuPaul if you're nasty) and Clea Duvall (well 3 if you want to count original Dreamlander and filth goddess Mink Stole.) Watching RuPaul play a semi-butch closeted "ex gay" was extremely hilarious. No one can do camp like Ms. Ru does camp. And this what this movie is, extremely campy. I love campy and over the top when it's done right. The thought of "de-gaying" these teens through various gender identifying role playing is great. The girls sleep in all pink rooms, wear all pink and handle objects in their simulations that are painted pink. While the boys fix blue cars, have blue guns, a blue ax and blue clothes.Our protagonist, Natasha Lyonne, is a good Catholic cheerleader who is sent away to this ex-gay camp because she eats tofu, doesn't liked being kissed by her sloppy kissing boyfriend, and hugs some of the other cheerleaders for too long. What makes this movie great is that it isn't one of those gay movies that shoves it down your throat or one that tries to show the reality of actual gays. What makes it great is that it doesn't take itself or gays that seriously while remaining serious at the same time. Make sense? It doesn't try to be preachy. It makes fun of gays and even more so, those who claim to be ex-gays.Cathey Moriarty (of Casper fame) runs the camp. It's her job to make sure that the teens are de-gayed and perform in the sex simulation at the end of camp. And, at the same time, trying to butch-up her son, CSI Miami's own Eddie Cibrian. But I'm a Cheerleader teaches gays to laugh at their sexually and those who oppose it. That no matter how many fake babies' diapers you change, how many logs you chomp chop, or how many people of the opposite sex you kiss you're gay, accept it. And that it's not something you need to get rid of just because you're super religious and right-winged parents don't think it's "normal."