But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) Review

"If I catch you looking at another man like that ever again, you'll be watching sports...the whole weekend!

-Mike

Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is a typical 17-year-old cheerleader.  She's pretty, popular, and is dating a football player, who she doesn't like to kiss.  Her friends and family begin to suspect Megan is a lesbian, even if she doesn't realize it herself, and she is sent to a conversion therapy camp to make her straight.  Her parents threaten her by saying if she fails to become straight, she will not be welcomed back home.  Megan tries her best to follow the therapy, but is conflicted as she falls for one of the other female campers, Graham (Clea DuVall).

What Works:

But I'm a Cheerleader has a very light and campy tone for a story that has the potential to get very dark.  Earlier this year, I saw the film, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which has pretty much the exact same plot, only it gets incredibly dark.  This movie is more of a romantic comedy than anything.  It's much more light-hearted than I was expecting and made it a fun film to watch.

The production design is very over-the-top and absurd.  The film was criticized for this when it was released, but I liked the campiness of the movie and how ridiculous some of the sets were.  It made the film standout in a very memorable way.

RuPaul is in this movie as Mike, an ex-gay who is now a counselor for the male campers.  He's very funny, but also kinda mean.  He has a lot of internal struggle with his sexuality, which makes him by far the most interesting male character in the film.  Like the other male characters, he's mostly a stereotype, but RuPaul is a lot of fun in the role.  It's funny watching him act all butch; playing football, chopping wood, and fixing cars, when he's normal running a Drag Race.

The two leads, Lyonne and DuVall both give solid performances as well.  They are both in a tough spot facing homelessness and abandonment from their families if they fail the camp.  They both have to make some tough decisions and their chemistry together is great.  You really feel bad for them over the course of the film.

Finally, while the film is mostly lighthearted, there are two scenes where some darker subject matter is explored.  It never gets too heavy, but it is unexpected with the general tone of the film.  I only wish they had more of it.

What Sucks:

The biggest problem with the film is the male campers.  All of them are just stereotypes and none of them are developed in the slightest.   Comparing this to Cameron Post, where none of the supporting characters were stereotypes, the guys in this movie were just not interesting and actually somewhat irritating.  The movie is only 84 minutes including credits.  We definitely could have used a few more scenes to develop these characters.  There was absolutely time for it.

The film never really gets critical enough of conversion therapy.  They are a little too soft with their criticisms.  With such a light tone, there was still plenty of room for harsh criticism.  The best example I can think of is the South Park episode, "Cartman Sucks", which also looks at conversion therapy.  It has an innocent and naive lens to view the episode through in the character of Butters, but the episode itself is insanely dark and doesn't hold back it's damming criticism of these camps.  But I'm a Cheerleader could have used some more bite it its satire.

Finally, the resolution of the film is a little weak.  It just kinda ends.  We don't see where Natasha and Graham end up.  We don't know how they are going to make it in this world.  It feels like an inappropriate happy ending.  It's too ambiguous for such an upbeat tone.

Verdict:

But I'm a Cheerleader is a fun little movie that is both funny and sweet.  It has excellent production design, interesting style, and some solid performances.  I wish they had been more critical it its satire and it could have used less stereotypical characters and a stronger resolution, but this movie has still got it going on.

 7/10: Good