But I’m a Cheerleader

But I’m a Cheerleader is about Megan who is accused of being a homosexual by her parents. Subsequently, she is sent to a straight conversion camp. Here, she discovers she’s indeed a homosexual and falls in love with fellow camper/inmate Graham.

The cast of characters and performances by their actors is one of the things that makes But I’m a Cheerleader so successful. All the actors understand the role they’re supposed to be playing and the tone the movie is going for. All of them commit to this weird, campy over-the-top style of comedy. Each actor also has a pretty solid character to work with. The supporting cast in this each have what I can’t necessarily call three-dimensional characterizations but a series of consistent traits that allow them to each have jokes specific to their character. The absolute star is unquestionably Natasha Lyonne as Meagan. She can go to a very campy, over the top place but also shows great restraint and regular, human-style emotions when the scene calls for it.

I honestly struggled with But I’m a Cheerleader upon my first viewing. The juxtaposition of the very dark subject matter with the way the film is shot made me uncomfortable. But I’m a Cheerleader is shot in these high contrast, hyper-saturated, cheerful-looking colours. This is at odds with its rather bleak setting.

Similarly, the humour was a bit of a shock to me. Straight conversion camps are such a terrible place that I have something of a phobia towards. When I first watched the film, the fact that it was a comedy just didn’t work with the upsetting and fairly factually accurate framework of a straight conversion camp.

Then, I watched But I’m a Cheerleader again. I was older this time and way more jaded and I “got” it. I love that But I’m a Cheerleader leans into camp and takes this dark place and makes it some sort of overly colourful parody. That’s a great way of dealing with the subject matter. I wasn’t old enough the first time to understand the subversive elements of But I’m a Cheerleader but I get it now. In the face something horrible, scary and upsetting, sometimes the best thing to do is to make it something funny.

That it is subversive and set in a very unusual place for a love story is what elevates But I’m a Cheerleader as a queer romantic comedy. That it leans into its own queerness separates it from dozens of queer romantic comedies that try and be carbon copies of heterosexual movies. But I’m a Cheerleader has something to say other than “I think these two ladies should kiss.” It’s got a point of view, a political opinion and it does this while still being funny and a successful love story.

But I’m a Cheerleader has a pretty low critical rating on rotten tomatoes and metacritic. In 1998, the straights were not ready for this movie. I don’t think they’d be ready for this movie today, even. Subversive, funny and an absolute classic, But I’m a Cheerleader is one of the most successful queer romantic comedies ever made. The fact that straight audiences can’t and don’t get it is just a bonus.

Overall rating: 9.3/10

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