Rating: 
Summary: A Fine, Fun and Snazzy Film, anything but a Drag!
Review: This movie is one of those rare perfect films. Casting is brilliant (especially Stockard Channing, who only gets better and better as the years go by--and she was always totally incapable of less than a fantastic performance). The general plot line of the movie is a congenial road trip, as three drag queens drive from New York City to California to compete in a contest, and the themes are fulfilling.In essence, the movie deals with the healing of "broken people." (For other such films, see such gems as "Batteries Not Included" and "Fried Green Tomatoes.") The unlikely angels? The three drag queens. The situation? Their car breaks down in a red-neck hamlet. Unlikely hijinks and dangerous confrontations lead to a satisfying conclusion. And Julie Newmar was never better!
Rating: 
Summary: Re: A comedy that makes you think
Review: The premise of "Too Wong Foo" is very simple: three drag queens, the soft-hearted Vida (Patrick Swayze), the no-nonsense Noxeema (Wesley Snipes), and the dreamy, romantic Chi-Chi (John Leguizamo), travel across the country in a vintage Cadillac which breaks down in the tiny, idyllic rural town of Snydersville. Beneath its classic American small town facade, however, Snydersville is a place rent by domestic violence, alcoholism, racism, depression, and thuggery. Vida, Noxeema, and Chi-Chi encourage the town's women to take control of their own lives, not through any particular magic, but by simply reaching out with compassion to their fellow human beings--Vida to the abused Carol Ann (Stockard Channing), Noxeema to the depressed, mute Clara, and Chi-Chi to the young Bobby Lee. The themes of the movie--that only women who have found their inner strength (and men who are in touch with their feminine side) can change society for the better and that ultimately beauty is not a luxury, but a necessity that can get you through the dark hours--give this film a surprisingly feminist outlook. All three actors--men best known for their macho roles--give strong performances and although John Leguizamo makes the most convincing woman, both Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze are very believable. I became so accustomed to thinking of them as women that it was a shock to me when Vida's wig accidentally came off and she was revealed as a man. "To Wong Foo" has been repeatedly compared with "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", but the two movies could not be more dissimilar. "Priscilla" is grittier, deliberately not glamorous and less thematically tied together. Although I liked the film overall, I was displeased by its demeaning portrayal of women throughout the movie. I do recommend both movies, but don't expect them to be mirror images of each other. "To Wong Foo" is the one most suited for a family audience. "Priscilla" has a great deal of profanity, sexual innuendo, and a very casual attitude to drunkness and drugs.
Rating:
Summary: Oh no girlfriend, did you just do a ue?
Review: Nothing but praise for this great flick! Let's face it, while it may not be a movie that George Bush would ever watch (mind you if he did he could learn a thing or two about love and acceptance). I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to watch a great movie. Even after seeing it over five times I still laugh out loud and get a kick out of all three "ladies"! Robin Williams is hilarious and RuPaul makes a surprise visit! Rent it today and you will be glad you did!
Rating: 
Summary: Schmaltz In A Purple Wrapper
Review: [Add a half-star if you don't mind being manipulated.] All during the summer, in seeing previews, I was worried about To Wong Foo... being an American version or rip-off of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert. Trust me, there are a lot of similarities; however To Wong Foo... stands on its own as an enjoyable movie experience. In the audience I sat in, there was laughter and applause throughout and I found myself laughing and applauding along. (I hadn't expected to.) Patrick Swayze is Vida Boheme, a drag queen from Bala Cynwyd, PA living in New York City. Bala Cynwyd is pivotal in his story. So is Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes). Boheme and Jackson are friends competing against Chi Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) and others for "Drag Queen of the Year". Well, as luck would have it, Boheme and Jackson tie for the honors and both win an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood. Well, Boheme is a queen with a heart. She can't stand to see Chi Chi, who lives in the same building, so upset about not winning the crown; so, Vida bullies Noxeema into trading their paid-for airline tickets for a car and, together, the three set off to drive cross-country. Shades of Boys On The Side. Early on, the trio is stopped in the middle of nowhere by a county sheriff (Chris Penn in a hoot of a role). What happens next brings more remembrances of Boys On The Side. Eventually, our fun-loving "females" end up in Snydersville, a small hamlet where everyone seems to have a problem and our girls have a solution for every single one of them. Despite this manipulation, To Wong Foo... delights at every turn. It's laugh-out-loud funny and not at all subtle. Normally, that would be a criticism, but in this case, it turns out to be a refreshing change of pace. Of course, all of the elements in the story come together for a schmaltzy conclusion. But, that's OK. You'll get all wrapped up in it anyway, just like I did. (Boy, was I surprised.) [Originally written 10 September 1995]
Rating:
Summary: Uneven but when it's good it's GREAT
Review: "To Wong Foo" seemed horribly miscast when you found out who was in it ... I mean, John Leguizamo had done drag before, proving himself to be very convincing and most definitely in touch with his "feminine side" -- but Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze??! Two macho movie stars pulling off parts as drag queens on a road trip? But then you saw the movie ... The three men do excellent jobs, Wesley Snipes in particular a total surprise in his role as Noxeema Jackson, drag queen with Attitude. Swayze, as Vida Boheme, is the "lady" of the trio who can get down and dirty when she has to -- and Leguziamo as Chi Chi Rodriguez is nothing short of perfection. The plot is simple: At New York's Drag Queen of the Year contest, Noxeema and Vida tie for the crown. The title comes with a free airline ticket to Los Angeles, to compete in the Drag Queen of America competition, and the two "girls" couldn't be more excited. But then they meet little Latin Chi Chi Rodriguez, whose drag queen self-esteem was not at all helped by losing this competition. Vida, the kind of person who always believes in helping those less fortunate, talks a VERY disgruntled Noxeema into selling their plane tickets ... and using the money instead to buy a cheap car and drive to the L.A. contest. The night of the win, Vida spots an autographed photo of Miss Julie Newmar on the wall of the reataurant they are dining in, and reads the inscription: "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar". For those not in the know ... for years actress/model Julie Newmar, best known for her role at Catwoman on the tv series "Batman," has had rumors floating around saying that she's a drag queen in real life -- not a woman. She's just too statuesque, her face too strong on bone structure, to be a real woman! When Vida sees the framed autographed photo on the wall, she takes this as a sign that the three of them will be blessed on their quest. She also takes the photograph. Halfway 'cross country, in Nebraska, the threesome is stopped by a racist sheriff who notices their tail light is out. Taking Vide back toward his car, he comes onto her, thinking she is a real woman. When he reaches under her dress and learns the truth, Vida tries to break free ... and knocks the sheriff to the ground, where he conks his head. They drive off quickly, before he can come to and REALLY do them all some damage. Soon after, their old Cadillac breaks down, and Chi Chi hitchhikes them all a ride into Snydersville, a town that makes Mayberry look like New York City. Tiny and hick and populated with small-town minds as well, Snydersville seems to be the LAST place three drag queens would want to get stranded (if they want to live, that is), but when these three are stalled there for the weekend, until they get their car repaired, they decide to make the best of it by making over the town's women, addding some spark to a Strawberry Social - and, in general, bringing tons of color to an otherwise drab existence. But little do they know that Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn) - who is less than thrilled by being knocked unconscious by a "boy in a dress," is out to find them ... The movie is uneven in spots - the scenes in the town go from hysterical to being too stage - but overall whenever Snipes or Swayze or Leguizamo are on-screen, you could never be bored. Funny and with some VERY sharp one-liners, the movie comes close (especially in the end) to turning sappy with its "why can't we all just get along" mind-set -- but never quite pushes that envelope. The three leads are EXCELLENT, and backed beautifully by a great supporting cast the includes Stockard Channig, Melinda Dillon, Chris Penn, Jason London - even "Alias" star Michael Vartan. Ru Paul and Robin Williams add both class and style to brief cameos ... as does the one and only Miss Julie Newmar herself. Stylish and funny and just corny enough to work, this comedy is anything but a drag ...
Rating:
Summary: Uneven but when it's good it's GREAT
Review: "To Wong Foo" seemed horribly miscast when you found out who was in it ... I mean, John Leguizamo had done drag before, proving himself to be very convincing and most definitely in touch with his "feminine side" -- but Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze??! Two macho movie stars pulling off parts as drag queens on a road trip? But then you saw the movie ... The three men do excellent jobs, Wesley Snipes in particular a total surprise in his role as Noxeema Jackson, drag queen with Attitude. Swayze, as Vida Boheme, is the "lady" of the trio who can get down and dirty when she has to -- and Leguziamo as Chi Chi Rodriguez is nothing short of perfection. The plot is simple: At New York's Drag Queen of the Year contest, Noxeema and Vida tie for the crown. The title comes with a free airline ticket to Los Angeles, to compete in the Drag Queen of America competition, and the two "girls" couldn't be more excited. But then they meet little Latin Chi Chi Rodriguez, whose drag queen self-esteem was not at all helped by losing this competition. Vida, the kind of person who always believes in helping those less fortunate, talks a VERY disgruntled Noxeema into selling their plane tickets ... and using the money instead to buy a cheap car and drive to the L.A. contest. The night of the win, Vida spots an autographed photo of Miss Julie Newmar on the wall of the reataurant they are dining in, and reads the inscription: "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar". For those not in the know ... for years actress/model Julie Newmar, best known for her role at Catwoman on the tv series "Batman," has had rumors floating around saying that she's a drag queen in real life -- not a woman. She's just too statuesque, her face too strong on bone structure, to be a real woman! When Vida sees the framed autographed photo on the wall, she takes this as a sign that the three of them will be blessed on their quest. She also takes the photograph. Halfway 'cross country, in Nebraska, the threesome is stopped by a racist sheriff who notices their tail light is out. Taking Vide back toward his car, he comes onto her, thinking she is a real woman. When he reaches under her dress and learns the truth, Vida tries to break free ... and knocks the sheriff to the ground, where he conks his head. They drive off quickly, before he can come to and REALLY do them all some damage. Soon after, their old Cadillac breaks down, and Chi Chi hitchhikes them all a ride into Snydersville, a town that makes Mayberry look like New York City. Tiny and hick and populated with small-town minds as well, Snydersville seems to be the LAST place three drag queens would want to get stranded (if they want to live, that is), but when these three are stalled there for the weekend, until they get their car repaired, they decide to make the best of it by making over the town's women, addding some spark to a Strawberry Social - and, in general, bringing tons of color to an otherwise drab existence. But little do they know that Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn) - who is less than thrilled by being knocked unconscious by a "boy in a dress," is out to find them ... The movie is uneven in spots - the scenes in the town go from hysterical to being too stage - but overall whenever Snipes or Swayze or Leguizamo are on-screen, you could never be bored. Funny and with some VERY sharp one-liners, the movie comes close (especially in the end) to turning sappy with its "why can't we all just get along" mind-set -- but never quite pushes that envelope. The three leads are EXCELLENT, and backed beautifully by a great supporting cast the includes Stockard Channig, Melinda Dillon, Chris Penn, Jason London - even "Alias" star Michael Vartan. Ru Paul and Robin Williams add both class and style to brief cameos ... as does the one and only Miss Julie Newmar herself. Stylish and funny and just corny enough to work, this comedy is anything but a drag ...
Rating:
Summary: "It comes down to that age-old decision: style or substance"
Review: One year after the success of the 1994 Australian film "The Adventures Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures joined to produce the 1995 American version, "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar". Like the Australian film, which featured a trio of drag queens traveling across the rugged Australian outback from Sydney to the isolated resort of Alice Springs in a pink bus, the American version featured its own drag queen trio traveling from NYC to Los Angeles in an aging yellow Cadillac convertible; but the similarities end there. The drag queen trio featured in the American version was Miss Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes), Miss Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) and Miss Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo). After Noxeema and Vida share the title of a drag queen contest, they invite (with Noxeema's reluctance) Chi-Chi to join them to participate in a national contest in Los Angeles. Not having enough money for all three to fly to Los Angeles from NYC, Vida convinces them to instead use their winnings to purchase a car that all three could travel in. The film's title comes from an autographed picture of Julie Newmar that Vida steals from a restaurant and places in the used yellow Cadillac convertible that the trio purchases. Similar to the Australian version, the car breaks down along the way, forcing the trio to stay a few days in a small, languishing town. There, they meet the town's assorted residents that include hotel owner Carol Ann (Stockard Channing), her abusive husband Virgil (Arliss Howard), Beatrice (Blythe Danner), the polite Bobby Ray (Jason London), Merna (Melinda Dillon), Loretta (Beth Grant), the aging Clara (Alice Drummond) and restaurant owner Jimmy Joe (Mike Hodge) to name a few. They also meet law enforcement officer Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn) who wants to arrest them. Though arguably not as well made as "The Adventures Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" is still a very entertaining and engaging film that is sufficiently different from the former to not be redundant. Cameo appearances in the film include Julie Newmar, Robin Williams (as John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt), RuPaul (as Miss Rachel Tensions) and Naomi Campbell. Memorable scenes in the film include the restaurant, the used car lot, Vida seeing her mother (Margaret H. Flynn), Chi-Chi earning rites of passage, Sheriff Dollard, Noxeema's interactions with townsfolk, the clothing store, the beauty parlor and the closing scenes. Patrick Swawye received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical, and John Leguizamo received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the Comedy/Musical. Sadly, Wesley Snipes did not receive a nomination for his excellent performance. Overall, I rate the film with 4 out of 5 stars. After watching the deleted scenes on the DVD, I concluded that they were best left deleted.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and moving...
Review: Miss Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) and Miss Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) are the proud winners of a New York Drag Queen contest. After the event they bump into Miss Chi Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo), who is very upset that she hasn't won the contest. The two drag queens are convinced to take Miss Chi Chi with them to compete in the national drag contest however; their prize for winning the local one was only two plane tickets to Los Angeles. They decide to give up their plane tickets and travel by car so the three of them can go. On their way to Los Angeles, they encounter Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn), who pulls their car over because one of their rear lights is out. When he asks to see Miss Vida's license, she obviously tries her best to get out of it without having to show the license, bearing in mind the name on her license is Eugene and drag wasn't exactly an acceptable thing in Middle America back then. The officer takes Vida to one side and starts trying to get fresh with her, believing she is a real woman. When he reaches up her dress and grabs a hold of her manhood, he suddenly finds himself shocked and flat on his face unconscious in the middle of the road. The three get out of there pretty quickly as they do not really want to face the wrath of an embarrassed sheriff who is sure to want to arrest Vida for rendering him unconscious. They manage to get a little further until their car breaks down. Now they are stuck and their only way forward is for Chi Chi to try and hitch a ride. A nice young lad, Bobby Ray (Jason London) pulls up to pick up Chi Chi at the side of the road and is quickly convinced to take her two friends with him too. He takes them back to his home town, a very small town where everybody knows everybody. They meet Carol Ann (Stockard Channing) who allows them to stay with her and her husband Virgil (Arliss Howard), who is planning on fixing their car however, it will take a couple of days to fix it because the parts are not easy to get hold of. So now they are faced with a very small town of people, who believe they are real women and they have to keep the act up for three days. Who knows what kind of reaction they will get if they are found out. Sheriff Dollard is soon on the hunt and is determined to find them and bring them back dead or alive to prove to his fellow officers that they were really men in dresses and he wasn't knocked out by a woman. He starts his search and it will only be a matter of time before he does eventually find them. Whilst staying at Carol Ann's place, they discover she is the victim of regular domestic abuse, at the hands of her husband Virgil. After tolerating it for a little while, Vida decides enough is enough and fuelled by the nasty comments thrown at her in an argument with young Chi Chi, she decides to do something about it. Virgil is thrown out; Carol Ann is now able to be herself and the four start to build a friendship. It doesn't take long for the rest of the town to join in and soon enough, the whole town has been brought together by these three mysterious girls that just appeared. This film is wonderful. It puts out a message to the whole of the world about how drag queens should be accepted as ordinary people and how everybody in their own right should be able to dress how they like, see who they like and be who they like. It shows that anyone, no matter how they chose to dress or who they chose to sleep with, can do good and bring people together. Patrick Swayze is relatively funny and surprisingly quite good in drag. Wesley Snipes is amazing in his role, very funny, very witty and fantastic in drag. Stockard Channing shows once again that her acting skills are never wasted and plays a very important part in the film and John Leguizamo portrays the part of young Chi Chi very well. This film is one not to be missed. It is funny, meaningful and educational. It's well made and even quite moving in some parts. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: good clean drag queen fun
Review: The plot is weak, but John Leguizamo played Chi Chi so brilliantly I actually forgot he wasn't a woman.
Patrick Swayze is graceful and fairly convincing as a woman, but Wesley Snipes just doesn't do it as hard as he tries; he's just too much of a "man's man" to pull it off. a good popcorn flick to watch with the girls..whether they were born or made.
Rating:
Summary: Biggots beware, This is a funny movie and it's entertaining!
Review: I totally enjoyed this film. It was funny, honest, out of control and off the wall. The actors all did very well with the rolls however Snipes was a bit rough for the roll. It had some meaningful scenes that made good pionts and many scenes that had me roaring out loud. For a fun and enjoyable evening that's not too heavy, watch this movie. Notice is given that if you are unaccepting of diversity this film will most likely offend and confuse you. You may find that you feel guilty for loving this movie and want to lash out, while secretly asking how you would look in pink lace. Just kidding, accept it for what it is and enjoy. Doen't be hating.
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