Rating: 
Summary: funny as hell
Review: I do love this film. Campy but funny. Just don't try to take it too seriously, and recognize that it's meant to be over the top.
Rating: 
Summary: A camp classic!
Review: This film is both campy and corny - so if you are a "serious" film watcher don't bother. For those of you with a sense of humor and a penchant for satire, You Will Love This Film! Worth it if only to see RuPaul out of drag.
Rating: 
Summary: clever, cute comedy
Review: ***1/2 As gays and lesbians have achieved more and more acceptance in our society, a countervailing force - led mostly by conservative religious organizations - has been rearing its head in recent years. The movement is often referred to as "reparative therapy," the rather absurd notion that, with just a little grit, determination and behavior modification, homosexuals can be "cured" of their "illness" and groomed to take their place as fine, upstanding members of the heterosexual community. Certain "treatment centers" dedicated to this dubious cause have even begun to spring up in areas around the country, modeling themselves after 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. The makers of "But I'm a Cheerleader" have chosen to have a little fun with the concept, imagining one of these centers in almost surrealistic terms. Sweet-faced Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan, a regular teenager happily content to give her all to her cheerleading squad and only mildly confused as to why she can't seem to get quite as excited by her boyfriend as by thoughts of her buxom cheerleader buddies. Suspecting her of being a lesbian - long before Megan herself does, actually - her "concerned" parents, friends and boyfriend cart her off to True Directions, a treatment center tucked safely away in the country. In this bucolic setting, Megan and a group of other "deviants" are put through the rigors of a 5-step therapy program which includes admitting their homosexuality, undergoing gender role playing and even "practicing" man/woman sexual behavior under the stern tutelage of the mistress of the place. In keeping with the near-surrealism of the subject matter, the center is done up in an almost Montessori school motif, with bold colored walls and furniture somehow emphasizing the cold, inhuman sterility of the setting. "But I'm a Cheerleader" is, by no means, a great or entirely successful comedy. Its attempts at humor, particularly in its opening scenes, seem a bit forced and heavy-handed at times. Moreover, the tone shifts a bit uneasily every so often, running the gamut from stylized absurdity to heartbreaking seriousness. Still, the undisciplined messiness is really part of the film's overall charm. It removes the work from the same category as all those ultra-slick bubble-headed comedies about teens that major studios seem to release with frightening regularity. And the movie does have many laugh-out-loud moments of inspired lunacy, showing to what preposterous lengths many straights and even some pressured gays will go in order to "correct" the uncorrectable. We see the girls being given instructions on how to use a vacuum cleaner, wear makeup and change diapers. The boys are instructed in the fine arts of wood chopping, throwing a football and fixing cars. These scenes work, in particular, not only for their comic effectiveness but their underlying poignancy, as these scared youngsters - many threatened with disownment by their parents if they don't "straighten up" - give it their all, against all hope, to truly change, to deny the very person their raging hormones are screaming at them to be. The movie also manages to make the gay characters seem real and believable. Thanks to a superb cast, many of the teens emerge as touching, three-dimensional people rather than the cartoon characters that they might have become in a similar film of this kind - particularly when it would be so easy for them to become so in the face of the caricatures of parents and camp counselors who swirl around them in this highly stylized setting. Prime among these is Cathy Moriarty, brilliant as Mary, the prim and proper leader of the establishment, a woman whose righteous wrong-headedness the actress captures to a comic tee. In contrast, Rue Paul, out of drag for once, gives a superbly understated performance as an "ex-gay" now working for the enemy. Among the teens, Lyonne and Clea DuVall, as the girl Megan falls in love with, are the obvious standouts. They turn these potentially cardboard comic characters into full-sized, instantly recognizable young women filled with yearning, confusion and a desire to both please others and be true to themselves. And that is the ultimate message of this film. Though done in an absurd way, the movie strives to point out that all of us must be allowed to be who we are and to live the life that best suits us. Whether we are gay, straight or whatever, that's a philosophy of life we all need to be reminded of from time to time.
Rating:
Summary: Stereotypes clash with realism in a humorous way...
Review: This film wasn't the best film I have ever seen, but I must say this for a comedy it does have a few good points. 1. You can't make someone be something they're not. 2. There isn't a particular reason why someone is gay,and society both gay and str8 need to understand that. and last 3. Love can and does exist between gay/lesbian couples. I thought the stereotypical portals were hilarious especially rock. Natasha Lyonne is my favorite actress of the millenium.. anyone who hasn't seen slums of beverly hills see it. I myself am gay ( Gasp! hard to believe huh? ) and this film says alot about how people treat homosexuality and how parents disown their kids..I guess if your not gay you won't get that but its a shot. If your looking for a more realistic approach try " Boy's don't Cry" if you're looking for some good laughs, a nice love story between opposites, and a great performace by a cast of underated actors .. see this film.
Rating:
Summary: but i'm a cheerleader
Review: but i'm a cheerleader is most definitely one of the best movies i've seen in a *very* long time, with the exception of "momento." (i have random tastes) i would recommend this movie to anyone, gay, straight, homophobic, or as tolerant as they come. everyone i know loves this movie and finds hilarity in the character of rock and his blatant homosexuality and the romance between megan and graham as sweet as they come in movies. and, as always, natasha lyonne is great!
Rating:
Summary: The best movie I have seen
Review: This movie was funny with its twist or romance something you hardly never see in a homosexual movie. I loved this movie from beggining to end and i am going to get this movie as soon as it comes out to add it to my collection. This is a must rent. Even if you are not into these types of movies you should rent it because you will love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic!
Review: This movie is incredible. The cast, the production, the plot, the acting -- everything is impeccable. This movie has appeal to both heterosexual and homosexual audiences and revolves around a high school senior who is sent to a "straight camp" after her parents fear that she may be a lesbian. Natasha Lyonne & Clea DuVall deliver wonderful performances, as do RuPaul (out of drag) and Cathy Moriarty. Viewers may also enjoy the eye candy of soap opera hunk Eddie Cibrian, who flexes his muscles and dimples more than once in the movie. "But I'm A Cheerleader" is a hilariously honest look at homophobia which proves once again that we can never change who we really are. I highly recommend this film to EVERYONE. Also stars Dante Basco, Richard Moll, Melanie Lynskey, Mink Stole, Douglas Spain, and a guest appearance by Michelle Williams of Dawson's Creek.
Rating:
Summary: Campy, 1990's Twist on the Cheerleader Film Genre!
Review: This film is a lighthearted look at a gay cheerleader who is sent by well-meaning parents and friends to a special camp that de-programs gay teens and attempts to set them "straight." I did see some interesting subtleties in this film, such as a person's perception of what is normal (in this case, straight). Megan, the gay cheerleader, thinks she is normal--until society (represented by friends, parents, and True Directions) tells her she's not. Initially she denies her lesbianism because: 1) she's a Christian; 2) she has a boyfriend; and 3) she's a cheerleader--supposedly an exclusively heterosexual institution. She is in shock and pain when she realizes that she is indeed gay in spite of her "heterosexual" lifestyle. A humorously wry comment on Society's perception of who is gay is represented by Jan, the softball player, who "looks and acts gay" but is straight. She is sent to True Directions because of her mannish appearance and love of softball. What's hilarious is that each gay teen gives clear indications that their stay at "True Directions" will never convert them, although the Director Mary Brown (Cathy Moriatry) seems oblivious to that fact. Even RuPaul's "Ex-Gay" character has moments of weakness caused by Mary's son Rock. The musical soundtrack is fantastic and really adds to the film. The costumes and set designs are very clever, especially for the True Directions scenes, with the girls dressed in Baby Pink outfits and sleeping in a large bedroom the color of Pepto Bismol; and the boys, of course, in Baby Blue. I was reminded of the old 1970's cheerleader films when I first initially saw the title, then chuckled when I saw that this film is a 1990's twist on the cheerleader genre. Seeing RuPaul out of drag playing an "ex-gay" was an ingenious piece of casting and worth the price of this DVD alone.
Rating:
Summary: It's too good to miss!:)
Review: I thought this movie was great! It show's all the pain homosexuals go through and people should give them a break because you can't help if your gay. Clea Du Vall is truely one of my favorite actresses because she has a really believible way of telling people in this movie that lesbiens falling in love is just as good as straight people falling in love. You are what you are right? I suggest this movie to any one who picks on lesbiens and really needs to put there self in there place before making fun of them again.
Rating:
Summary: A comedy through and through...
Review: Perhaps the greatest virtue of But I'm a Cheerleader is that it makes no attempts to take itself too seriously. On some level, that approach to a film such as this, which deals with the serious topic of teenage sexual self-discovery, might seem undermining. But on the level on which most of this film operates -- as a comedy that emphasizes ridicule at the expense of a slightly more sophisticated tone -- its mocking and slightly self-depricating nature works to a charm. The film stars a small hometown girl named Megan (Natasha Lyonne) whose family and close friends all come to the conclusion that she is, despite being the model cheerleader and having the typically good-looking football-playing boyfriend, a lesbian. In an attempt to set her on the right path, they decide that the best solution for Megan would be an intensive experience at True Directions, a type of "straight camp." There, Megan finally comes to the conclusion herself that she is, indeed, gay. The realization comes when she finds herself smitten with the enigmatic and emotionally, beautifully wounded Gramm (Clea DuVall). From here, put two and two together, and you can figure out the rest: the movie successfully drives home its point, which is that sexuality is not a choice and cannot be taught or learned. The actual humor of the movie is intertwined in the plot itself (for instance, when Megan is at straight camp and finally confesses to herself and to the group that she is gay, all the while screaming, "I'm a homosexual!" and drooling from the mouth), but much of it is in the hidden sequence of events. There is, of course, the ridiculousness of her parents' constant appearance against the backdrop of disgusting earth tone colors in their clothing and home decoration. But more accessible is the over-stereotypification of the homosexuals throughout the film: the flamer, the butch lesbian, the Catholic school girl, the girl whose sexual confusion is caused by her sexual identity problems, the Jewish boy, the angry femme...it goes on. Every stereotype you can name is in the film. And to top it all off is the out-of-drag RuPaul as the camp leader to tell them all how hetero is done. All in all, this movie is a light load that's easy to watch, if for no other reason than to watch Clea DuVall. But be warned: it's predictable, it's cheesy, and it's grossly pink. But then again, maybe those are the best things about it.
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