Rating: 
Summary: "Angry Inch" beats competition by a mile
Review: "Velvet Goldmine" meets "(insert name of your favorite Backstage Drama here)" in this instant cult classic. The secret to "Hedwig"'s success is that it doesn't hit you over the head with the "sexual ambiguity" theme (after 25 years of "Rocky Horror" and several generations of Glamrock revivals, I think we "get it" by now, wam bam, thank you m'am.) Once the main character's androgynous "issues" are established, you can sit back and enjoy a surprisingly traditional show-biz tale with just the right mixture of pathos, bathos and clever one-liners. Best of all, (one or two interminable Jim Steinman-style power ballads aside) someone has finally nailed the MUSIC...most of the songs sound like they were indeed composed by Mssrs. Pop, Bowie, Reed or Bolan and would hold up alongside the original artists' work. (I was noting the rich, Marshall-amped Ronsonesque power chord sound throughout and was surprised to see none other than Bob Mould pop up in the musician's credits at the end!) A breezy 90 minutes for rock musical fans and especially entertaining for 70's rock enthusiasts.
Rating:
Summary: An Oscar worthy indie, one of the great alternative musicals
Review: An Oscar worthy indie film, one of the greatest alternative musicals in film history. Based on the stage play of the same title, the story follows the life of Hansel; who adopts his mothers' name Hedwig following a botched sex-change operation in order to escape the musically and sexually repressed East German state. Hedwig follows his/her life in search of love, finding only disappointment and betrayal, from an American GI to her protege Tommy Gnosis. In the search for love, Hedwig finds not only its' origin, but its' destination as well. Steven Trask gives the film its' soul in his musical compositions as well as lending his voice to the character of Tommy Gnosis. John Cameron Mitchell directed and stars as Hedwig showing a range of talent that it is hoped will be displayed in future stage and film work. Miriam Shor shines as backup vocalist Yitzhak. Finally, Andrea Martin gives a performance that backs up her standing as one of the great comedians of our time. All four of these performers deserve Oscar consideration one of the truly innovative film muscials of recent memory. Certainly the songs "Wicked Little Town" and "The Origin of Love" should be considered for Best Song. This film isn't for everyone, and does have its uneven moments. The ending may leave you scratching your head, but is ultimatly satisfying with reflection. See it twice and add it to your video library when it's available. You won't soon forget this film!
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven translation to film
Review: "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is good, but not great. Due to the cross-dressing element, there are many comparisons to "Rocky Horror Picture Show," but I feel that these are two very separate films. A closer comparison is "Cabaret," in the way "stage performanceas a musical" is used to interweave character's stories. Like "Cabaret," the musical is much changed in it's transfer to screen. Characters are re-written and the all important "feel" goes missing.It was difficult to decide if the director was aiming for mocking the main characters by showing how seriously these pathetic people took themselves, in the vein of "This is Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman," or if he was going for something along the lines of "Tommy" where a savaged character found art within himself and transformed the people around him. It is a difficult line to walk. We are introduced to Hedwig in the bar scene, where he/she was an obvious object of ridicule, with the silly hairstyle and rock star performance in a small "Denny's" style restaurant. Then later on, we are supposed to respect the plight of the same character that we had been trained to find humor in. Ultimately, I found no connection to any of the characters, and didn't particularly care whether or not Hedwig succeeded or failed. I was sympathetic towards Hedwig's wife, and hopped that he/she escaped the vortex of Hedwig's self-fulfilling failure. I was happy to see this character transformed at the end, and carried away from Hedwig (in my own mind, I am hoping that the hands carried him/her off to a staring role in "Rent.")
Rating:
Summary: Drag Glam Rock Lives
Review: I have been looking forward to seeing this movie for months. The night finally arrived and I knew that I was going to like this movie, but little did I know, I would LOVE it. Hedwig is a little glam, a little drag, a little comedy, and a whole lotta ROCK AND ROLL. Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell have created a musical film masterpiece. I would reccommend this film to anyone with ears and eyes. The cinematography is incredible. The music is fantastic, and the acting is quite possibly the best ive seen in years. Anyone that likes RHPS or Spinal Tap is sure to LOVE this film. Dont take my word for it, go see this movie.. it rocks.... Hedwig and the Angry Inch follows the story of a young German boy who is confused by most of his surroundings. The one thing he has always been sure of is his love of Glam rock. He is obsessed with David Bowie, Al Greena dn Debbie Boone. As he grows up, he realizes that he is not where he needs to be to find his "other half". This discovery and the collection of a sugar daddy bring Hedwig (then Hansel) to America and send his world flying into trade wind hysterics. When Hansel meets his sugar daddy, Luthor, he is swept away by Luthors adoration and the promise of a better life away from war torn Germany. The only problem is, Hansel has to be a female in order to marry Luthor and get out of the country. Mom has the bright idea of a sex change, only the doctor botches it and Hansel (now Hedwig) is left with "a one inch mound of flesh". This begins Hedwigs long life of turmoil. Its your basic story, Hedwig marries Luthor, Luthor meets prett boy and leaves Hedwig, and now Hedwig must fend for herself. She babysits and does the occasional odd job "mostly the jobs we call blow" just to scrape by. She sings at the local TCBY with her band comprised of Korean army wives and meets Tommy "a dungeons and dragons loving Jesus freak with a fish... on his truck" and falls torridly and madly in love with him. Hedwig decides to fat track hers and Tommy's careers with her anthems about life. When things get rough, Tommy blows town and takes Hedwigs songs with him. He becomes a cultural phenom and Hedwig begins a whirlwind tour with her grunge band The Angry Inch following Tommy from town to town trying in her own way to get back what she feels she lost... Tommy. This is an increbly moving movie with music that will stick with you and energy that will keep you enchanted.
Rating:
Summary: Best Film of 2001 (at least so far...)
Review: 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' is quite simply a work of genius. The music is tremendous--unlike most musicals, where the songs take the viewer outside of the story, these intensely personal songs carry the story beyond literal narrative to music, the songs on Hedwig carry great symbolism and reveal the psyche of the protagonist on a truly meaningful level. The performances in the film are wonderful, with John Cameron Mitchell's title role worthy of Academy Award mention. Mitchell's direction also merits recognition, with a perfect balance of vivid realism and a stylistic flair of fantasy. 'Hedwig' had me leaving the theatre more jazzed and full of energy than any film I can remember. You'll rush in line to see this again and again!
Rating:
Summary: Winner of favorite movie at the Nantucket film festival
Review: definatley an excellent movie. I wont write a book about it or anything, but the casting, cinematography, music, lyrics, animation and story are all great. That can't be said about many other movies. Take my word and see it if you can.
Rating: 
Summary: An Age Old Dilemma
Review: John Cameron Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" proposes the age-old question: Who Am I? and "What is My Place on this Earth?" How Mitchell answers this question is at the very nature of the brilliance of this story told through 70's style "hair" rock. The world of Hedwig runs much deeper and is examined more thoroughly than say that of "The Rocky Horror Show," which this film resembles. But in reality Hedwig is more like the rags-to-riches story of Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl." Mitchell not only directs but is the star and he does a bang-up job creating a world and then inhabiting it. Mitchell is such a whirlwind and major force in this film that all the others fade into the background but Michael Pitt(lately of "Dawson's Creek") has the appropriate boy toy look and makes a good impression as Hedwig's protege, "Gnosis."
Rating:
Summary: Easily one of this year's top five films...
Review: Even if "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" was only a witty and brilliant 'anatomically incorrect' pastiche of Bowiesque glam-rock and Hagenesque teutonic punk--with the most electrifying musical performance since Tina Turner's Acid Queen cameo in the otherwise forgettable "Tommy"--it would be an exceptional achievement. But this film is so much more. Hedwig herself defiantly spans the divide between East and West, male and female, innocence and experience, comedy and tragedy, creation and destruction. And when she sings, she's like a force of nature. The songs are outstanding, John Cameron Mitchell is captivating, and an extrememly talented cast of actors and musicians--including Miriam Shor and Andrea Martin--provide tremendous support. With its wild combination of scathing social commentary and moving personal struggle, "Hedwig" is a triumph on every level, and is sure to be among the very best films of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Gender-Bent Punk Rock Saves American Musical!
Review: Forget Moulin Rouge: Mitchell grabs the American movie musical by its lapels and yanks it phoenix-like from the ash heap in his brilliant cinematic debut! Think the Von Trapp Family Singers meet Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Think the Velvet Underground and Nico as presented by Rogers and Hammerstein. Subversive, hilarious, smart, gorgeous - this summer's first American must-see!
Rating:
Summary: Fun, clever, and smart film by super talented Mitchell
Review: I Saw the movie twice in just a few weeks (SF Intl Film Fest and SF GLB&T Film Fest) it was so wonderful. Both showings were blessed with Mitchell presenting the film and then a short Q&A session after. It's a great and fun musical (lines are spoken, but songs are performed throughout). Mitchell plays Hedwig, a kind of somber, witty, and controlling kind of gay boy mixed up into a sex-change glam rocker. The dialogue is *hilarious* (as drag demands, but without the often common (and, dare I say, trite) Super Bitchiness) -- you just keep cracking up. There's also this whole wonderful story of the Origin of Love, four-legged creatures split by the Gods, primarily told very creatively through cartoon sequences. But Hedwig seems so real and full of life throughout -- with hope, sadness, anger, betrayal, and love. The song lyrics are also hysterical. It's a great creative indie film. If you like camp, rock, gender, and queer all rolled into one (and shouldn't you, after all ;-) then this is the Film for you!
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