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Summary: me_myself_and_i
Review: Hedwig is a must see, the best move ever in my book. Its a story about coming to term with yourself and maybe that the things you hold to arent exactly the way you want them or picture them to be. Everyone can relate to Hedwig on some level. EVERYONE can i promise. Hedwig is full of great songs and is in the tradition of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Hedwig is simply the best there is when it comes to glam punk rock movies about transvette rockers from east berlin. it rocks my sock and all of my friends socks too!!!
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Summary: Rock at it's best
Review: This is a truly original film. I loved it so much, I saw it in the theater 4 times and bought it the day it came out on DVD. The featurette about the origins of Hedwig is not only informative but damn entertaining. Hedwig strikes a chord with everyone whoever loved rock and whoever rocked love.
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Summary: Don't be intimidated by this movie!
Review: Having bought this film on recommendation from a friend, I was scared to see what I was spending my money on. Hedwig tells a rather unusual story about a gay guy losing his man-hood so he can be married and come to the US. Yeah, I don't have anything in common with that either. But what I do have in common with Hedwig is just about every other emotion. Hedwig finds love, loses love, and can't let go of the past sometimes. The movie is like an hour and 1/2 rock video that stirred my emotions and had me empathizing with Hedwig, since the story is one of seeking love, seeking acceptance, seeking success, and freedom, and not to mention it is also very humorous at some points as well. I think almost anyone can relate to this movie at least in part. It is a musical but the music doesn't come across in the same manner as Sound of Music. The music fits the story and is cleverly mixed in with dialogue, hand-drawn cartoons and performances. I've watched it 5 times. I've shown it to 4 of my friends and they loved it and were surprised by it too. DVD also has a great documentary that will teach you a ton about how Hedwig started as a punk-rock drag number that eventually went Off-Broadway and then to film. I recommend this one very highly!
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Summary: Redefining the Rock Musical.
Review: I've been a fan of musicals ever since I saw Dorothy go Technicolor in "The Wizard of Oz" when I was about five - but I had just about given up hope of a modern day musical. The last popular musicals were done in the seventies (Tommy, Rocky Horror, The Wiz), and they weren't really emotionally moving. Entertaining, yes - but thought provoking and touching, not exactly.Hedwig has given me hope. Based on a play that became a cult hit in New York and other big cities, now it's been put on DVD with great care by its creator John Cameron Mitchell. He's done an excellent job of bringing Hedwig's energy and intimacy to the screen. I'd love to see him direct and star in more films. The music is excellent and the lyrics surprisingly insightful. You have to watch this movie more than once to fully appreciate the intricate story, but the music will grab you right away. Stephan Trask is an amazingly talented writer. Although not everyone may think of an East German transsexual punk rock whore as a heroin - I do. This is the story of her self-discovery, how she finds completeness within herself. She wants love and acceptance ' just as we all do.
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Summary: Way deeper than your average cult film
Review: Sure this movie has transvestites, glitter and rock-n-roll, but make no mistake... it is not a fluff piece. There are many funny gags, and some humorous moments, but the topic at hand is very serious indeed. This is a very well done thought provoking film about where you've been and where you're going. John Cameron Mitchell is truly a genius, and this movie is an inspiration to all of us who are looking for our 'other halves'.
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Summary: tired of over-analysis in these reviews?
Review: Certainly, there is something here worth analysis, but when I think back to seeing this movie in the theatre, I don't remember thinking of how the meaning of one song changed from its first occurrence to the second or what Hedwig says about gender identities or anything else. I remember having a great deal of fun. I remember laughing and getting caught up in the songs (from someone who hates musicals by the way). I didn't walk out saying I had found a totally different movie from anything else or the new Rocky Horror or the greatest musical in human history or an exploration of blah blah blah. I walked out with a smile on my face and a sudden need to grab the soundtrack when I next saw it. I consider that a success. Get it, enjoy the documentary about the evolution from play to film of Hedwig, and then analyze it if you wish.
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Summary: Bitter, Angry, and Vindictive...
Review: Hedwig, a transsexual, is the lead singer for the band Hedwig and the Angry Inch and she got double-crossed by her former lover who is now a big time rock star. She is bitter, angry, vindictive, and ready to take on the past in order to settle old scores. One outlet is her music and it takes shape in many different forms throughout the film. However, her anger is hard to direct, since she cannot confront her targets. Hedwig's story is displayed through an abstract, surrealistic, and musical design that brings across the idea of Hedwig's problems in a multifaceted manner. The result is a smart film that is a brilliant cinematic experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Art for Art's Sake?
Review: "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" defies description. It is a rock musical about glamrocker Hedwig, who used to be Hansel, from East Germany. Hedwig goes through a series of bizarre adventures and ends up a star with the band The Angry Inch. Fun and dazzling visuals, but hard to follow and jumbled in places, the film tries to be art, heavy on symbols and irony, but doesn't quite succeed. Worth a look, but could be better.
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Summary: Not bad. But ROCKY HORROR is better.
Review: I have a feeling that in later years this movie will be as big a cult classic as ROCKY HORROR or BLOODSUCKING FREAKS. No, its not a great movie, but it has just the right amount of weirdness, pomp and some pretty good rock music to become one of the first major cult sucesses of the 21st century. It centers around a German transexual who after a sex change op gone wrong leaves him with the "angry inch" of the title, is appalled when his secret gay lover steals credit for his music and becomes a number one chart success and sets out to get his music back. The music is pretty good, but the movie itself isn't completely sucessful. That said it works better as a film because the visual elements including animation add to what is a rather bizarre, unique viewing experience. Naturally, I haven't seen the musical on which it is based (typical of me, I know) but I recommend it if you are in the mood to watch something a little different, though personally I think ROCKY HORROR stands head and shoulders over HEDWIG any day.
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Summary: DVD features are a Hed Head's delight
Review: Like most of the reviewers here, I was blown away by John Cameron Mitchell's performance as Hedwig. Funny, sad, campy, reflective: If anybody had a more electrifying stage or screen presence in 2001, bring 'em on. I am writing to point out to fans of the movie/CDs that the DVD has a couple of cool features: 1) The show-stopping "Tear Me Down" was filmed live and thus is a different version than both the original off-Broadway cast recording and, for some reason, the movie soundtrack itself. And it rocks, baby. 2) The featurette on the making of Hedwig is worth the price of admission alone. It includes home video of JCM trying out the Hedwig character in a nightclub setting, mounting the musical, how the film version came to be and JCM's successors in the stage production. It is hands down the best making-of feature I have seen on a DVD.
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