But I'm a Cheerleader
Synopsis
Teenager Megan is so strong-willed that her parents think that she may be a lesbian, so they send her to a ‘rehabilitation camp’, but the feisty youngster only finds that the more she is indoctrinated against homosexuality the more she comes to question her own sexuality.
Our take
Starring Natasha Lyonne, But I’m a Cheerleader is a delightful, highly stylized queer comedy which graced the end of a decade in American cinema otherwise ruled by heteronormative rom-coms. Co-starring Michelle Williams and RuPaul (out of drag!), this sweet, satirical yarn is due for rediscovery.
Critics reviews
Though the film’s trajectory is a bit predictable, it’s become a favorite on the midnight cult circuit and allows us to laugh at the absurdity of such institutions like True Directions thanks to stellar, knockabout performances from an impassioned cast.
Samantha Vacca
July 06, 2016
The San Francisco...
“But I’m a Cheerleader’s” title evokes big-fun ’50s B-movies like “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” and their spoofs (“So I Married an Ax-Murderer”). And Babbit has a blast toying with the conventions.
Wesley Morris
July 07, 2000
Related films
Show Me Love
Lukas Moodysson, 1998
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love
Maria Maggenti, 1995
Totally F***ed Up
Gregg Araki, 1993
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Stephan Elliott, 1994
The Rules of Attraction
Roger Avary, 2002
Election
Alexander Payne, 1999
Reality Bites
Ben Stiller, 1994
Heathers
Michael Lehmann, 1988
Hairspray
John Waters, 1988
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
John Cameron Mitchell, 2001
Welcome to the Dollhouse
Todd Solondz, 1995
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Desiree Akhavan, 2018