Taglines: A Comedy of Sexual Disorientation.
Megan is an all-American girl. She’s a cheerleader and has a boyfriend, but she doesn’t like kissing him very much, and she’s pretty tactile with her cheerleader friends, and she only has pictures of girls up in her locker. Her parents and friends conclude that she *must* be gay and send her off to “sexual redirection” school, full of admittedly homosexual misfits, where she can learn how to be straight. Will Megan be turned around to successful heterosexuality, or will she succumb to her love for the beautiful Graham?
But I’m a Cheerleader is a 1999 satirical romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Brian Wayne Peterson. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential inpatient conversion therapy camp to cure her lesbianism. There Megan soon comes to embrace her sexual orientation, despite the therapy, and falls in love. The supporting cast includes Melanie Lynskey, Dante Basco, Eddie Cibrian, Clea DuVall, Cathy Moriarty, Katrina Phillips, RuPaul, Richard Moll, Mink Stole, Kip Pardue, Michelle Williams, and Bud Cort.
But I’m a Cheerleader was Babbit’s first feature film. It was inspired by an article about conversion therapy and her childhood familiarity with rehabilitation programs. She used the story of a young woman finding her sexual identity to explore the social construction of gender roles and heteronormativity. The costume and set design of the film highlighted these themes using artificial textures in intense blues and pinks.
When it was initially rated as NC-17 by the MPAA, Babbit made cuts to allow it to be re-rated as R. When interviewed in the documentary film This Film Is Not Yet Rated Babbit criticized the MPAA for discriminating against films with gay content.
Many critics did not like the film, comparing it unfavorably with the films of John Waters and criticizing the colorful production design. Although the lead actors were praised for their performances, some of the characters were described as stereotypical.
But I Am a Cheerleader (2000)
Directed by: Jamie Babbit
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Katrina Phillips, Eddie Cibrian, Wesley Mann, Richard Moll, Douglas Spain, Katharine Towne, Cathy Moriarty
Screenplay by: Brian Wayne Peterson
Production Design by: Rachel Kamerman
Cinematography by: Jules Labarthe
Film Editing by: Cecily Rhett
Costume Design by: Alix Friedberg
Art Direction by: Macie Vener
Music by: Pat Irwin
MPAA Rating: R for strong language and sexual content involving teens.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: July 7, 2000
Visits: 99
