But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

Slightly weird film based on a sexual redirection camp. The setup is that a girl's parents suspect their daughter of being a lesbian and send her to a rehab camp to "cure" her. There are supposed to be numerous such places in the USA. This one starts with group therapy along the lines of Alcoholics Anonymous, first involving admission of one's homosexuality. Overplayed for effect, the camp reinforces stereotype gender and orientation roles. The problem is that it's not strictly a comedy, although it's very obviously not intended to be taken seriously. It falls between the two stools, and it can be a bit squirm-inducing.

The camp is run by a woman, but it has a male role model, who admits that he was once gay but has been "cured": he is Mike, played by Ru Paul, entirely in male mode here (so the film is not really transgender.) The choice of Ru Paul, a very prominent transgender actor, for this part is obviously part of the joke, sending the film itself up.

The film is also known as Make Me Over.

HF November 2003

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