Transamerica is one of those films that’s been getting some buzz ever since it started shooting, but not because of who was making it or because of the depth of the script… but more because of the topic of the film.
instead of trying to explain it… it’s best to just let the synopsis do the talking:
Stanley is a perfectly adjusted, conservative trans-sexual who’s about to take the final step to becoming Bree, the woman he always wanted to be – until he finds out that he is the parent of a long-lost 17 year old son. Afraid to tell the rebellious teen-ager the truth, he embarks on a journey with him that will challenge and change both their lives while bringing them closer to the truth of their connection.
To me that’s an amazingly creative and original story idea and makes me excited to see it. It’s getting lots of positive pop from a bunch of critics and some film festivals which is all good news… HOWEVER…
WARNING… BE PREPARED TO BE OFFENDED… BECAUSE I’M ABOUT TO TICK OFF A BUNCH OF YOU
I get really nervous now when a clearly politically LEFT or RIGHT movie comes out with a bunch of people raving about it. I’ve found that a lot of these films only get “big” buzz because the point of view of the film happens to agree with some critics or industry people’s views and the movie gets applauded more for it’s position than for it’s quality.
For example: But I’m a Cheerleader. For those of you who don’t know, Cheerleader is about:
Megan is an all-American girl. She’s a cheerleader, she has a boyfriend, etc. But she doesn’t like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she’s pretty touchy 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 to how to be straight. Will Megan be turned around to successful heterosexuality, or will she succumb to her love for the beautiful Graham?
Oh this little indie film got LOADS of buzz. Words like “Brilliant” and “Amazing” were tossed around like autum leaves. I was pumped about seeing it. After all it was a bold topic and I was interested in see how the story was told. But in the end… the movie SUCKED. No… not just sucked… SUCKED HUGE. It didn’t suck because of the topic or the theme… it sucked because it was a terrible movie.
JUST BECAUSE A MOVIE IS BRAVE DOES NOT MEAN IT’S GOOD.
Transamerica looks very brave, and for that I give it full marks in advance. Hopefully the film will turn out just as good as it is brave. I just hope it’s not getting all this buzz just because of its theme.
To watch the Transamerica trailer you can go here.
