Movie Review: But I'm a Cheerleader

10.09.2010 | By: P.D.

A comedy about a cheerleader who gradually comes in touch with her true lesbian identity.

But I'm a Cheerleader is a light romantic comedy. (Photoxpress)

Parents and friends of the blond-haired Megan are worried. The main female character of the movie But I'm a Cheerleader is a vegetarian, her room if filled with posters of Melissa Etheridge and – worst of all –she doesn't enjoy kissing her boyfriend. All these signs show that the girl got infected with homosexuality! When she comes home one day, the family stages an intervention. Her parents and friends all gather for moral support and invite an ex-gay from a counseling program True Directions for extra help. They assure her they love her and will continue to love her if she gets rid of her lesbian inclinations. Megan is surprised by their demand because she didn't know she was gay. She's a cheerleader, so how can she be a lesbian!

True Directions or let's learn to be straight!

Megan is sent to a True Directions camp to join a group of ''anonymous homosexuals'', where gay teenagers of both sexes are shown the right way and saved from their wrong inclinations. All girls wear pink dresses and all boys wear blue shirts and short pants. The boys have to chop wood, repair cars and play American football, while girls have to vacuum, clean the floor and take care of plastic babies. The necessary confessional video is also shown - an ex-lesbian talks about her experience with lesbianism and how evil female bikers directed her towards unnatural acts.

The first level of the True Directions program includes the confession of one's homosexuality. At this stage Megan realizes for the first time that she actually prefers girls a lot more than she initially thought, but she still doesn't know what's wrong with that. Her suspicions are confirmed when she grows close to an outcast Graham, a dark-haired smoker, which she can't get out of her head, despite the initial dislike. Graham doesn't have problems with her identity but she's in a similar situation as Megan - if she doesn't give up her homosexuality, her parents will throw her out of the house. Despite - or because - the initial problems it is clear that Megan and Graham are meant to be together, which puts their chances to successfully finish the program at risk.

A light romantic comedy

But I'm a Cheerleader is a light romantic comedy with an expected happy ending. The side characters are mostly stereotypical, especially the boys. They include Andre, who is an actor, dancer and a homosexual, mummy's boy Joel and a tutor Mike who can't keep his eyes off the assistant Rock. The girls have a bit more depth and the cameras pay more attention to them.

The cast is convincing when it has to be and fun for the rest of the movie. Naive Megan with a soft voice convincingly plays her character, including the love scenes. The biggest insider's joke is RuPaul, a famous drag queen from New York, who plays Mike, an ex-gay tutor. The movie mocks the real ex-gay movement which tries to 'heal' homosexual persons with different types of therapy despite the experts' opinion that these institutions cause more harm than good.

Cult movie of the LGBT circles

But I'm a Cheerleader from 1999 is one of the early American movies that deal with homosexuality in a light and fun way, contrary to the usual drama with a complex story and tragic main characters. The light approach made the movie popular in LGBT circles.