http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3786146073/ TRAILER
I am not going to lie; I first saw this movie because of Michael Pitt. He played a character on Dawson’s Creek (my favorite TV show in Middle School) so I had to see it. What an awakening! I was a naïve teen who loved musicals. Why should this one be any different? It was a modern rock musical with a guy from my favorite show; of course I would love it. Boy was I right! I loved this movie right away but at the time it scared me and excited me and I didn’t know why but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Maybe it was because this movie was the first movie that introduced me to a transgendered main character who wasn’t supposed to be seen as the downfall of mankind, maybe it was because it was my introduction to the punk rock world, or maybe it was because of the first line, “I’m like the Berlin Wall! Try to tear me down!” Whatever it was, this movie has been one of my favorites for a long time.
The music in this movie is fantastic. The lead character Hedwig lists her (his?) influences as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Debbie Boone, and Linda Ronstadt. Talk about eclectic, and that is exactly what the music in this movie is like. Country to rock to punk to piano ballad and back again. My favorites would have to be “Angry Inch” (about his botched sexual reassignment surgery), “Suddenly” (about his changing nature), “Wicked” (about getting out of a town he hates), and “Origin of Love” (the Greek myth told by Plato dealing with soul mates- it also is the whole basis of the movie).
The music is often accompanied with animation and cartoons (presumably by Hedwig) that look like professional stick figures. In contrast to the woman behind the mic, the art is minimalist and simple. It is plain and monochromatic but moves the story of the movie along with the music. Like a traditional musical the music is used to help the story progress by giving the viewer an inside look at Hedwig’s past as well as her emotions. She may be a rock goddess on stage but internally she is searching for her own personal truth.
Hedwig (played by writer and director John Cameron Mitchell) is a gay German man who was essentially tricked into becoming a woman by his lover. She is a complex walking contradiction which makes the viewer accept her all the more. While the movie is meant to be a poignant comedy it seems to be bordering on a very heartfelt drama. There are some wonderful one-liners (my favorite comes from an early story involving a fur coat and a PETA activist) but the entire movie is a wave. Comedic highs are met with emotional scenes throughout with great success. Overall the main character comes off as this incredible performer with no insecurities but in reality she is crumbling under her vulnerabilities. She is crude and boisterous but you just can’t help but root for her regardless of the fact that she is a drag queen.
Unfortunately she is only a rock star in her own mind. She lives to upset conservatives and cause riots inside the local Sizzler down the street from major music stadiums. She’s on tour following the band of Tommy Gnosis (played by Pitt) after he has stolen her songs. The boy grew up as an ultra Christian, role playing game fanatic who knew nothing of rock n roll. Hedwig teaches him everything about music and the art of being a rock star just to have him fall in love with her. When he finds out she is actually stuck between a man and woman he flips. The scene immediately goes from a slew of comedic timed lines to a heart breaking confrontation between the two. One line in this scene really sums up the character for me, “You love me? Then love the front of me!” Tommy then takes her music and her knowledge and becomes the greatest rock star in the world while she is left to play in fish houses and turn tricks for money to travel. Ultimately the message I come away with from this movie is to be yourself and love who you are inside.
Pitt’s performance was something I did not expect when I first saw this movie. At the time I couldn’t understand how someone could go from being a boy next door type on Dawson’s Creek to a closeted gay rock star in this. Now having seen some of his other movies like “The Dreamers” and “Funny Games” it seems to me that Dawson’s Creek was just a jumping off point. This guy is a great actor who specializes in the weird, deranged, quirky characters and I look forward to seeing his movies in the future. Because Hedwig is played by the man who wrote and directed the movie, the character is fully developed and acted out in an incredibly realistic way. One character I would like to mention is the backup singer/ husband of Hedwig played by Miriam Shor. For most of the movie I am unable to determine if she is supposed to be a man wanting to be a woman or a woman wanting to be a man. Other than the confusion, the character is fleshed out beautifully as someone dying to be loved by Hedwig all the while trying to get out of her shadow.
The sets, the costumes, the wigs, every visual aspect of this movie are wonderful. This movie is obviously not for children and obviously not for the homophobic, squeamish, timid, or close-minded viewers. If you are interested in seeing a great kick ass controversial rock musical then this is your movie.
4.5 out of 5 Roses
I am not going to lie; I first saw this movie because of Michael Pitt. He played a character on Dawson’s Creek (my favorite TV show in Middle School) so I had to see it. What an awakening! I was a naïve teen who loved musicals. Why should this one be any different? It was a modern rock musical with a guy from my favorite show; of course I would love it. Boy was I right! I loved this movie right away but at the time it scared me and excited me and I didn’t know why but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Maybe it was because this movie was the first movie that introduced me to a transgendered main character who wasn’t supposed to be seen as the downfall of mankind, maybe it was because it was my introduction to the punk rock world, or maybe it was because of the first line, “I’m like the Berlin Wall! Try to tear me down!” Whatever it was, this movie has been one of my favorites for a long time.
The music in this movie is fantastic. The lead character Hedwig lists her (his?) influences as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Debbie Boone, and Linda Ronstadt. Talk about eclectic, and that is exactly what the music in this movie is like. Country to rock to punk to piano ballad and back again. My favorites would have to be “Angry Inch” (about his botched sexual reassignment surgery), “Suddenly” (about his changing nature), “Wicked” (about getting out of a town he hates), and “Origin of Love” (the Greek myth told by Plato dealing with soul mates- it also is the whole basis of the movie).
The music is often accompanied with animation and cartoons (presumably by Hedwig) that look like professional stick figures. In contrast to the woman behind the mic, the art is minimalist and simple. It is plain and monochromatic but moves the story of the movie along with the music. Like a traditional musical the music is used to help the story progress by giving the viewer an inside look at Hedwig’s past as well as her emotions. She may be a rock goddess on stage but internally she is searching for her own personal truth.
Hedwig (played by writer and director John Cameron Mitchell) is a gay German man who was essentially tricked into becoming a woman by his lover. She is a complex walking contradiction which makes the viewer accept her all the more. While the movie is meant to be a poignant comedy it seems to be bordering on a very heartfelt drama. There are some wonderful one-liners (my favorite comes from an early story involving a fur coat and a PETA activist) but the entire movie is a wave. Comedic highs are met with emotional scenes throughout with great success. Overall the main character comes off as this incredible performer with no insecurities but in reality she is crumbling under her vulnerabilities. She is crude and boisterous but you just can’t help but root for her regardless of the fact that she is a drag queen.
Unfortunately she is only a rock star in her own mind. She lives to upset conservatives and cause riots inside the local Sizzler down the street from major music stadiums. She’s on tour following the band of Tommy Gnosis (played by Pitt) after he has stolen her songs. The boy grew up as an ultra Christian, role playing game fanatic who knew nothing of rock n roll. Hedwig teaches him everything about music and the art of being a rock star just to have him fall in love with her. When he finds out she is actually stuck between a man and woman he flips. The scene immediately goes from a slew of comedic timed lines to a heart breaking confrontation between the two. One line in this scene really sums up the character for me, “You love me? Then love the front of me!” Tommy then takes her music and her knowledge and becomes the greatest rock star in the world while she is left to play in fish houses and turn tricks for money to travel. Ultimately the message I come away with from this movie is to be yourself and love who you are inside.
Pitt’s performance was something I did not expect when I first saw this movie. At the time I couldn’t understand how someone could go from being a boy next door type on Dawson’s Creek to a closeted gay rock star in this. Now having seen some of his other movies like “The Dreamers” and “Funny Games” it seems to me that Dawson’s Creek was just a jumping off point. This guy is a great actor who specializes in the weird, deranged, quirky characters and I look forward to seeing his movies in the future. Because Hedwig is played by the man who wrote and directed the movie, the character is fully developed and acted out in an incredibly realistic way. One character I would like to mention is the backup singer/ husband of Hedwig played by Miriam Shor. For most of the movie I am unable to determine if she is supposed to be a man wanting to be a woman or a woman wanting to be a man. Other than the confusion, the character is fleshed out beautifully as someone dying to be loved by Hedwig all the while trying to get out of her shadow.
The sets, the costumes, the wigs, every visual aspect of this movie are wonderful. This movie is obviously not for children and obviously not for the homophobic, squeamish, timid, or close-minded viewers. If you are interested in seeing a great kick ass controversial rock musical then this is your movie.
4.5 out of 5 Roses
Posts
I need to correct somethings in this post:
ReplyDeletea) the line is "I'm like the new Berlin Wall. Try and tear me down!"
b) the songs are not "Wicked" and "Suddenly" but "Wicked Little Town" and "Wig in a Box"
Sorry for any confusion!
-Rae