But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

1999 R 85 Minutes

Comedy

Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative par...

Overall Rating

6 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • But I'm A Cheerleader attempts to cheer its way through gay themes but has as much fluff as a pom pom. Suffice to say, this was not for me. My general dislike for B-movies has only grown stronger as I frequently watch grander titles. Regardless of the above, the all-round low quality really did not have me dancing with joy, it nearly had me sleeping with boredom. The parents of a cheerleader are concerned that their daughter is homosexual, so they send her to a conversion therapy camp in an attempt to revert her back to being heterosexual. An always intriguing premise which I have not seen put to film before, conversion therapy of any nature makes for a psychologically stimulating concept involving brainwashing that could create inner conflict for the characters. However, theoretical possibilities and end results are two very different events, some more problematic than others. This end result was routinely dull. A plot that never has any drive, it simply consists of a group of homosexuals performing tasks ranging from mending cars to slicing logs with an axe. Y'know, really straight tasks. It sacrificed character involvement for a quirky aesthetic style to which really hindered the story. A surprising lack of heart and emotion, where the forced relationship within a confined environment felt, well, forced. The acting was shoddy, particularly from Lyonne and DuVall who seemingly are the lead actors. Even RuPaul and Moriarty didn't feel right for the film, an underlying sense of uncomfortableness. The musical score extremely irritated me, as if I was playing 'The Sims'. Y'know that really annoying happy quirky music, except it really didn't fit in at all for this film. The ending, due to minimal characterisation, had no emotional punch and came across as a predictable bore. This is simply best described as a "made for TV" film. The type of forgettable poorly constructed production that acts as decent background noise, taking an interesting concept and hardly utilising it to its full potential. Sorry, "1. 2. 3. 4. But I'm A Cheerleader is an utter bore."