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Movies / On DVD / But I'm a Cheerleader
But I'm a Cheerleader

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But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

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Reviews Counted:45

Fresh:15

Rotten:30

Average Rating:4.8/10

Consensus: Critics think that But I'm a Cheerleader could have been better. The acting is stiff at times and the plot is surprisingly unoriginal.

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Comedies

Box Office: $175,182

Synopsis: The girls wear pink and the boys wear blue in BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER, a film billed as a comedy about sexual disorientation. Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is a happy-go-lucky cheerleading teenager in the... The girls wear pink and the boys wear blue in BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER, a film billed as a comedy about sexual disorientation. Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is a happy-go-lucky cheerleading teenager in the suburbs when suddenly her fairly normal behavior (vegetarianism, Melissa Etheridge poster, reluctance to make out with her boyfriend) makes her suspect in the eyes of the community. Megan's super straightlaced parents (Mink Stole of John Waters fame and Bud Cort from HAROLD AND MAUDE), fearing that their precious "little poodle" may be a lesbian, promptly ship a befuddled Megan off to True Directions, a homosexual rehabilitation facility. Unable to take the first step required by the program--admitting that she is in fact gay--Megan butts heads with camp leaders Mary (Cathy Moriarty) and Mike (RuPaul out of drag). Soon enough, Megan finds proof of her heretofore unknown attraction to girls when she falls for Graham (Clea DuVall), a sexy tomboy and fellow inmate at True Directions. Megan's brightly colored and slightly unreal world gets even odder as an unlikely romance blossoms in the least likely of places. As Graham and Megan grow closer, the film's unique comic twists and visual stylization expose the absurd nature of society's rigid social and sexual codes and create an endearing and hysterically funny love story at the same time. [More]

Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Cathy Moriarty, Michelle Williams

Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Cathy Moriarty, Michelle Williams, Melanie Lynskey, RuPaul Charles, Bud Cort, Mink Stole, Eddie Cibrian, Julie Delpy

Director: Jamie Babbitt

Director: Jamie Babbitt
Screenwriter: Brian Wayne Peterson
Producer: Andrea Sperling, Leanna Creel
Composer: Pat Irwin

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 3, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for But I'm a Cheerleader

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The way the film handles how gay and lesbian stereotypes ... is both charming and funny.

Full Review Source: BeatBoxBetty.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
BeatBoxBetty.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Greg Muskewitz
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Michael Thomson
Michael Thomson
BBC

But I'm a Cheerleader is funny.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cheerleader is certainly refreshing.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Gregory
Mike Gregory
Reel.com

But I'm a Cheerleader may seem too elementary to a sophisticated crowd

Full Review Source: Movie Magazine International | comment Comment
05/11/03
Moira Sullivan
Moira Sullivan
Movie Magazine International

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Sherman
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The struggles of gay teenagers are handled with vast humor, insight and honesty.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Campbell
Rob Campbell
IFilm

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The edgy dialogue keeps the film fresh, lively and light.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

...the film plays gay stereotypes as broad farce and middle class fear as frantic panic, but there’s no bite beyond the cartoonish laughs.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
01/01/00
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

It's the year's funniest, most absurd sight gag.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
San Francisco Examiner

Something needs straightening out here.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

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Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/19/02
Globe and Mail

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat

Too often she substitutes petulance for the curiosity and determination the role requires.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Amy Taubin
Amy Taubin
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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Latest News for But I'm a Cheerleader

August 23, 2005: In Other News...Natasha Lyonne, Brad 'n Jen, and Kirsten 'n Jake
According to the NY Post, American Pie star Natasha Lyonne is in the intensive care unit of New York's Beth Israel Hospital, where she is receiving treatment for Hepatitis C, a... More...

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