Soldier's Girl

2003

Soldier's Girl

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

88%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 8

87%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 4,516
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Movie Info

A group of soldiers in the deep South take vengeance against one of their own when word circulates that he's become involved with a transgendered nightclub performer in this drama based on a true story. Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) was a young man with an educational disability who volunteered for the United States Army and found himself stationed in Tennessee, where he soon struck up a friendship with Justin Fisher (Shawn Hatosy), a high-strung fellow GI with a drug problem. One night with nothing to do, Winchell and Fisher tagged along with a group of soldiers who ended up taking in a drag show at a bar in Nashville. One of the performers on the bill that night was Calpernia Addams (Lee Pace), a transsexual and former combat medic in the Navy who was a veteran of the Gulf War before taking the first steps towards sexual reassignment. While Winchell, who was straight, was aware that Addams was at least partially still male, he found himself attracted to her for her intelligence and sensitivity, while she found herself similarly drawn to him. As Winchell and Addams' mutual attraction grew into a romance, the unstable Fisher found himself increasingly confused and angry with Winchell, and he struck back by spreading rumors that one of the men in their company was gay, with fingers soon pointing towards Winchell. Despite the Army's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the company's drill sergeant (Barclay Hope) took it upon himself to find and remove the gay soldier in his ranks, while the increasingly vicious Fisher aligned himself with Calvin Glover (Philip Eddolls), a young and narrow minded recruit eager to strike out with violence against those different from himself. Directed by veteran filmmaker Frank Pierson, Soldier's Girl premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

Cast

Troy Garity
as Barry Winchell
Shawn Hatosy
as Justin Fisher
Lee Pace
as Calpernia Adams
Andre Braugher
as Sgt. Carlos Diaz
Philip Eddolls
as Calvin Glover
Merwin Mondesir
Mike Realba
Jeanie Calleja
Barclay Hope
Tulsi Balram
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Critic Reviews for Soldier's Girl

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (2)

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Audience Reviews for Soldier's Girl

  • May 21, 2013
    Made for TV quality, but a good and bold story. Props to Shawn Hatosy for his strong performance.
    Christian C Super Reviewer
  • Sep 05, 2010
    Oh my goodness this was really, really, really good. I had no idea that this was a true story until the end. I just got done watching this and I am still reeling from it. It is just as good as Boy's Don't Cry. There is a great bonus feature on the DVD that explains the whole case with the real people that the movie was about. Well done movie that honors this poor soldier.
    Cynthia S Super Reviewer
  • Jan 29, 2010
    Lee Pace is honestly brilliant. Probably one of the best yet unknown actors out there these days. This movie was very well done, I comend all the special effects people for turning Lee into a stunning and classy woman. The story is heartfelt and honest. It holds nothing back, it is what it is. A very intense and emotion-filled film. What did this movie teach me? Stupid, violent, pigs should not be allowed in the military.
    Sarah . Super Reviewer
  • Aug 21, 2009
    In "Soldier's Girl," Fisher(Shawn Hatosy) takes his fellow soldiers to Visions, a nightclub in Nashville where you need a scorecard to tell the men from the women, to taunt the performers.(Well, that's what he says but later he ends up making out with one of the singers...) Mostly, he takes aim at Calpernia(Lee Pace), wondering aloud if her breasts are real. Since she is a pre-op transsexual, the answer might be a little complicated. What is rather simple is her attraction to Barry(Troy Garity), Fisher's roommate, who she invites backstage and gives his her phone number. The first person seen in "A Soldier's Girl" is a man dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I who was monarch when William Shakespeare's tragedies were first performed with men acting as women. Based on a true story, this is a very touching, heartfelt, well-acted and even occasionally erotic movie about how gender and sexual orientation are fluid, but this is not New York or San Francisco. It is the heartland of America where acceptance is surprisngly the order of the day. Not so with the military with its very macho attitude and the asinine Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy which should be repealed as soon as possible. See, there are times when compromise can backfire.
    Walter M Super Reviewer
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