Starring Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, and Richard E. Grant
Directed by Johnathan Butterell
Music by Tom MacRae; Lyrics by Dan Gillespie Sells
I'm back from vacation with one last recent release before I begin this year's horror reviews. This is another stage adaptation with a long road to the screen. 20th Century Fox was originally supposed to put it out last October, but first they were bought out by Disney, then the pandemic hit. Disney kept pushing it further and further back, until they canceled the release. Amazon picked it up and finally released it as a Prime exclusive last month. What was it about this story of a gay teen who dreams of becoming a drag queen that makes it so controversial? Let's begin on a rainy day in Sheffield, England, where Jamie New (Harwood) is about to turn 16, and find out...
The Story: Shy Jamie wants more than anything to become a glamorous drag queen. His mother Margaret (Lancashire) and Muslim best friend Pritti (Patel) support his dream, but many of the kids at school make fun of him, and his macho father Wayne (Ralph Ineson) doesn't understand. Nor does his teacher Miss Hedge (Sharon Horgen), who wants her students to take on practical careers that will get them far in the future. He joins a drag club, where the owner, former drag queen Hugo Battersby (Grant), makes him over in the fabulous Mimi Me. He feels comfortable as Mimi...but his flamboyant new persona is making a few too many waves at school and at home. His principal (Adeel Akhatar) threatens to cancel the prom if he shows up in a dress...but if Jamie doesn't, he feels he'll lose a part of himself.
The Song and Dance: This is a very sweet and touching movie about accepting who you are, finding your family, and the difference between breaking barriers and being arrogant about it. The kids are revelations here, especially Harwood as Jamie and Patel as the smart girl who is as ostracized for her religion as Jamie is for his sexuality. I also like Lancashire as Jamie's mom, who encourages her son, even as she tries to shield him from the reality that his father hates what he is. As with Rocketman, another biographical musical about a gay performer discovering himself, the numbers do a wonderful job switching between the very gloomy and real Sheffield and the rainbow and glitter numbers.
Favorite Number: "Don't Even Know It" is Jamie's daydream in class, as he imagines becoming a fabulous drag queen despite his teacher's admonishment that he should look for a more sensible job. He recalls how he and his father's relationship fractured over the years as he became more and more feminine and created a "Wall In My Head." Pritti encourages him to reach for the "Spotlight" when they're chatting at home. Hugo recalls his days as ferocious drag queen Loco Channelle before AIDS cut a wide swatch through the gay community in the early 90's in the sad and touching "This Was Me." The drag queens at the club Legs Eleven make Jamie over into the "Over the Top" drag queen Mimi Me, encouraging him to exaggerate his every movement.
"Everybody's Talkin' About Jamie" at school, from the girls to the boys dribbling basketballs. Pritti explains to Jamie after he finds out the truth about his father that "It Means Beautiful," and she likes him and his name just the way they are. Margaret admits that "He's My Boy," even when he's driving her crazy, and they reveal the depth of their caring relationship in "My Man, My Boy." Jamie finally steps out as who he really is - and encourages the rest of the school to do the same - taking them "Out of the Darkness (A Place Where We Belong)."
Trivia: Original stage Jamie John McCrea plays the younger Loco Channelle.
The stage show debuted in Sheffield in February 2017, but it was such a success that it transferred to the West End that November for a four year run, with time off for the pandemic from March to December 2020.
What I Don't Like: I actually would have liked to see them do more with the father; we hear about him, but barely see him. His departure obviously had a big impact on his son's life, but we don't really get too much of it beyond "Wall In My Head." The uplifting story can come off as a bit cliched, and possibly nothing you've seen in other musical biographies going as far back as the 30's.
The Big Finale: Touching and joyous, this is a lovely film for not only gay audiences, but anyone who ever felt like an outsider.
Home Media: As mentioned, at the moment, it's an Amazon Prime exclusive.
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