On the outside looking in

I must admit that one of my secret guilty pleasures is watching movies about drag queens. Having known a few myself, once you get beyond the persona, they are some of the most 'real' people you can get to know. Which is probably why I enjoy movies about them (at least those that treat the subject with respect).

I just finished watching Connie and Carla - I was quite entertained once I got beyond the 'Bosom Buddies' plotline. It stars Nia Vardalos (recently starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding) - she looks great in the film, after losing some weight and Toni Collette (who was the mom in About A Boy). Oh and David Duchovny (X-Files) played the obligatory boyfriend-to-be. A good 'lazy afternoon' flick.

This joins my other 2 favourite drag queen movies:
1. The Birdcage, starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. Seeing Gene Hackman in drag singing 'We are Family' will forever be burned onto my brain.
2. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Same thing except with Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and, oddly, John Leguizamo.

Sadly, I haven't watched Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I love the tagline though: "Finally, a comedy that will change the way you think, the way you feel, and most importantly... the way you dress." Brilliant.

I think that sums it up about what I admire about drag queens: They live their lives as they like, everyone else who don't (or won't) understand be damned. Its not that they don't care what people think, its just that they don't let other people dictate how to live.

Are there any other drag queen movies I've missed?

This entry was posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 at 6:58 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.