Girls Will Be Girls (2003)
"Camp" is hard. It's not easy to
maintain the high level of hilarious campy humor that
"Girls Will Be Girls" employes from nearly the first
frame. Yet, somehow, writer/director Richard Day manages.
His film may be over-the-top, outrageous, politically
incorrect and the campiest film to come along in eons...
but it's also colorful, well-played and often hilarious.
Day's gag here, which could become
dumb really fast in less talented hands, is to have
men in drag play the three lead female roles in his
film. Drawing from "Valley of the Dolls," "All About
Eve" and numerous other "Hollywood" set films and
TV shows, Day amasses three amusing and complex characters.
First there's Evie (Jack Plotnick from "Ellen"), the
gin- soaked ageing bitch of the clan. A has-been who
never really was, Evie taunts the younger women around
her as well as her loving son. Then there's Evie's
housemate (whom she calls a "maid") and confidant
Coco (Clinton Leupp) who has a deep, dark secret about
an old love interest. And finally there's Varla (Jeffrey
Robberson), Evie's nemesis, a young actress whose
dead mother Marla was once Evie's best friend.
These three "actors" are simply
hilarious. Plotnick is one hell of a flippant bitch.
He delivers the most catty lines with a gay, bon-vivant
attitude that makes each one sear with a delightful
sense of evil. Leupp's not-so-innocent Coco still
plays the conscious of the group with a forthright
urgency and that drag queen assuredness that makes
all she says seem gospel. And Robberson plays the
starry-eyed newcomer like we've never seen before.
Only Naomi Watts did it better in David Lynch's "Mulholland
Drive."
"Girls Will Be Girls" is so over-the-top
that it will easily offend. The jokes here can go
so far as to be about rape and abortion and that,
my friends, is really tough territory. I can easily
see politically correct types and high-strung females
getting up and walking out because they are offended
by some of the jokes here. But funny is funny and
most of the lines here border on the hilarious.
And, of course, the film doesn't
have to be offensive to outrageous and riotous. One
of the greatest scenes in the film has one of the
gals singing an aria while she fills her gaping mouth
with aerosol cheese. It's one of the most absurd and
demented and HILARIOUS things you will ever see in
a film.
"Girls Will Be Girls" and boys dressed
like girls will be funny as hell. These are the jokes,
folks. Just leave your political correctness at home.
Notes:
Also with Dana Gould (who has gotten
really fat) and Michael Stoyanov (who used to be the
alcoholic brother on TV's "Blossom.")
The film debut at a midnight screening
at Sundance in 2003.
Day is a respected TV writer and
producer and the film began as a TV pilot.
Plotnick first played his role in
the short film "Evie Harris: Shining Star" which can
be viewed on-line through links at http://www.dennishensley.com
Leupp has played Coco in numerous
films including "To Wong Foo" and "Trick."
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Viewed at Agliff 2003 on opening night with
my friend Johnny Oh! We ran into our festival
buddy Craig there and he sat with us. Craig
is really cute and we make a funny little love
triangle because I dig him and he has no interest
in me. He's ga-ga for Johnny and Johnny could
care less. It's amusing. Still, Craig is nice
and sweet and loves movies almost as much as
I do and talking to him is fun.
The film was introduced by the Agliff Board
of Directors and an openly gay guy from the
Mayor's office read a proclamation before the
film. Agliff Artistic Director Scott Dinger
also introduced the film's producer and lead
actor Jack Plotnick before the film and he made
a few opening comments.
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The
filmmakers begind "Girls Will Be Girls" introduce
their opening night film at the Paramount.
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A guy
from the mayor's office reads a proclomation
declaring Aug 22 through Sept1 Agliff Days in
Austin.
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Johnny and I went to the Agliff Opening Night
Party after the film (28 bucks a pop - talk about
outrageous!) and drank free booze from festival
sponsor Tanqueray and ate food provided by local
restaurants. Craig hung out with us some more
and he and I had a really nice conversation about
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" where we really
seemed to connect. The party was in the warehouse
district in a really drab space and was boring
as fuck. The guys from the movie were there for
a bit. |
