Film

But I'm a Cheerleader

Name: But I'm a Cheerleader
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 2000
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Cathy Moriarty, RuPaul, Melanie Lynskey

A pastel nightmare disguised as a teen comedy: a cheerleader gets shipped off to gay conversion camp by parents who've mistaken her love of Melissa Etheridge for a diagnosis. Director Jamie Babbit plays it as broad, John Waters-inflected satire — bright colours, blunt jokes, RuPaul in fatigues — while the romance underneath is sincere. Funny, angry, and much sharper than its candy-coated surface suggests.

TMDb rating

7.1

If you liked this

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

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The studio-polished, all-ages cousin of Cheerleader's rebellion — a coming-out story engineered to be as unthreatening and warm as possible. Good for anyone who wants the theme without the edge.

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Jawbreaker1999no page yet

Same year, same lurid plastic colour palette, same delight in turning high school cruelty into high camp. If you loved the look of Cheerleader, this scratches an identical itch.

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