Jamie Babbit (But I'm
a Cheerleader, Sleeping Beauties, "The L Word") has a hit
on her hands with this refreshing coming of age comedy about a young woman who
finds her voice in radical feminist politics. Their youthful enthusiasm for defeating
the patriarchy will likely resonate with many of us who spent our young adulthoods
in the streets, making art and music, or debating the issues in academia. Anna
(Melonie Diaz) lives at home with her parents and works as a receptionist at a
plastic surgery clinic specializing in breast enhancement. After work one night,
she observes Sadie (Nicole Vicius) spray painting the office windows with a message
from the C(I)A, Clits in Action. Anna ends up joining the group, participating
in their guerrilla actions and becoming a student of feminist theory. Life is
never the same again! She soon falls in love with Sadie, which is a little
complicated, since Sadie lives with her partner Courtney (Melanie Mayron, "thirtysomething"),
the much older leader of a mainstream feminist organization. Others in the group
include Shuli (Carly Pope), Meat (Deak Evgenikos) and Aggie (Lauren Mollica),
sometimes joined by Laurel (Jenny Shimizu, The
New Women, Foxfire) and Calvin (Daniela
Sea, Shortbus, "The L Word"). Guinevere
Turner also appears as a reporter, and Clea DuVall and Melanie Lynskey (both in
But I'm a Cheerleader) cameo. It's great to see a lesbian romantic
comedy that is also a political film. Produced by POWER UP. |