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| Transamerica 2005 - USA - 103 min. - Feature, Color Director -Duncan Tucker |
| Genre/Type -Comedy Drama, Road Movie, Gay & Lesbian Films, Family Drama Flags -Adult Situations, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content, Nudity MPAA Rating -R Keywords -father, hustler, operation, parent, son, teenagers, therapist, transsexual, transgendered Themes -Gender-Bending, Parenthood, Haunted By the Past, Mistaken Identities Tones -Intimate, Sexual, Irreverent, Wry, Compassionate Moods -Only Human Produced by -Belladonna Release -Dec 2, 2005 (USA - Limited) Released by -IFC Films / Weinstein Co. Cast Felicity Huffman -- Bree Kevin Zegers -- Toby Fionnula Flanagan -- Elizabeth Elizabeth Pe�a -- Margaret Graham Greene -- Calvin Burt Young -- Murray Carrie Preston -- Sydney |
| Plot Synopsis An Irish boy becomes an emotional and sexual outcast as the 1960s fade into the 1970s in this period drama from director Neil Jordan. When he was just a baby in the early '60s, Patrick Braden (Conor McEvoy) was abandoned by his mother and left on the doorstep of a church overseen by Father Bernard (Liam Neeson). Placed in a foster home, sensitive Patrick doesn't much care for the emotionally chilly attitude of his new "family," and psychologically buffers himself against the world by writing stories that make fun of Father Bernard and the other authority figures in his life. As he grows into adulthood, Patrick (played as an adult by Cillian Murphy) also discovers that he enjoys dressing in women's clothes and prefers the company of men, and as a teenager he falls into an affair with Billy Hatchet (Gavin Friday), a nightclub performer who also runs guns for the Irish Republican Army. In the early '70s, Patrick - who has since taken on the drag name "Kitten" - makes his way to London, where he becomes involved with Bertie (Stephen Rea), a small-time nightclub magician who gives the young man a place to say, a sense of security, and a job as his on-stage assistant. However, Patrick's idyllic life with Bertie proves short-lived when his old friends come to town on IRA "business." Breakfast on Pluto also features a supporting performance from former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide Reviews Kit Bowen, hollywood.com |
| Hollywood.com Says The delightfully off-centered Transamerica is one those juicy little character pieces that allows Felicity Huffman to turn in an unbelievably gutsy, Oscar-worthy performance. Story Transamerica is basically a buddy/road flick. The "buddies" in question are a preoperative male-to-female transsexual named Bree (Huffman), who is one step away from total womanhood, and Toby (Kevin Zegers), the teenage son she unknowingly fathered. The "road" is what they take after Bree finds out about Toby, bails the petulant kid out of jail, and drives him cross-country to Los Angeles. Bree just wants to drop Toby off somewhere, forget about him and make it in time for her final surgery. But of course, along the way, with one adventure after another, she gets to know her son--a guy whose had a pretty rough upbringing and has no idea Bree is his dad. Soon Bree is looking fondly at Toby, thinking maybe she can make this crazy situation work. Acting Wow. Most people know Huffman for her Emmy-winning turn as one of the more desperate of TV's Desperate Housewives. But in no way are you prepared for the fearless performance the actress gives as the prim and proper Bree, formerly the gender-challenged Stanley. Of course, the physical attributes--the coarsening of her features, the deepening of her voice--immediately strike you. I mean, Huffman throws any vanity right out the window. But you soon realize that's all superficial. It's how Huffman digs in and transforms herself into this man--who desperately wants to be a upstanding lady--that is simply astounding. Oscar will definitely come knocking. Zegers (Wrong Turn) also does a nice job as the troubled youth, who blossoms under Bree's watchful eye--but thankfully not in a sugarcoated way. Direction Transamerica sprung from first-time director/writer Duncan Tucker's own friendship with a transgendered woman, but he emphatically says the film isn't about transsexuals. He told Entertainment Weekly, "It's about parenting. It's about growing up." Well, yes, that's mostly true, but the whole transsexual aspect is still there. The film is a character study after all--with one of those characters close to swapping genders, and it's incredibly fascinating. What Tucker also does right is frame the story within the road trip milieu. Of course, road trips can also take too long, with endless shots of wide open spaces. But putting two very different people together in a car and watching them make their way always lends itself to moments rife with conflict and, we hope, resolution. Awards Best Actress (nom) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Academy Best Song (nom) -Dolly Parton -2005 -Academy Best Actress (nom) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Song (nom) -Dolly Parton -2005 -Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actress (nom) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actress (win) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Associati Best Actress - Drama (win) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Golden Globe Best Original Song (nom) -Dolly Parton -2005 -Golden Globe Best Actress (nom) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Independent Spirit Award Best First Feature (nom) -Duncan Tucker -2005 -Independent Spirit Award Best First Screenplay (nom) -Duncan Tucker -2005 -Independent Spirit Award Best Actress (win) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -National Board of Review Best Actress (nom) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Online Film Critics Association Best Actress (win) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Phoenix Film Critics Association Best Original Song (win) -Dolly Parton -2005 -Phoenix Film Critics Association Best Actress (nom) -Felicity Huffman -2005 -Screen Actors Guild |
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