This is a mediocre movie, but it's one of those mediocre movies you can't stop watching - you've got to see what's next. So, I just cannot place it in the mediocre category.
I had seen it on video, and saw it again the other night on Bravo, while flipping channels. Bravo became such a great gay TV channel, don't you think?
Here, Patrick Swaize, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo play three drag queens stranded in a small town waiting for some car part to arrive so that they can get their car fixed and go to Hollywood. They help the town be gayer. Here are their names: Vida Boheme (Swaize), Noxzeema Jackson (Snipes), and Chi Chi Rodriguez (Leguizamo). Classic.
The gay content is excellent. Tons of cliches, not one of them bothered me though. The drag queens were like real drag queens, all joy, even if they were also shown to be shallow at times -- except for Patrick Swaize's character, who was thoughtful and deep. Only John Leguizamo's Chi Chi was believable (pic on the right), Wesley and Patrick must improve a lot for their next drag queen role.
Chris Penn plays a cop who tries to kiss and assault and take advantage of poor Patrick Swaize and gets knocked over. So he keeps trying to find the drag queen who hit him back. He is shown as a loser and an idiotic bigot. So, great for us.
Michael Vartan has a cameo in the movie too. He also plays a bigot, but his bigotry disappears pretty quickly into the movie. Yay! Go Vartan!
I was surprised to see the movie made $36.5 million in the US box office. That is pretty nice for a movie that is not that good. Although Brokeback clearly represented a change in perspective for gay movies, we have quite a bit of clues that there was some life before Brokeback. To Wong Foo is certainly one of such clues.
More discussion on the great positive light will ruin the plot. Keep reading or go rent this vintage.
The drag queens in the movie all showed us that their are real nice people, full of joy and willing to suck people into their gayety. Super nice.
Towards the end, Chris Penn is still trying to arrest the drag queens. In his quest to find them, Penn curses, calls them freaks, the works. In the end, when the drag queens are found, the towns' people help them flee. The people protect the drag queens from the mean and bigoted police officer. That's real nice. Stockard Channing even says she loves Patrick Swaize in a super sweet goodbye scene at the end.
Great light.
Wow, YNF! Thankx! And don't you ever apologize for leaving a great comment. If it has to be long, even better.
I saw Priscilla when it came out in the theater, so, I would have to see it again to review it here. I do remember enough of it to agree with your parallel between the two movies ;-)
Posted by: Queer Beacon | Dec 19, 2006 at 12:40 PM
I did like this movie. Like you said, it keeps you interested in what happens next. My friends and I laughed pretty hard at some of the funniest lines we've ever heard from a movie.
There have been comparisons to The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, and there seem to be some similarities; but other than the fact the plot revolves around drag queens embarking on a journey and changing those they encounter, there are also some very significant differences.
One of these differences is in the presentation and complexities of the subject matter. In a way, To Wong Foo can be seen a light hearted movie, with it's moving moments, and a plot that slightly delves just beneath the surface of its characters. Priscilla, while classified as a comedy, on the other hand, is a more serious movie, though there are some very funny moments throughout; but Priscilla is almost more real in its portrayal of the some of the hardships and dilemmas that face GLBT individuals and those around them.
While I enjoyed how both To Wong Foo and Priscilla explored the developing relationships among the characters, only Priscilla some how manages to blend the fantastic scenery to somehow enhance the story. Priscilla presents an enchanting parallel of both a common, almost plain surroundings as well as an out of this world view of the Australian outback, more alien than familiar yet hauntingly seductive. That is not to say that the small town environment was not important in To Wong Foo; rather, it worked perfectly for a very light hearted movie--simple, almost cliche small
decaying town barely populated by unsophisticated, naive if not ignorant, and unimaginitve people who turn out to have very big hearts and big dreams.
I enjoyed both movies because they both entertained and told a wonderful story with messages of hope, perseverence, and believing in yourself and taking a chance to make your dreams come true. One of my best friends and I loved some of the more outrageous insults traded in Too Wong Foo; in fact, we've called each other some the same insults for laughs.
I do have to admit that one of the reasons I enjoyed these movies is because of the actors; who knew Wesley Snipes would be a funny drag queen--an ugly one, but one with style and fierceness that cannot be denied; and John Leguizamo was one hot mama. In Priscilla, I was amazed to see General Zod from Superman II, as well as the other two actors; all of whom would go on to play other great roles in later movies--one in the Matrix and Lord of the Rings, the other in LA Confidential and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Sorry for making such a long post, but I really enjoy reading your reviews as they make me think and see another interesting viewpoint and interpretation of certain bodies of work; I don't know if you've seen Priscilla, but you might enjoy it; as for Bravo, that channel is the gayest channel on US cable stations...
Thanks for sharing your perspectives with us; they are very much appreciated and are much enjoyed...Keep up the wonderful work.
Posted by: YNF | Dec 14, 2006 at 04:03 AM