Thursday, March 13, 2014

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)


IMDb plot summary: A transexual punk rock girl from East Berlin tours the US with her rock band as she tells her life story and follows the ex-boyfriend/bandmate who stole her songs.
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Miriam Shor, Michael Pitt, and Andrea Martin.

I'm kind of torn on this movie. On one side, the musical performances are STUNNING. The songs are great and interesting and John Cameron Mitchell sings the heck out of them, whether it's a big over-the-top rock number or a much quieter song ("Wicked Little Town" and its reprise are both just gorgeous). The problem is that there's also an actual plot winding its way through the movie, and it's confusing, muddled, awkwardly written, and always, ALWAYS takes a back stage to the music, especially toward the end, when the actual dialogue fades away almost entirely to focus on the songs. I would have liked to see this more as an actual rock opera, with very few non-musical moments, since the music is clearly the emotional centerpiece.

In conclusion: Great musical, I am definitely going to have to pick up the soundtrack... not necessarily a great movie. 3.5 stars.

Flickchart: #668 out of 2062, below Brothers and above Cloak and Dagger.

Rent it digitally on Amazon.

No comments: