DVD available at Amazon.com
Writer and Director:
Duncan Tucker
Cast:
Felicity Huffman……….Sabrina “Bree” Osbourne
Kevin Zegers………..Toby Osbourne
Fionnula Flanagan……….Elizabeth
Graham Greene………..Calvin Many Goats
Burt Young………..Murray
Elizabeth Pena……….Margaret
Danny Burstein……….Dr. Spikowsky
The Weinstein Company presents Transamerica. Running time: 104 minutes. Rated R (for sexual content, nudity, language and drug use). Available on DVD: May 23, 2006.
The movie:
The life a person leads can be viewed in different ways. Take the life of a transsexual. More often than not a person will envision a man or woman who dresses and acts in a style or manner associated with the opposite sex. This statement would be correct if you were talking about a transvestite. Transsexuals are people who have the psychological urge to belong to the opposite sex. They are willing to undergo surgery or hormone therapy to change their appearance.
Transamerica begins with Felicity Huffman practicing voice exercises in a bedroom mirror. She isn’t rehearsing for an acting audition. She is a man who is compelled to become a woman. The exercises are to change her inflection. Reduce her pitch. Sabrina has had facial reconstruction, a tracheotomy shave and increased her estrogen; there is a part of her that has not been removed. One week remains until Sabrina’s surgery can happen. Then the phone rings. Bree (short for Sabrina) learns she fathered a son some 17 years ago.
The news brings unforeseen changes. Her therapist Margaret was under the impression that Stanley, her client, was a virgin. She insists that he must meet the son and come to terms with him before her final surgery can happen.
Stanley may have known for a long time that he wanted to be a woman. As Bree he has gotten his wish. Bree is very plain, homely to a degree. She works two jobs, one as a waitress in Mexican-American diner in L.A. She doesn’t have many friends, aside from her therapist Margaret (Elizabeth Pena). Alienating her family, Bree lives a life of seclusion in a trailer park community. She’s nice to others but needs to leave her home and experience life. Living alone, Bree’s only companion must be the written word. Books covering all subjects give her the freedom to explore the world in the comfort of her own living room.
Bree halfheartedly leaves sunny California to the hurly-burly of New York to meet Toby (Kevin Zegers), a street hustler who wants to make it as a porn star. Conservative and ladylike Bree is upset with Toby’s career goals. She’s one to talk. Not wanting to reveal her true identity, Bree instead poses as a Christian caseworker that specializes in converting sex workers to Jesus. Toby reluctantly agrees to drive back to L.A. with her. He needs the ride and the setting is perfect for getting a foothold in the porno industry.
What is this, a transsexual and his/her gay hustler son traveling cross-country together? That’s about as believable as two gay cowboys. Dissenters fail to realize Brokeback Mountain was a love story. Two men were the center, yes, but their homosexuality should not have been an issue. The fact that they were cowboys, the most manly of professions, is what caused an uproar. Transamerica is less about the life of a transsexual and more about Bree mending the relationship with her estranged son.
The outset of their journey to Los Angeles she acts motherly telling Toby to fasten his seatbelt and keep his feet off the dashboard. Eating at a restaurant Bree tells him to “eat your vegetables.” Toby hesitates then starts eating with his hands. She sees this and tells him to use a fork. “Just an idea.” Another pet peeve is Toby’s grammar. He’s guilty of using words “like” and “you know” in the middle or tail end of sentences. This causes Bree to correct him during his Nike-Japan story.
Toby: You know how much these things are worth in Japan?
Bree: Three dollars?
Toby: Like 500 dollars. Japanese people kill for old Nikes.
Bree: Then you probably should avoid wearing them in Japan.
Toby: Yeah, I’d probably be, like, disemboweled by a ninja.
Bree: You don’t have to say “like”. “Probably disemboweled by a ninja” is sufficient.
The humor that resides in the above exchange is found throughout Transamerica. It’s not a film that aims to be a comedy. More like an observation of human nature. Humor is like a defense mechanism. It allows the characters to open up, break the silence. Encountering an American Indian named Calvin Many Goats (Graham Greene), he serenades her with the pluck of his guitar strings. Offering her a swig of liquor Bree takes a sip and starts to cough. He says “it’ll put hair on your chest.” All Bree can do is motion towards the heavens and say, “I hope not.”
While prepping my review I was surprised to learn that Indians and Mexicans are more open-minded than those of Middle America. Maybe that is why Calvin is attracted to Bree. The fact Bree works in a Mexican restaurant also strengthens this idea.
Without Felicity Huffman as Bree I’m not sure the movie would have worked. She doesn’t exaggerate the life of a transsexual. She doesn’t want to make a big deal or stand up on a soapbox and explain her lifestyle. Bree has spent her entire life living in a body that clearly is not hers, and when escape is imminent – the final surgery – she is given an unappreciative son. Destiny or tragedy?
Bree wants to keep it a secret that she is a pre-op transsexual and Toby’s biological father. The truth emerges little by little during the trip. The revelation would be more dramatic if Toby was congenial and not the infuriating louse that he is.
Breakthroughs are made and discoveries are found during the journey. A stopover in Phoenix introduces Bree’s sister (Carrie Preston) and her ill-mannered parents Elizabeth and Murray (Fionnula Flanagan and Burt Young). Arriving at the family house, Elizabeth finds out for herself if her son is pre-op or post-op by grabbing at Bree’s private parts. If this wasn’t insulting enough, when the family goes out to dinner the mother insists Bree pull out her chair so she can sit.
Thankfully, Bree is reserved and doesn’t cause a spectacle. Had she been more of an extrovert, her reaction may have lacked credibility. She has waited such a long time to be a woman, and what a way to start. As a mother.
Inspired to some degree from the transsexuals he knew, Duncan Tucker’s Transamerica may be viewed as a film about transsexualism. But as the scenes play out, it’s not about sex at all. It is about building a mother-son relationship and the family values that go with it.
Score: 8/10
The DVD:
A quick note about the slip cover for the Transamerica DVD. Included on the box is a holographic image of Felicity Huffman. Turn it one way she looks like a desperate housewife. Tilt it in the other direction and see looks like Bree.
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen)
Shot on Super-16, the film has a washed-out appearance. Especially in the desert country. Overall, it works. The lack of vitality is advantageous and not a distraction. Considering Transamerica was shot for two dollars, as Duncan Tucker likes to admit, its quality is understandable. Still professional, at times you will forget that it was an adventure in independent filmmaking.
Score: 7/10
THE AUDIO
(Dolby Digital 5.1)
There’s only one audio track but it sounds fine throughout the feature. Dialogue audio is heard clear and is unmistakable. Most of the music is weaved into the background; the country and folk music do not bleed into the foreground. This allows normal home theater speakers to easily handle the output. The diverse musical tracks also reflect the changing moods as Bree and Toby travel through Southwest locales.
Score: 6/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: A few little knickknacks…
This DVD has a few extras that will keep you watching once the movie is over. The commentary track with writer-director Duncan Tucker is an interesting listen. Not entirely scene-specific, Tucker talks about the issues of making an independent feature. Camped out in Best Westerns, shooting handheld, the production crew had their work cut out for them. Actor William H. Macy (Felicity Huffman’s husband) was also a benefit to the production. The work he did afforded him the title of executive producer in the closing credits.
Some of the information is repetitive, though, being restated again in the conversation featurettes. The first conversation involves Tucker with actress Felicity Huffman. Clocking in at a little over 19 minutes in length, the director and star focus on the performances, the difficulty in obtaining distribution, and the screenings in Berlin and at the Tribeca Film Festival. The rousing reaction at Berlin, with people crowding in the aisles, generated buzz. It was Macy who told Duncan to “wait for Tribeca.” Macy got Harvey Weinstein on the phone and asked him to attend a screening. The mogul ended up seeing it in a New York high school during the festival. He loved it, bought it and the rest is history.
The second 10-minute conversation between Tucker and actor Kevin Zegers is only for fans who want to know more about the actor’s pretty-boy image. The only thing of interest is Tucker’s admitting the movie is a journey, not about transsexualism. It’s about growing up, learning to love yourself.
The rest of special features include a music video to Dolly Parton’s Academy award nominated song “Travelin’ Thru” as well as a short making-of about the video. Also added is a short blooper reel and the film’s theatrical trailer.
Score: 6/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for Transamerica | |
