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Director: Duncan Tucker
Screenplay: Duncan Tucker
Stars: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegars, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young, Graham Greene
Plot: “Huffman plays Bree Osbourne, a conservative transsexual woman, who learns she is the parent of a long-lost 17-year-old son (Kevin Zegers). The wheels of fortune take Bree and son on a cross-country adventure, including a memorable visit with Bree’s parents, that will change both of their lives. A funny, touching, completely original look at the modern American family” Product description via amazon.com
Review links:
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
David Edelstein Slate
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1 comment:
Another invigorating conversation!
We all agreed this film was much lighter in tone than Brokeback. It was funny without being a complete comedy.
Lots of talk about how well Felicity Huffman disappeared into Bree: it was easy to believe it was a man transforming into a woman.
There was some discussion about the opening of the film, with the vocal training video, and the voices of Bree and the transgendered women in the "safe house" Bree and Toby stay at. It was noted that changing one's voice is only one of many things transgendered folks do in the process of becoming who they really are inside. When Bree spiels off the list of procedures and therapies she's had to the psychiatrist at the beginning of the film, it helps the audience to understand the depth of commitment to the extensive and complicated process transition requires. It's not an impulsive decision that is taken lightly by anyone involved.
Honesty was another issue raised by the group. Had Bree been honest with Toby from the beginning it might have saved her the heartache of his anger at being lied to. She didn’t do it to be unkind, but to protect herself from rejection from what could be another judgmental family member. She also didn’t want to shatter Toby’s fantasy of who he imagined his father (and himself) to be.
Toby’s extroverted sexuality was a stark contrast to Bree’s extreme primness. Bree seems to be fairly repulsed by sex in general, but she seems to be a romantic when Calvin Many Goats courts her. Possible due to being molested by his stepfather, Toby doesn’t see any other way to show affection except sexually. When he offers himself to Bree, it’s his way of showing his love and attachment to her, and his attempt to communicate his recognition of her as a person and a woman.
Fionnula Flanagan’s performance as Bree’s dragon of a mother garnered praise from the group. Some of us didn’t recognize her from her other performances, especially without her Irish accent. Her character behaved outrageously, and it was easy to see why Bree tried to be the opposite type of woman to her overbearing mother. A few group members found the character’s abrupt change of attitude toward Bree (comforting her when Toby hits her) too good to be true. Others thought it was her buried motherly instinct rising to the occasion.
Following Bree’s surgery, we all noted her sadness on what her therapist said was supposed to be “the happiest day of your life.” She had been socially isolated for so long, when she finally developed a relationship with Toby, losing him was far more traumatic than she knew it could be.
The conclusion of the film was generally satisfying. Bree seems to have gotten out of her rut and is moving other aspects of her life along: finishing her degree and talking about a teaching career. She seems relaxed and comfortable with herself now. Toby has been working in gay porn, as he said he wanted to, but is learning the more realistic side of living his dream. Bree follows through on her promise to be supportive and non-judgmental of Toby’s life choices and lets him know she sees him as an autonomous adult (letting him have that beer). But he’s still not allowed to put his feet on the furniture!
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