Day 035 || Transamerica

Transamerica, 2005

Dir. Duncan Tucker

"Hormones are hormones. Yours and mine just happen to come in purple little pills."

Transamerica is the story of a pre-op transexual, Steve or Bree, who a week before having the "big" surgery (I'm not sure what it's called, pardon the ignorance) finds out she allegedly has a son from her college years. And on top of that, Bree won't get consent for said surgery unless she meets and interacts with her son, in order to close off loose ends.

On the whole, it's a road trip film, except with a twist. It's Road House meets the Adventures of Sebastian Cole. Which probably isn't a winning endorsement, and that's because it's not necessarily a good thing. The elements that I loved and hated in the Adventures of Sebastian Cole are all on display in Transamerica. The son (Kevin Zegers) is unlikeable, and I mean completely unlikeable. The only thing redeeming his character had going for him was his openness and willingness to accept the transgender/sexual community (seen during the party scene). Otherwise he's a foulmouthed, drug addicted loser, and why Bree ever warms up to him is mindboggling. I don't think that's Kevin Zegers fault, he did a fine job, it's mostly the script's fault.

On the other hand completely, Felicity Huffman as Bree, was wonderful. Her character may not have been superbly written, but she carries the film. What could have been a Lifetime Original Movie performance was given class and detail. Her mannerisms portray years of abuse and hurt, without her having to ever say anything. And not for a second did I ever look at her as a woman trying to play a man trying to be a woman (wrap your mind around that), she came across as Bree through and through. Any kudos or nominations Huffman received from Transamerica, she deserved in full.

However, the rest of the movie is a mess. The story and production values mirror that of the aforementioned Lifetime Original Movie. The scenes are set up so drably and without any interest or style...which could be an argument that through doing this the director let's us focus on the characters and the story, but the only character worth paying attention to is Bree. The film feels and looks cheap, and it seems the only one who brought enthusiasm to the film was Felicity Huffman.

And the story is a muddled mess. It never really knows what to say or how to say it. It tries really hard to not be an "issue" film, but manages to hit all the notes an "issue" film would hit. Everything's left entirely open and ambiguous with most of the characters, to the point that there's no lasting effect, or nothing interesting said or hinted at. Even the end of the film is a copout, where Duncan Tucker pulls out ending things on a smaller happy note, wanting us to believe things are fine and dandy...but they aren't. Nothing's resolved in the film or even hinted at being resolved. It all just seems hollow and thinly handled. Through the all of the clunky melodrama, there's no meaning or message and that's the biggest problem I had with Transamerica. It's not a bad film, but it's not a good film in any sense of the imagination. Huffman shines as the lead, but everything else pales in comparison and looks all the more mediocre in comparison.

2 out of 5