At its most basic TRANSAMERICA is the ultimate in Sundance-style high concept: a transsexual woman learns she fathered a son and is forced to come to terms with her past. Though this journey of discovery has a stand out performance by Felicity Huffman (of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES fame), the film never discovers much else of interest beyond its concept.
One feels obliged to give TRANSAMERICA high marks for its lead character alone. While transsexuals have appeared on screen before (THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP, I SHOT ANDY WARHOL and THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT), there has rarely been such a fleshed out depiction as Bree (Huffman).
Bree discovers she has a son on the eve of her final transformation into a woman. She's been "living stealth" up till now, only opening up to her therapist (Elizabeth Pena). Believing Bree must deal with who she was before becoming someone new, Bree's therapist forces her into a meeting with her son (under threat of withholding the psych evaluation Bree needs for her operation to be approved).
Bree, under the guise of a Christian missionary, frees Toby (Kevin Zegers) from jail. While searching for a way to deal with this unwelcome wrinkle in her life, Bree helps Toby journey to L.A. where he plans to become a porno star. In the tradition of classic road movies, Bree and Toby discover truths about themselves amidst "colorful" characters and outre adventures.
TRANSAMERICA is the kind of story Pedro Almodovar excels at and first time director Duncan Tucker should have taken more cues from the Spanish filmmaker. The characters and adventures Bree and Toby experience are never colorful or outre enough to make TRANSAMERICA the quirky human comedy it wants to be.
The film comes damn close with the casting of Felicity Huffman. Huffman is so adept at showing Bree's disgust for her past and confusion about her present, you can't help but forge a connection with her on a very human level. Initially, however, you're not so sure how fine a job she's doing. The low voice Huffman chose for Bree seems borrowed from Fred Gwynne. The script (also by Tucker) doesn't help either when it stages a CRYING GAME moment during a pit stop (Hey, how'd they give that chick a... I'm sorry, but that's how gimmicky this scene feels.) and hits us over the head with Bree's neuroses (Bree is afraid of snakes... thank you, Dr. Freud). A lesser actress may have used these crutches to sell us on the role. Huffman's instincts are insightful enough without them and lift the material above what was written.
But Huffman's performance can only carry TRANSAMERICA so far. Considering how intelligent Bree is supposed to be, you can't help but wonder why she puts up with such an unlikeable son as Toby. It's not that Kevin Zegers gives a one note performance of a teen acting out. He's just doing what's in the script and, as written, Toby doesn't garner any audience sympathy. Even if you buy into the fact that he's the product of his environment, Toby is still too much of a jerk for Bree to lose sleep over. You almost feel she'd be better off without him. True, Bree is just as guilty of lies, but she is motivated more by fear than a mean spirit.
After spending more time on the road than TRANSAMERICA should have spent, the film arrives at a bright spot when Bree stops off to see her estranged family. There Bree not only has to confront her kin about her coming surgery, but she also must deal with the farce of finally admitting to Toby that she is his actual father.
Here the film finally reaches an energy level worthy of Huffman's comedic and dramatic skill. Fionnula Flanagan as Bree's prudish mother is a particular breath of fresh air. Her conflicting emotions as a mother who loves her son, but can't accept him as a her is given a healthy dose of absurd humor. Watching Flanagan try to claim her grandson without actually being allowed to say the word "grandson" is an added treat.
In yet another year of diminishing roles for women, TRANSAMERICA easily stands out in the crowd (it's hard to miss one film out of five). While Felicity Huffman is deserving of mention, people shouldn't rush and praise TRANSAMERICA just because it's less mediocre than what else is out there. Like its main character, this film needed to discover more about itself before coming out.
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