Transamerica


Felicity Huffman puts in one heck of a performance as the transgendered Bree, formerly Stanley.

Transgender characters are not often portrayed in film and when they are, it's often not pretty. "Transamerica" does a fantastic job of rounding out Bree, formerly Stanley, who discovers she has a 17-year-old son about a week before the gender-altering operation. Advised by her therapist (Elizabeth Pena) to deal with the situation, she goes cross country to bail Toby out of jail.

Nervous about coming out as a transgendered person, and as Toby's father, Bree poses as a woman from a church group that helps bail people out of jail. "Church of the Potential Father," she says.

The road trip they take back to LA proves useful as they discover more about each other, with a few disasters along the way, including the unsuccessful reunion with Toby's abusive stepfather, a transgender party in Texas, a possible Native American suitor for Bree, all culminating in a visit to Bree's parents.

Felicity Huffman succeeds in infusing herself with a male aura. A lot of the issues that face transgendered people are given full coverage here, and unlike the tragedy of Brandon Teena, which was dramatized by Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry," this film uses comedy without stooping. Nor are all the loose ends tied up at the end, either.

Huffman completely deserved her Golden Globe award for her portrayal here.

Posted: Sat - January 21, 2006 at 03:27 AM        

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