Despite a star turn from Jacki Weaver and some pretty good laughs from Lucy Liu, this looks, sounds and feels like a "gay indie" movie from the 1970s (and since I was around, I'd know).
Maybelline Metcalf (Weaver), a "Christian" woman from Texas, learns that her gay son Rickey (in San Francisco) has died (apparently from drug abuse). Against the wishes of her ramrod straight husband Jeb (Hugh Thompson), Maybelline heads out to San Fran to make sure her son is laid to rest properly.
We quickly learn that Maybelline hadn't seen Rickey in 10 years because Jeb couldn't handle the fact that Rickey was a big screaming drag queen. But now Maybelline wants to set things right -- and therein lies the problem with this film.
Maybelline quickly meets Rickey's bf Nathan (Adrian Grenier) and Rickey's gal pal Sienna (Lucy Liu). She learns that Nathan is about to lose the club that he and Rickey ran (but Rickey controlled) and that he's going to be on the streets since Rickey also controlled everything to do with their apartment (and since Rickey is briefly introduced as a drugged-out tragic sad queen, how could he have controlled anything -- including putting on mascara without getting it all over his face?).
Maybelline steps in with a quick loan so Nathan can continue to live in his apartment, even though he has very mixed feelings about taking Maybelline's money since he hates her so much for not being "there" for Rickey. Meanwhile, Sienna, who is a single mom raising a child that in no realm of the imagination could possibly be hers, doesn't hesitate to dump her kid off on Maybelline so she can either go sell make-up, party or date some rough trade.
Soon enough, Maybelline swoops in and breathes new life into Nathan and Rickey's club ("Pandora's Box" -- which on one hand is so very, very tired, but on the other, can still summon up a laugh), and apparently the "new life" consists of Maybelline teaching the club's three questionable drag queens how to sing in harmony, something that apparently never crossed their minds.
The transformation of the the club continues (and I guess it's on Maybelline's dime, since Nathan doesn't seem to have any money), and it's decided they will have a big splashy opening. This is ultimately achieved by Maybelline going into a fancy hotel, bumping into the manager, in "meet-cute" style, dumping her flyers advertising the club all over the floor, and the manager and her sharing hot sparks of interest in each other, after which he says he'll be proud to promote the show.
From this point forward, the movie careens wildly from absolutely horrific slow "cabaret" performances of CeCe Peniston's "Finally," to Sienna getting beaten up by a hot trick and Maybelline saving her life by waving a pistol in the trick's face, to Maybelline doing a drug intervention with one of the drag queens, to Maybelline having a date with the hotel manager who "doesn't know" (and doesn't ask/or bother to find out) that she's married, to Maybelline expressing sympathy (as if!) and offering pointless advice to "Cherry" (Mya Taylor), who can't have sex reassignment surgery because his/her wife won't divorce him/her (after 5-6 years of not communicating with each other), to confronting Jeb over his treatment of Rickey, to more insane songs at the club that include endless, endless cutaways to the pianist "Bear," and my favorite moment, Bear and Cherry singing a duet of "Love Will Bring You Back" while Cherry's backside (covered, of course) is positioned toward the audience, while they stare lovingly into each other's eyes -- something the audience can't see, since they are staring at Cherry's behind. Also, the audience (who, once Maybelline becomes the club's doyenne) is constantly fawning and applauding and laughing and cheering, whereas before she showed up ("I'll teach you girls how to harmonize!), the club could barely stay open.
How it is that Jacki, Lucy and Adrien got roped into this "Hey, I got this script I wrote back in the '70s -- let's do it without changing a word or a joke!" -- is beyond my comprehension.
Two thumbs down. Run for the hills. It just isn't worth it.
Maybelline Metcalf (Weaver), a "Christian" woman from Texas, learns that her gay son Rickey (in San Francisco) has died (apparently from drug abuse). Against the wishes of her ramrod straight husband Jeb (Hugh Thompson), Maybelline heads out to San Fran to make sure her son is laid to rest properly.
We quickly learn that Maybelline hadn't seen Rickey in 10 years because Jeb couldn't handle the fact that Rickey was a big screaming drag queen. But now Maybelline wants to set things right -- and therein lies the problem with this film.
Maybelline quickly meets Rickey's bf Nathan (Adrian Grenier) and Rickey's gal pal Sienna (Lucy Liu). She learns that Nathan is about to lose the club that he and Rickey ran (but Rickey controlled) and that he's going to be on the streets since Rickey also controlled everything to do with their apartment (and since Rickey is briefly introduced as a drugged-out tragic sad queen, how could he have controlled anything -- including putting on mascara without getting it all over his face?).
Maybelline steps in with a quick loan so Nathan can continue to live in his apartment, even though he has very mixed feelings about taking Maybelline's money since he hates her so much for not being "there" for Rickey. Meanwhile, Sienna, who is a single mom raising a child that in no realm of the imagination could possibly be hers, doesn't hesitate to dump her kid off on Maybelline so she can either go sell make-up, party or date some rough trade.
Soon enough, Maybelline swoops in and breathes new life into Nathan and Rickey's club ("Pandora's Box" -- which on one hand is so very, very tired, but on the other, can still summon up a laugh), and apparently the "new life" consists of Maybelline teaching the club's three questionable drag queens how to sing in harmony, something that apparently never crossed their minds.
The transformation of the the club continues (and I guess it's on Maybelline's dime, since Nathan doesn't seem to have any money), and it's decided they will have a big splashy opening. This is ultimately achieved by Maybelline going into a fancy hotel, bumping into the manager, in "meet-cute" style, dumping her flyers advertising the club all over the floor, and the manager and her sharing hot sparks of interest in each other, after which he says he'll be proud to promote the show.
From this point forward, the movie careens wildly from absolutely horrific slow "cabaret" performances of CeCe Peniston's "Finally," to Sienna getting beaten up by a hot trick and Maybelline saving her life by waving a pistol in the trick's face, to Maybelline doing a drug intervention with one of the drag queens, to Maybelline having a date with the hotel manager who "doesn't know" (and doesn't ask/or bother to find out) that she's married, to Maybelline expressing sympathy (as if!) and offering pointless advice to "Cherry" (Mya Taylor), who can't have sex reassignment surgery because his/her wife won't divorce him/her (after 5-6 years of not communicating with each other), to confronting Jeb over his treatment of Rickey, to more insane songs at the club that include endless, endless cutaways to the pianist "Bear," and my favorite moment, Bear and Cherry singing a duet of "Love Will Bring You Back" while Cherry's backside (covered, of course) is positioned toward the audience, while they stare lovingly into each other's eyes -- something the audience can't see, since they are staring at Cherry's behind. Also, the audience (who, once Maybelline becomes the club's doyenne) is constantly fawning and applauding and laughing and cheering, whereas before she showed up ("I'll teach you girls how to harmonize!), the club could barely stay open.
How it is that Jacki, Lucy and Adrien got roped into this "Hey, I got this script I wrote back in the '70s -- let's do it without changing a word or a joke!" -- is beyond my comprehension.
Two thumbs down. Run for the hills. It just isn't worth it.