The first cinematic feature from TV director Jamie Babbit tackles sexual orientation in whacked-out John Waters fashion. Natasha Lyonne plays Megan, a high school cheerer whose conservative Christian mom (Waters regular Mink Stole) and dad (Bud Cort) ship her to a sort of heterosexual halfway house, run by Mary J. Brown (Cathy Moriarty), in hopes that she’ll abandon her latent lesbian tendencies for “a path which is natural and healthy.” Ms. Brown leads the girls through a five-step rehab program comprising lots of traditional household chores, while co-counselor Mike (RuPaul, almost unrecognizable in non-drag) directs the male campers through such macho orientation as football, car repair, and chopping firewood. Since color coordination is supposed to help, the sets and costumes are dominated by garish screaming pinks and blues.
Problem is, being around other gay kids just unleashes Megan’s inner sappho. Also helping matters are a couple friendly ex-ex-gays who stage a rescue in a rainbow-camouflaged van. It’s presented as an over-the-top New Wave skate-music romp that’s just silly enough to be reasonably entertaining. B-
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