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Directing: B
Acting: A-
Writing: C+
Cinematography: B
Editing: B-



Not since Charlize Theron completely transformed herself in Monster has so astounding a performance by a lead woman been seen, as that of Felicity Huffman in Transamerica. With the use of subtly applied cosmetics and prosthetics, as well as the total alteration of vocal inflection, Huffman is eminently believable as a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual.

And yes, there is indeed a scene where she "whips it out" -- although, rest assured, she doesn't "whip it out" for anyone except for the camera. We see her peeing on the side of the road, and for some reason a passing car prompts the character (Bree) to stand up. This must have been the first movie I've ever seen with full frontal "male" nudity that also depicted a penis actually peeing; it may be that it passed the censors (the film still being rated R notwithstanding) more easily because of the knowledge that the penis was not real.

It certainly looked real enough, though, and if anyone didn't realize it was a woman playing the part, it's uncertain whether they would suspect as much while watching the scene. Virtually every part of Huffman's performance comes across as genuine and rings true, and best of all, this is perhaps the first depiction of a transsexual in film who is not a tragic figure simply because of the state of being a transsexual.

Indeed, Bree has moments that bring her close to being a tragic figure, but she never quite crosses that line, and virtually all of the elements that suggest it are things that have little or nothing to do with her gender identity -- such as finding out she has a son she never knew she had, needing bail from a downtown New York City jail. Being a transsexual merely complicates things (and makes for an interesting story, at least according to writer-director Duncan Tucker).

Transamerica is a fairly obvious double entendre title that refers both to the main character's gender identity and her trip with her recently discovered son across the United States, as she tries to get back to her chosen home of Los Angeles in time for her scheduled sex change operation. First she tries to drive her son Toby (Kevin Zegers) to his stepfather's house in the stereotypically Deliverance-land of Kentucky, then to a committee meeting populated by transsexuals in a house in Dallas, and then to her own parents' house in Phoenix -- all before finally revealing their true genetic relationship to Toby, as she poses as a missionary. There are plenty of other pit-stops along the way.

Sometimes these pit-stops are written well enough to ring true, and sometimes they're not. The scene with Toby's stepfather in Kentucky, which predictably reveals the man to be a villain in the worst sense of the word, is played out both awkwardly and unrealistically. The scene with Bree's parents in a Phoenix restaurant, however, is fantastically executed, displaying family dynamics we can all relate to while allowing the audience to both laugh at and commiserate with the victims of short-sighted judgmentalism.

The character of Toby is a peculiarly interesting one, at times an even greater example than Bree herself of filmmakers making the unusual choice of reserving judgment against their own characters. Toby does drugs on occasion, turns tricks in order to make them money to get further across the country, and even gets a job in the porn industry once he reaches L.A. (with a ridiculous bleached blonde hairdo that makes him look a bit stupid). Bree is often very open about her objections to a lot of these things -- especially the drugs -- but the audience of the film is never expected to look down on him for the choices he makes. We're certainly not prompted to encourage them either; for once, we are simply shown an example of a kid trying to live a life, and we are left to make our own decisions.

This is easier to do at certain times than at others, simply because of the unevenness of the script, which semi-regularly borders on outright tedium. What ultimately saves it are both of the lead actors, Huffman and Zegers, who have an onscreen chemistry and who both come across as real people. It's not really the writing, or even the direction, that brings this out of them; they seem to somehow manage it of their own accord. This is especially evident when observing the supporting players, particularly the family members of both Bree and Toby, who often come dangerously close to caricature.

It's unfortunate, though, that the major thing Transamerica has in common with Monster is a stellar performance in a so-so movie. It's a huge compliment to Huffman that it's her performance more than anything that makes the film worth the time of sitting through. It is her more than anyone else that makes it by turns touching and fun.



Overall: B
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