But I'm a cheerleader

Paying a large debt to the films of John Waters, “But I’m a cheerleader” takes a satiric look at teenage sexuality through the experience of Megan (Natasha Lyonne), whose parents believe her to be a lesbian. Based on very superficial evidence Peter and Nancy panic at the very thought and pack their daughter off to True Directions, a camp designed to realign teenagers’ homosexual urges to the heterosexual team. At camp a group of disgruntled teens study role assignation tasks and behavioural patterns that will allow them to fit neatly into the world of white picket fences where their parents reside. This film delights in a sense of the absurd and relishes an excessively lurid palate, with colour-coded outfits and Barbie flavoured sets. Drag queen RuPaul is a bright spot as a straight camp teacher and John Waters’ regular Mink Stole plays Megan’s repressed mother but to score comically this film consistently draws on hysterical gay and straight stereotypes. Undoubtedly “But I’m a cheerleader” has an agenda regarding homophobia and teenage sexuality and at the same time is a lot of fun but it’s pleasures are principally aesthetic and fairly fleeting.