But I’m a Cheerleader (1999): A Review in Celebration of Pride Month
In the past decades where queerness and gender are often discriminated against, witness how Megan overcomes and discovers her true self despite judgment from people around her.
This review contains spoilers for But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
But I’m a Cheerleader is a satirical comedy by Jamie Babbit that revolves around Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a cheerleader that lives a seemingly contented life with her parents, friends, and handsome boyfriend. However, everything changed when she was sent to True Directions, a program that aims to convert homosexuals back to “normal” through understanding and knowing the reasons behind homosexual tendencies and regaining urges for heterosexual relationships. Megan’s friends and parents assume she is a lesbian since she does not enjoy kissing her boyfriend, becomes very touchy with her co-cheerleaders, and only has posters of girls in her room and locker. Despite their claims, Megan initially refuses to go to the program. She attended it nonetheless in compliance with her parents’ wishes, who reasoned that the program would be best for her.
Want to skip the summary? Jump to “As the setting of the movie occurred in the 1990s were issues regarding unequal rights,” for the review!
Following the story of Megan, she was greeted at True Directions by the Founder, Mary J. Brown (Cathy Moriarty) who gave her an overview of the 2-month program including the 5 steps she would encounter before finally transforming back into a heterosexual. She was first asked to complete the first and easiest step which is “Admitting You’re a Homosexual.”
At first, Megan seems to be in denial as she claims that her thoughts are not unnatural. Unwavering in her belief that she was not a homosexual, she was introduced to others who also seek guidance from True Directions. During their introductions, her peers one by one recited their names and recalled their respective instances of “gay awakening,” to somehow help Megan admit that she is a homosexual. With that, she was enlightened on the strangeness of her thoughts toward her co-cheerleaders, as an alleged heterosexual.
After their completion of the first step, they then proceeded to “Rediscovering Your Gender Identity.” There, Megan had more interactions with the other members of the program. One of these members is Graham, with whom she will have a more intimate relationship with in the future. Throughout the second step, several sexual innuendos were seen in the film to maintain the satirical mood, including subtle homosexual overtures of Mary’s son, Rock (Eddie Cibrian) towards other males in the program. During her stay, she also accidentally caught her fellow campers, Clayton (Kip Pardue) and Dolph (Dante Basco) making out, causing Dolph to be dismissed from the program and Clayton to be punished by being sent to a doghouse for a week.
Moreover, Step 2 also tackled the roles of women in a society, where the girls were tasked to re-assess the appropriate actions and behaviors of heterosexual women. Graham expressed her contempt for these because they propagate stereotypes regarding the roles of women in relationships.
In Step 3, “Family Therapy” was conducted to share their roots with their family. However, Graham’s father and stepmother expressed homophobia as they pressured Graham to finish the program and successfully become a heterosexual unless she wants to be disowned. Here, Megan was also compelled to think of her root. She then decided that the root of her homosexual tendencies was when her father, Peter (Bud Cort) lost his job, causing her mother Nancy (Mink Stole) to act like the “dad” of the family, which supposedly messed up her views and perspective on the roles of women. Mary further concluded that Megan’s father was emasculated and her mother was domineering and that she had lost all respect and romantic desire for men as she does not respect her father. Mary also suggested Megan write a song about her root so that she could express herself more.
After the family therapy, the campers were gathered outside to rest, where Megan and Graham had an awkward conversation about their issues with homogender as well as how their families cope with their behaviors. Megan is eager to complete the program and revert back to heterosexuality, and return to her normal life, while Graham knows that the conversion this program aims to achieve is impossible.
“You are who you are. The only trick is not getting caught.”
Graham
During the next scene, a paper plane landed near Andre (Douglas Spain).
The fourth step in the program is “Demystifying the Opposite Sex”, including stimulation of sexual desires and urges, wherein several sexual innuendos were also included in the film. Despite the lessons they take in Step 4, Graham and Megan’s relationship continues to bloom, as seen in the subtle touches and fantasies they have with each other. This is further strengthened when they sneaked out of the camp with the help of Lloyd (Wesley Mann) and Larry (Richard Moll), Mary's ex-friends from True Directions who were also “ex ex-gays”, and went to a local gay bar called Cocksucker, where Graham and Megan had a romantic moment fueled by jealousy.
Their carefree moments were short-lived when Mary saw a matchstick with the logo of the bar the next day. She became eager to know who sneaked out yet was unable to find the culprits. Mary forced them to picket Larry and Lloyd’s house while carrying placards containing homophobic statements.
In the next scene, they underwent the final test where they would apply all the lessons they had during the four previous steps, before taking the fifth step to becoming a heterosexual. Through pretending, Megan and Graham were able to pass the test, while one of their peers was unable to pass. However, he left not before telling them that deep inside, they know who they are and who they want.
The following scenes then showed that Graham and Megan had sex one night but were caught by Hilary (Melanie Lynskey), causing both of them, together with their parents, to be interrogated by Mary the next day. Due to the pressure and threats from Graham’s parents, she refused to confess to their “sin” while Megan took the blame, causing her to be dismissed from the camp. Homeless after her parents disowned her, she decided to go to Larry and Lloyd’s house. There she was greeted by Dolph who was also kicked from the program during the earlier scenes. She and Dolph then planned on retrieving their lovers on graduation day.
The fifth step, “Simulated Sexual Lifestyle” was an uncomfortable scene where Mary subjected the campers to a simulation of sex, imitating Adam and Eve, while she narrates the acts. After the fifth step, the remaining people; Graham, Sinead, Hilary, Joel, and Clayton were for graduating, as they completed the steps of the program and are therefore finally heterosexuals. During the graduation, Megan and Dolph infiltrated the ceremony. Graham initially refused to go with Megan, while Dolph easily persuaded Clayton. However, Megan is eager to be with her lover so she decided to chant the song/cheer she made in Step 3. The film ended with Graham and Megan together, finally taking the risk despite the discrimination of the people around them.
As the setting of the movie occurred in the 1990s when issues regarding discrimination and judgment against queer and homosexual people were given more attention and involvement in social and political aspects, the film reflects people’s perceptions and viewpoints on the LGBTQ+ community and how they think these kinds of behavior hinder queer people to living a normal life. Moreover, the film also focused on the struggles that queers experience. The use of satirical and comedic scenes to portray scenarios that are relatable to real life makes the movie entertaining to watch. However, deeper symbolisms such as wholesome and uplifting acts are not directly shown in the film.
But I’m a Cheerleader contains various scenes directed towards the LGBTQ+ community, especially in Megan’s questioning of her sexuality. Though most of the dialogues were straight to the point and metaphorical or sentimental moments were rare, it still somehow raised awareness because the struggles of people with gender dysphoria were shown, as well as the effects of the mindset of the people surrounding them. Irony was also used as a theme in the movie to maintain the satirical and comedic mood. It can be seen when Mary, the founder of True Directions fails to recognize that his son Rocky might also need help from the program due to his behavior towards the male campers. Moreover, in Step 4 “Demystifying the Opposite Sex,” irony is shown when instead of regaining their desires for the opposite sex, Megan and Graham became much closer, seen in subtle touches and interactions.
The movie mainly focuses on the harm that conversion therapy causes to queer people, especially those who are not yet able to accept who they are. Even if Mary said that Step 1 “Admitting You’re a Homosexual” is the easiest step, in reality, it may take time for others to fully process and accept their feelings and behaviors. As shown in the movie, Megan was only able to admit she was a homosexual when surrounded by peers she relate to, which can be applied in reality where people understand themselves more when there is someone they may sympathize with. Although some might argue that early “prevention” regarding unnatural and homosexual behaviors might help queer people to become heterosexual, it still poses harm to their self-awareness and identity since there will be no proper closure on what they actually think about themselves for they have no freedom to express or understand who they really are. It is mainly shown when Megan’s parents and friends decided that Megan is a homosexual and forced her to attend a conversion program, with the reasoning that “they know what is best for her.”
Furthermore, the film shows roles and stereotypes put on both sexes. Several scenes in the film show gender norms where females and males are identified based on their actions, mannerisms, and behavior, mostly seen in Step 2 “Rediscovering Your Gender Identity.” It is often assumed that males must act more manly, strong, and rowdy unless they wish to be labeled as homosexuals, which in this light has implications of being weak and feminine, while females must act more proper and demure. Fortunately, this mindset is slowly being dismantled in the 21st century as people are now relatively freer to express their feelings no matter what their gender is.
Another topic discussed in the film is pretension and denial to prove oneself to family and friends, and more importantly, to fit societal standards. This was mostly seen in the behavior of Graham since she had already accepted that she is a homosexual but felt that she was ultimately unable to do anything about it. Moreover, the pressure and expectations from her family drive this behavior because she is afraid to disappoint them, a sad reality for most closeted homosexuals who are afraid of being disowned by the people who should be supporting and understanding them the most. The conflict of the movie is somehow related to this because Megan expected that she and Graham would be dismissed from the program together after being caught having sex, yet Graham chose to continue pretending, choosing her family’s interests over her own.
Just like many love stories, the movie had a satisfying ending. At the end of the film, the main protagonists were given justice as they were able to end up with each other. Despite the struggles that they experienced, the characters finished off by leaving a courageous act by being who they are and loving who they want despite the judgment of people around them. Additionally, although it was implied that Megan’s family disowned her after being kicked out of the program, the final scene showed her parents, although visibly uncomfortable, attending a meeting that helps parents accept their children as homosexuals. This is considered a great character development that many queer people might hope for in real life.
Gender equality is still a relevant social issue in the present. Queer people seldom experience the freedom and fair treatment they deserve just because they are considered “different” from what is normal. But I’m a Cheerleader is a movie to be recommended (R-15) as it contains true-to-life issues that raise awareness and acknowledge the struggles of queer people. Although it mainly gives off a light mood due to the dialogues and overall vibe, it may also be touching to some extent, especially when the viewer can relate to the experiences of the characters.
This review was written by Ella Joy Dilan, edited by Jamie General.