In the 21st century, reports of so-called gay conversion therapy have come up a lot. That makes Jamie Babbitt's "But I'm a Cheerleader" all the more relevant. Natasha Lyonne plays a high school girl whose conservative parents suspect her of lesbianism and send her to gay conversion therapy.

Mind you, this movie is a comedy. Part of the humor derives from the sheer tackiness of the conversion house. Everything is either pink or blue to emphasize the owner's insistence on gender stereotypes to "cure" homosexuality. But there's also the owner's son. Looking as manly as can be, he's a gay man's fantasy.

I understand that some critics called this movie a clone of John Waters movies. There's that element, but the movie manages to be its own movie. It exposes the complete hypocrisy of these religious fundamentalists who act as if they're doing something holy when in reality, they're teaching people to hate themselves.

It's not a masterpiece, but you're sure to enjoy it, not least because of Cathy Moriarty's performance as the tight-ass owner of the conversion house. Similar movies that I recommend are "Boy Erased" and "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" (there's also a musical called "Pray the Gay Away").

well instead of being philosophical and talk about the obvious political messages of this great film, i'll just review it.

I thought that it was perfectly overacted, beautifully filmed, wonderfully funny, and very meaningful. Its unusual to see a comedy that makes you think. This is probably my favorite gay themed film of all time, finally surpassing RHPS.

There was no one outstanding scene, every scene was surreal and hilarious. from mink stole getting upset that her daughter eats tofu to rock getting sexy with a rake.

There was lots of great romantic and fun parts particuarly between grahm and meghan.

go rent it asap! its the best movie made in a long time.

9 out of 10, could've used some less stereotypical guys, but the range of different types of lesbians makes up for this.

Young Natasha Lyonne's parents, Bud Cort and Mink Stole, have noticed a disturbing tendency in their daughter. She has not been developing an interest in the opposite sex as a 'normal' teenage girl should even if she is a cheerleader, the most heterosexual of activities you would think.

Anyway being the good Christians they are, Natasha's sent off to one of those reorientation centers so popular now among fundamentalist Christians, those who refuse to recognize such evil people as Freud and Kinsey and their work, and want to raise normal heterosexual kids.

The place is called True Directions and it's run by this huckster of a woman played by Cathy Moriarty. She's the nurse Ratched of the Christian psychological group, she plays the part beautifully. She's assisted by RuPaul Charles out of drag who's a graduate of her center and son Eddie Cibrian, a really hunky sort who's a role model for the boys and a sex object for the girls.

But I'm a Cheerleader doesn't quite have the production values of a studio film, but no regular studio would make something like this. It's a topic that needs to be addressed, the fraud of these ex-gay ministries.

When I was a working person at New York State Crime Victims Board, I had a case from a rural part of upstate New York. It concerned a young teenage girl who came from a fundamentalist background like our protagonist here. She and the young wife of the youth pastor of the church she came from, discovered their true nature and fell in love and consummated their first sex at a Bible Conference.

Of course when mom discovered what was going on by snooping through her daughter's computer, the young wife was arrested and given a slap on the wrist by the judge because he thought it was too much the case. Nevertheless the woman is now a registered sex offender.

The young girl was put right into therapy and as long as I live, I will never forget the remark the therapist made on his report to us that the girl is refusing to cooperate in the therapy because she did not consider herself a victim. It's also why her lover got off as lightly as she did.

That case is the reason I enjoyed this film so much and recommend it highly to audiences, especially young gay audiences.