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Girls Will Be Girls
IFC Films


9.6

based on 21 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 10 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

Straight-Jacket

MPAA RATING: R for sexuality, language and drug content

Starring Jack Plotnick, Clinton Leupp, Jeffery Roberson, Ron Mathews, Eric Stonestreet, Hamilton von Watts, Dana Gould, Chad Lindsey, and Christopher Isaacson

A hilarious comedy about three actresses at various places in the Hollywood food chain who navigate love, aging, and ambition. Oh yeah -- all three actresses are played by men. (IFC Films)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Romance
WRITTEN BY:	Richard Day
DIRECTED BY:	Richard Day
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 16, 2004 Video: March 16, 2004 Theatrical: October 10, 2003
RUNNING TIME:	79 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Best Screenplay and Best Actor (tie between Plotnick, Leupp and Roberson), 2003 L.A. Outfest

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

By the end of this likely cult classic (only 80 minutes long), when Evie has an amphetamine-induced meltdown during her cable-access comeback show, these divas are as recognizably human as you and me, only sluttier, and with cattier one-liners.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Writer-director Richard Day has come up with a delicious cliché of a plot to allow talented female impersonators Jack Plotnick, Clinton Leupp and Jeffery Roberson to strut their stuff. The result is a nonstop hoot.

Film Threat Eric Campos

Rude, crude, gaudy and often hilarious.

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

Funny, dumb, cruel and sick, Girls Will Be Girls is a relentlessly mean picture that will tickle those tired of sweet comedies whether in drag or plainclothes. In short, "Tootsie" it ain't.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The performances by Plotnick, Leupp, and Roberson comprise a jarring special effect.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Dead-on hilarious.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Day-glo garish Girls Will Be Girls puts a rude spin on "Valley of the Dolls"-type Hollywood melodramas, to frequently hilarious if disjointed effect.

TV Guide Ken Fox

A hoot and a half.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

It’s part camp, part trash, and part cabaret, with a delightfully retro Hollywood Hills palette and zingy dialogue served up with relish.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

As an intentionally campy film, Girls Will Be Girls dips a cinematic toe into shark-infested waters. Not only must it operate on several levels-making us care for deeply flawed characters and laugh at their bitter lashings-it also has to carry a cohesive story arc. On this count, Girls Will Be Girls fizzles a bit.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Debutant director Richard Day, a seasoned TV producer, delivers a steady stream of cheerful vulgarity and a few clever gags.

Dallas Observer David Ehrenstein

Manages to be fitfully entertaining, especially in light of its minuscule budget.

The New York Times Anita Gates

Appropriately cynical, pleasantly camp (Coco has the best hair -- a teased, sprayed flip) and just fresh enough to be funny more often than not.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

The leads are all pros, but thanks to the increasing onslaught of shock humor about abortions and rape, among other things, what starts out amusing eventually becomes something of a drag.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The one-gag camp-athon has gone over big at gay film festivals, but in theatrical release this debut feature from theater/TV veteran Richard Day has limited appeal. Its best bet will be as a rental item.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Girls Will Be Girls thinks watching outrageous people acting outrageously is its own reward. It isn't.

Premiere Laine Ewen

It is the overwhelmingly acrid sense of humor that leaves a bad taste in one's mouth at the end of the film.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

The best drag movie since "Vegas in Space." That's hardly a huge recommendation.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

The Independent Film Channel is distributing Girls Will Be Girls; perhaps its executives failed to realize that this kind of mirthless, tacky independent film sends traumatized audiences racing back to the glossy production values on display at the local multiplex.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

There's a thin line between some drag comedy and misogyny, and Girls Will Be Girls, a crass comedy in which all the women are played, with over-the-top abandon, by men, roars past that line.

Village Voice Alexis Soloski

The situations begin tamely, but escalate to drunken vomiting and drugged rapes—all played for yuks. Or is it yucks?

The average user rating for this movie is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dwayne F. gave it a10:
Fabulously funny. Camp, maybe - but I loved the totally politically inorrect Evie. Coco the enigma. What did she latch on to Evie? And Varla. The bumpkin with a secret - or maybe she really is that simple. A great cast, always a pick-me-up. When do we see a sequel? "As-tro-fiz-eh-cyist" And the DVD has tones of Evie easter eggs!

Sam R. gave it a 9:
Excruciating funny, cleverly written, and at moments, so offensive as to stop a charging rhino! What can you say about a film that offends both pro and anti-abortionists? The three stars are profoundly good. Dare not call them "drag queens". The three leads are male actresses who effortlessly reveal their character's humanity while having me on the floor laughing at their spot-on comic timing. With no disrespect to the well written, imaginative script, solid direction, and fine supporting cast, the three leads are the biggest revelation in this film. I hope to see more of these three fine actors. Well done!

Billy C. gave it a 9:
Loved it! Rented it first... then immediately went out and bought it. Irreverently funny and brash.

Darren I. gave it an 8:
This is one of the funniest John Waters films ever made. Ok, it's not made by John Waters, but it has the flavor of "Pink Flamingos" and "Female Trouble", except this film is much more entertaining. The humor is very dark and at points I even felt bad about laughing as some of the things said on screen. If you like drag queens who could have been the main characters in Absolutely Fabulous being obnoxious and quite hilarious, then this is the film for you. It was even funnier the second time around.

[Anonymous] gave it a 10:
LOVED IT!

Kathy S. gave it a 10:
Loved it!! Just when you think - oh this isn't funny - it's going a little too far - you find yourself laughing out loud! Great cast! Loved the climatic ending scenes(s) - what a precious young Varla - looked just like her /him. Good job!

Girls Will Be Girls IFC Films

Girls Will Be Girls
IFC Films