Another spin from a broken record. I thought 2/3 of Huffman's performance was touching but attaching this performance onto a banal road movie is cruel. So much of this movie felt recycled from other movies. Don't people in movies ever use interstates? Hasn't anybody ever heard of a Hampton Inn?

Top notch performance by Felicity Huffman... she deserves an oscar!

This movie is wonderful! I just hope enough people get to see Felicity Huffman and a variety of other excellent characters -- it's riotously funny in parts, but had me weeping during some moments, too. If you have a family with any kind of dysfunction (and who doesn't?), this movie should resonate with you! Search for it at your local art theater -- doubt if it will make it to the megaplex, unless Felicity Huffman gets the Oscar for Best Actress! Rate it an "A" on my Entertainment Report Card.… Expand

Felicity Huffman's performance is absolutely brilliant in this film.

Miramax may not be a player in this years Oscar race, but Harvey Weinstein sure will be! With his new Weinstein Company, old Harvey will be front and center working his usual campaign magic. In Transamerica, Felicity Huffman is nothing short of Brilliant in a role thats funny, endearing and completely honest. She elevates this "little" movie to the best road picture since Easy Rider and it's the first performance i've seen that can take the Oscar right out from Reese Witherspoons hands and remind the Academy that Harvey Weinstein is gone from Miramax-but he's still the master!… Expand

A man seeking to become a woman--who dresses and acts like one, and who has had the hormone injections and most of the other necessary procedures--has his/her journey to the final operation interrupted by a sudden appearance by his long-lost son, a street hustler and would-be gay porn star who not only is completely unaware of their relationship but also doesn't know that "she's" still a "he". You've definitely got to give writer-director Duncan Tucker his props for concocting a one-of-a-kind premise, but then you have to subtract points for making it just one more road movie. We've had hundreds and hundreds of them, from It Happened One Night to Easy Rider to Midnight Run to Rain Man; unless your name happens to be Alexander Payne, it's a really tired, overused genre that needs to be given at least a temporary rest, and did I mention that this is no It Happened One Night or Easy Rider or Midnight Run or Rain Man? TransAmerica strains to be light and airy, with only a few carefully calibrated heavy dramatic moments, but it falls short of the mark: the audience I saw this with laughed uproariously at the relatively few effectively comic moments mostly because there WERE relatively few of them. As far as Felicity Huffman's much-vaunted tour de force, I must admit I'm on the fence; I generally really like Huffman, who was terrific on TV's Sports Night and whose overwhelmed executive-turned-mommy is my favorite Desperate Housewife, but here...I just don't know. I greatly admired Hilary Swank's work in Boys Don't Cry and Charlize Theron's in Monster, and Huffman's performance here is an impressive TECHNICAL achievement, but there have been just too many actresses lately who've won Oscars for doing the equivalent of Robert DeNiro's and Tom Hanks's radical physical makeovers in PORTIONS of Raging Bull and Cast away; it's flashy, to be sure, but this year at least I preferred the more subtle, sublime and non-nominated work of Shopgirl's Claire Danes, King Kong's Naomi Watts and The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio's Julianne Moore. (And Huffman will probably edge Reese Witherspoon out on March 5 partially because voters will remember her endearing Emmy speech about William H. Macy kissing her in a cornfield and hope she repeats or does a variation on it. Just ask Roberto Begnini how important previous awards-season acceptance-speech showmanship is!) Maybe my mixed feelings about Huffman are also due to Tucker's characterization of Stan/Bree as being rather stiff and humorless; in addition to "tucking it in", the surgeons need to do an additional operation to remove the stick from his/her butt! This, of course, is just one indication of the general coarseness with which Tucker treats some of his characters; it's nowhere more in evidence than when Stan/Bree and son make an extended stop to meet the family. The sister, delightfully played by Carrie Preston, is so bright and engaging she deserves her own movie, and it's a real pleasure to see Burt Young, Rocky Balboa's screen brother-in-law, in really relaxed form as the dad, but the normally fine character actress Fionnula Flanagan is hopelessly saddled with the one-dimensionally caricatured role of Stan/Bree's buffoonish, intolerant mom. One of the aspects of Brokeback Mountain that makes it great is its complex, utterly sympathetic treatment of all of Jack's and Ennis's family members; TransAmerica wants badly to look breezy and nonjudgmental, but everytime Flanagan appears onscreen or says something, the movie's as strident and hamfisted as the worst Norman Lear-produced sitcoms of the mid-1970s.… Expand

Actually, I wanted to give this one 6.5, but that score isn't in the system. It is a very enjoyable piece, make no mistake, but there are a few simple errors which hold it back. Although she never remotely resembles a genetic male, Huffman (as the MtF transsexual Bree) is terrific. However, the dignity and decorum of her performance are somewhat undermined by the bouffant campiness of Fionnulla Flanagan as her mother. Now, this is just a road movie with a twist, and like most road movies it has a few cameo scenes that don't make a lot of sense, but that can be overlooked. First problem - I don't usually pay the costumes much mind, but I found Bree's pink skirts and prissy heels quite distracting. They're not really what a TS woman would wear, especially out by the campfire, especially when she doesn't want to be taken for a transvestite. Second problem - in the crucial scene, where Bree's TS status is revealed to her newly found son, Bree's exhibitionist behaviour seems quite out of character. It would have been better all round if the son could have accidentally discovered her TS status by some less unlkkely means. The extra half point, by the way, would be for the sensible who-cares approach to the whole TS question.… Expand

The movie works largely because of Huffman. Without her sensitive and intelligent performance, the movie's flaws would overwhelm. But her restraint is wonderful as is her comic timing. For a movie with so much to say and with such eccentric characters, it movies along rather ploddingly. But the key to the movie's success, again, is that Huffman doesn't portray Bree as eccentric. In fact, she is probably the least eccentric in the movie. And there are genuinely touching moments.… Expand

Very enjoyable, heartwarming story and high quality acting from most of the cast. I really liked the story and the originality of the script. About what I expected from reading reviews.

The acting is excellent in this movie. Felicity Hoffman is amazing -- I found myself totally believing that she was a man becoming a woman, even though I watch Desperate Housewives and know who she is. Very good film -- makes you think.

Just great. its refreshing to see such a serious issue dealt with in a comic way.

It shuld be more american movies like this. Un-condescending, smart and not self indulgent. Mr Tucker chooses to show a very wit drama that can be wisely funny instead of lecturing us. His directon is consistent and tight and Mrs Huffman performance is remarkable. Excellent debut!

Felicity Huffman gives a phenominal performance.

Huffman gives an incredible performance blending pathos, intelligence and wit perfectly. The script is quite good and the soundtrack is a real plus.

While I enjoyed Felicity Huffman's very fine performance, one good turn does not make this a recommendable film. The story was aimless at times and the writing was slipshod. I could see her - and her young male costar - attempting to work around the holes and thin, pat, "aint we a krazy bunch of family!" But overall, I could have just as easily skipped it.

Although there were things about this movie that were quite plausible there were parts that were just too implausible. Felicity Huffman's role was beautifully played and really tugged at one's heart strings. But, some of the scenarios with her son were just too unbelievable to make it a truly great film.

It is the subtleness of this movie that makes me give it such a high mark. A movie where this implausable characters seem not only real, but vulnerable and worth caring about.

Whilst a bit slow at times, this movie is deeply touching, giving us a great insight into the subject that is rarely spoken about in this country. It definitely changed my view and attitude towards people Bree(Huffman's character). Felicity gives an amazing performance, Kevin Zegers doesnt fall behind either. Highly reccomend, just be open minded.

best damn hilarious movie ever! its a shame for those who aren't opened minded...they're just ppl who hate and will rot in hell.

Well told story with interesting characters. Hard to suspend belief enough to imagine Felicity as a man, but definitely enjoyed her performance. [spoiler] One disappointment in the screenplay is the predictable mother figure. While Fionnula Flanagan is an incredible actress, it's a shame she didn't have a better script to work with. Maybe it is a case of stereotypes existing because they're shaded with truth, but I wonder how much more compelling this film would have been if the mother figure landed somewhere else on the bell curve.j Wonderful soundtrack of acoustic and americana music.… Expand

One of the best films I've ever. Huffman had me convinced she was a man playing a woman - an oscar caliber performance. I loved everything about the film. It was tender, funny, sad, warm and wonderful. I feel superb acting is rare - Huffman proved there are still actresses/actors that are willing to take the risk and throw themselves into a character 150%. Cudos to Huffman and the filmmakers. Not to forget the other actors, they are all great. I don't know who Kevin is, but I'd love to see him in a lot more films. He's wonderful. This film is a rare gem that should not be missed.… Expand

I went expecting to see a great performance in a ho-hum movie, and turned out to be impressed by the whole thing. Huffman does give a great performance, but the movie is much more than ho-hum. Good script, rich characters and dialogue. It is a first-rate film and I highly recommend it.

Felicity gives a fantastic performance and her scene int he hospital is heartwrenchingly heartfelt and pure. The actress playing her mother is magnificently manipulative and comically dysfunctional. Graham green is charming but Feleicity is the soul here turning an uncomfortable and misunderstood topic into and interesting character study.