In the Name of Love: But I’m a Cheerleader (2000)
Director: Jamie Babbit Run Time: 85 min. Rating: R Release Year: 2000
Starring: Cathy Moriarty, Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, RuPaul
Country: United States
Language: English
In the Name of Love at Gateway Film Center
Celebrate Pride Month at the Film Center with screenings of must-see LGBTQ+ stories throughout the month of June.
See the full lineupAbout the film:
Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is a typical American girl. She’s a cheerleader. She excels in school. She has a handsome football-playing boyfriend, but she doesn’t like kissing him very much. And she’s pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to “sexual redirection” school, where she must, with other lesbians and gays learn how to be straight. While there, Megan meets a rebellious and unashamed teen lesbian, Graham (Clea DuVall). Though Megan still feels confused, she starts to have feelings for Graham.
“Lyonne blends hyperbole and sincerity in perfect proportions.”
—Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
About the filmmaker:
Jamie Babbit has directed several features and produced and directed multiple award winning television shows. Babbit’s directing television credits include Only Murders In The Building (Hulu, pilot nominated for Emmy), A League Of Their Own (Amazon, pilot), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Russian Doll, and Silicon Valley—for which she received a Best Comedy Directing Emmy nomination. The Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007), her second feature, won The Grand Jury prize at the SXSW film festival, and her short Stuck (2020) won a jury prize at Sundance. Her debut film, But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), was listed by The Independent as one of the top twenty best romantic comedies of all time.
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