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Transamerica

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Transamerica (2005)

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Reviews Counted: 131

Fresh: 99

Rotten:32

Average Rating: 6.7/10

Consensus: A terrific performance by Felicity Huffman carries this unconventional but touching transgender road movie.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, nudity, language and drug use

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:24-03-2006

Synopsis: Felicity Huffman leaves the glamor of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES behind and makes a surprising diversion with this offbeat film. Playing an uptight male-to-female transsexual named Sabrina "Bree"... Felicity Huffman leaves the glamor of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES behind and makes a surprising diversion with this offbeat film. Playing an uptight male-to-female transsexual named Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne (née Stanley), Huffman gives a remarkable performance. Readying herself for the final snip that will make her womanly transformation complete, Bree's life takes a sudden turn when she receives a phone call from New York. Her son, Toby (Kevin Zegers), has been jailed, and Bree needs to post bail for him. The only problem is, Bree didn't know she had a son, but her therapist refuses to give her written permission to have the final part of her sex-change operation if she doesn't go, so Bree heads east from her California home. Thinking Bree is a Christian missionary, gay hustler Toby informs her of his intention to become a porn star on the west coast, which brings out plenty of motherly instincts in the worried cross-gender father. So the two take a road trip back west, with Bree unable to tell Toby the truths about who she is and what she once was. Writer/director Duncan Tucker gets the balance between comedy and drama just right as he gently squeezes Bree's various revelations to Toby onto the screen. But it's Huffman who really shines, with her vocal inflections, makeup, and acting skills perfectly combining to give a convincing performance as the ultraconservative Bree. Tucker doesn't focus too much on Bree's gender-hopping, instead crafting an emotional portrait of a highly dysfunctional family, while constantly dragging his audience back from the brink by weaving a killer laugh-out-loud line into the plot. A fine supporting cast--in particular Fionnula Flanagan (THE OTHERS) as Bree's hilariously overbearing mother--helps to deflect from the film's low-budget origins, with pithy dialogue and energetic performances combining to make TRANSAMERICA a wonderfully satisfying treat. [More]

Starring: Felicity Huffman, Fionnula Flanagan, Graham Greene, Burt Young

Starring: Felicity Huffman, Fionnula Flanagan, Graham Greene, Burt Young, Elizabeth Pena, Amanda Addams, Kevin Zegers

Director: Duncan Tucker

Director: Duncan Tucker
Producer: Rene Bastin, Linda Moran, Sebastian Dungan
Screenwriter: Duncan Tucker
Composer: David Mansfield
Studio: Weinstein Company

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Reviews for Transamerica

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/27/07
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
09/28/06
Sight and Sound
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
04/01/06
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
04/01/06
Philip French
Observer [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/14/06
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Huffman gives it her all, transforming her physicality and her voice and revealing a character whose lifetime of pain and heartache is present in every gesture.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/09/06
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

An unnerving honestly infuses this film, from its near-documentary visual style to the gritty truthfulness of the performances.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/02/05
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Tucker's screenplay is sharp but also sensitive, so the ample good humour never drifts into high camp (apart from the scenes with Bree's mother - and SHE is straight).

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
08/10/07
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

Comfort food for a comfortable audience, with the TV-familiar Huffman reassuring viewers that she's really a real woman underneath that unflattering make-up.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/05/07
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

A big part of the movie's success is Huffman's irresistible and remarkable performance as Bree, a character we identify with rather than feel alienated by.

Full Review Source: DVD Review | comment Comment
07/10/07
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
DVD Review

A well-tuned vehicle.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/19/07
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

La sorprendente composición de Felicity Huffman es el principal atractivo de esta road movie agridulce.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
11/06/06
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

(Huffman's) performance is one of those rare pieces of acting that actually deserves to be labeled a tour de force.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
04/28/06
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Too clumsily handled to mean much.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/04/06
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Despite the dullness of the main character, there are enough other interesting characters and plot developments to make the story compelling.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
03/04/06
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Huffman makes Transamerica worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
03/03/06
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
 
 
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Latest News for Transamerica

March 06, 2006: Indie Spirit Awards Distributed
Lost in the shadow of the weekend's Oscar coverage was the annual Independent Spirit Awards presentation, which is where you'll find ... a lot of accolades similar to the... More...

January 31, 2006: 2005 Oscar Nominations Are In!
Like most pathetic movie geeks, I was up at the crack of dawn (ok, 8:30am eastern time) to see how my nomination prediction ballot would measure up. (I was perfect on all 20... More...

January 16, 2006: Golden Globes Results - It Rhymes with "Chick Flick"
If you didn’t watch tonight’s Golden Globes Awards, you missed out on two big winners, a few personal triumphs, and (surprisingly) few fire-your-stylist fashion faux pas. Read... More...

January 10, 2006: Online Film Critics Offer Their Annual Nominations
The OFCS, which is hosted right here at Rotten Tomatoes and (full disclosure) includes yours truly as a member, announced their year-end nominations yesterday ... and we hope... More...

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