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In this article, by Lizzie Keeling, they review movies with LGBTQ+ storylines, characters and happy endings.
Movie Reviews
Movie Reviews
By Lizzie Keeling
By Lizzie Keeling
In honor of Pride Month, the movies reviewed for this issue feature LGBTQ+ main characters and storylines, specifically with happy endings. It is incredibly important and refreshing to see LGBTQ+ relationships in media that have the same happy romantic endings that straight couples often have. There is a lot of political discourse surrounding the LGBTQ+ community right now, and I want to take this space to focus on some more lighthearted movies as we kick off into the month of June.
Some honorable mentions:
Some honorable mentions:
Heartstopper (TV show)
Heartstopper (TV show)
Our Flag Means Death (TV show)
Our Flag Means Death (TV show)
To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything
To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything
Booksmart
Booksmart
But I'm a Cheerleader (2000)
But I'm a Cheerleader (2000)
2000s cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader follows Megan as her parents send her off to conversion therapy to “fix” her “unnatural” and “ungodly” ways. There, she learns to accept herself for who she is, whilst finding love along the way, in the form of rebellious and unabashedly gay Graham. Despite its detestable setting and subject matter, this movie is hilarious and so much fun to watch. We get to see conversion therapy, a horrible and inhumane practice, turned into satire. It frames the oppression and redundancy of conversion therapy as the ridiculous sham it is. I cannot begin to explain how brilliant the artistic choices for this movie are, from throwing renowned drag queen Rupaul into a “straight is great” t-shirt, to the colorful plastic decor of the camp, symbolizing the artificial nature of conversion therapy and the ideals behind it. The absurd dialogue and costuming, and the overall campy nature of this film make it stand out from other rom-coms, and has made it a staple in LGBTQ+ media.
The Half of It (2020)
The Half of It (2020)
The Half of It isn’t a love story, but rather a story about love. This is an incredibly sweet, carefully-crafted story following Ellie Chu, as she agrees to help local himbo Paul win the heart of his- -and her- -crush, Aster. I didn’t expect to love this movie so much. It had a few unrealistic cliches and maybe took itself a little too seriously at times, but the raw emotion and tender moments between the two main characters made me forget all of that. This movie explores the nuances of both romantic and the ever underrepresented platonic love, as it captures these moments of intimacy and endearment. It gives me that warm content feeling coming of age stories give me and that I’ll never tire of, from the serene imagery to the wistful dialogue, The Half of It has cemented its place in my heart.
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