But I'm a cheerleader!

But I'm a cheerleader!
directed by Jamie Babbit
starring Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Eddie Cibrian, Bud Cort, Melanie Lynskey...

Ever since I got Mel's letter I got more and more interested in this film. I did some Internet research (lOve doing that!) and actually found stuff, which made me look at the film in a totally different way. Of course from then on I could only do one thing: re-build the page on Cheerleader.

First I'll tell you the plot, briefly, so we know where we're headed:

A naive teenager gets sent to rehab camp when her straightlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.

(funny that just now, re-typing this for the thousandth time, I wrote "when her straightlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a teenager". I think that pretty much says it all... Anyway)

This is a comedy, which has been rated R for strong language and sexual content involving teens.
There are no guarantees as to when it is coming out, but it should be somewhere around November 1999.

The story behind the story

In case you hadn't realized films take a long time to get made, Jamie Babbit (the director) started working on But I'm a cheerleader! in October 1996. It was meant to be her first feature after six short films, two of which got noticed at the Sundance Film Festival (Frog Crossing and Sleeping Beauties, more precisely, the latter of which starred Clea DuVall and Rhada Mitchell - ohgod. I have to see it). The original title was actually Homo Rehab, but seeing the allergic reaction it provoked in people and since she wanted to make it clear that it was a comedy and not a serious drama, Jamie Babbit changed it into My Straight Summer, which I think is a pretty cool name for a movie (thinking of making a short film myself, called My Straight Morning. It'll last for five minutes set in a guy's bedroom. Anyway. No need to tell you of my oh-so-exciting love & sex life). At some point the film was also called Make Me Over, again a cool title, but sounding a little too much like All Over Me, with which it shared its main theme and Jamie Babbit as part of the crew.

Who is Jamie Babbit ?

Ha, very good question. Well first, here is a picture.
So around some years ago Jamie Babbit graduated as a centennial scholar from Columbia University whatever that means. She worked as Script Supervisor on films such as The Game (David Fincher), If These Walls Could Talk (Nancy Savoca), Hide And Seek (Su Friedrich), and the already-mentioned All Over Me (Alex Sichel), following her strategy of making money on big-budget films and connections just anywhere, and use both to make her own films. She directed six short films this way, plus this Cheerleader here, and is now working on pre-production for her next feature Conjugating Niki (I must admit she is pretty good with finding excellent titles).
You can read an article she wrote for the Sundance Festival Website right here (if you think I did a bad thing stealing the article, please complain at the address way below. It won't change a thing though, unless you work for the Sundance Festival or if you are Jamie Babbit, but then I'll ask for an autograph).

The cast and characters of But I'm a cheerleader!

Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Eddie Cibrian, Bud Cort, and Mel

Natasha Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield

By the way, is it -field or -feld ? Cause the IMDb doesn't seem to be making up its mind. But anyway, with a word like "bloom" in her name, she just had to be a teenager, field or not. And indeed she is, the naive teenager, actually, ending up in rehab camp acting out her straight summer. Young as she is (born 1979, like Amélie Mauresmo - no relation at all), Natasha got noticed with Slums of Beverly Hills, which I should see one day so I can talk about it. She is also part of the upcoming Detroit Rock City, also starring Mel, and in American Pie, coming out this summer (I'm just quoting out the most famous, cause she's been in a lot lately).

Clea DuVall as Graham

The lead #2, Clea is the very extremely attractive young actress you can see above (guess why I'll be seeing The Faculty ? correction: why I saw The Faculty. And there's this scene where Clea totally... You kiss by the book, definitely. Buy the book, hehehe. OK I'll stop it there. It's silly anyway). She worked with Jamie Babbit before (on Sleeping Beauties, with the no-less beautiful Rhada Mitchell, but you have been following all this haven't you ?), which goes to show short films are useful. Remember this Jovita, for future reference in your career as a filmmaker (hahahahaha! Right). So anyway, Clea plays Graham, the girl who's after Megan. I must say if I were Megan she wouldn't have to beg for long, but I'm not in this film am I ? More on Clea and a funny coincidence: she starred on TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where Melanie was supposed to play Willow (eventually played by Alyson Hannigan). Coincidences...

Eddie Cibrian as Kip

My guess: possible male interest ? -Dunno, really. Played by Eddie Cibrian, better known as Matt Clark in The Young and the Restless (I'm sure loads of fans are relating to this right now), he also starred in an episode or two of Beverly Hills 90210 (can't believe I got the numbers right. Shame on me), and seems to be interested in the movies now. For proof, starred in Living Out Loud and this But I'm a cheerleader! here. But went back to TV-world right afterwards.

Bud Cort as Peter Bloomfield

Now I'm wildly guessing this is Megan's father... Dunno why I'm doing a paragraph on Bud Cort, it's not like I know a lot about him anyway... But he has a film record this long, doing mostly small roles.

Melanie Lynskey as Hilary

:-))))))) Mel. Cool. Blank... Uh yes, right, the part. No relation with Hilary Nathan (aka Pauline Parker from Heavenly Creatures -it all comes down to that, doesn't it ?), Mel plays a nice, well-meaning, conciliating lesbian who tries to be friends with everyone. Here's what Mel says about it:

"'Cheerleader' is very funny and not all dumb & prejudiced! [uh, this is a reference to a comment I made on the film - please check The Life Of Melanie Lynskey for more] I haven't seen it yet but I feel very happy to have been a part of it. Natasha & I do get along very well. [again, a reference to my guess that they were very good friends] I couldn't audition for any of the leads in 'Cheerleader', (one of which was always Clea's anyway) because I was in Bulgaria. But my agent sent me the script anyway & I fell in love with a whole other part, this character called Hilary. Anyway I thought I'd have to forget about the movie but then the dates changed or something & Natasha, without ever having met me, said to Jamie Babbit that I should play Hilary. So they offered it to me & I was very thankful to Natasha who is so good in both Dtroit Rock City and in Cheerleader. And as a person."

I'll just add to this that Mel does "kind of a New Zealand - Australian -y accent in 'Cheerleader', which is just great cause it's my favourite. :-)))))) So when does this film come out ?

More of the cast from Cheerleader:

Richard Moll (also in Foreign Correspondents, incidentally), Cathy Moriarty (star of Casper and Oscar-nominated for her part in Raging Bull many moons ago, but no-one remembers about that), RuPaul (famous for being a transexual and a model, I think), Mink Stole (porn actress - she has a website and everything! - was in Cry-Baby if I am not mistaken), Katharine Towne...

... And that's pretty much it for now, I'm afraid. I'm very curious about the film, and have lighted three candles in St Jean's Cathedral (why only 3 ? is my question as well) to see it released in the UK sometime between September 1999 and June 2000, while I'm there. Okay, here's my bet for the UK: February 2000. We'll see).

Note: I am not sure of anything that's put up here (not much, anyway). If there is anything that you would like to correct, add, complain about, please write to the address below (that is, assuming that you are somehow connected to the film and know better).

Back to Out Of Borovnia - Melanie Lynskey