Film Bites: Breakfast on Pluto

Based on the novel by Patrick McCabe, Neil Jordan directs the depressingly predictable tale of Patrick "Kitten" Braden (Cillian Murphy), a transsexual growing up in Ireland. As we follow the familiar stations of Kitten's development--rebellious childhood, sexual awakening, flight to the big city, and so forth--the narrative never develops any drive. Despite Cillian Murphy's considerable charms and the best efforts of the name cast (including Liam Neeson and Stephen Rea), "Breakfast" feels oddly timid. For an audience that has seen "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Velvet Goldmine," and Jordan's own "Crying Game," it takes more than transvestites, tacky magicians, and the IRA for a truly fresh experience. "Breakfast on Pluto" opens today. [posted by Jürgen]

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