But I'm a Cheerleader
Dateline: 06/15/00
Since
I first discovered Natasha Lyonne in Woody Allen's musical delight, Everyone
Says I love You, I've been an avid fan. There is something different about
her than other young actors. Maybe it's the curly hair. Probably, it's the attitude
that comes through: intelligent, ironic and jaded. She was fantastic as Vivian
Abramowitz in Tamara Jenkin's The Slums of Beverly Hills, the tormented
teenager with breasts too large for comfort. In last summer's enormously popular
American Pie, Lyonne stole the show with her all-too limited appearance
in this low brow teen romp.
So this summer you have an easy choice: the standard summer fare (Road Trip) or Natasha Lyonne back in action, this time with a starring role in But I'm a Cheerleader. Woo hoo! Lyonne plays 17 year old Megan -- confident, strongwilled, and yes, a cheerleader, who is sent to "homosexual rehab camp" by her conservative parents who fear that she is a lesbian. Of course, the longer she spends in the camp with her new friend Graham, the more she begins to question just how fixed her sexuality really is.
This film hit the festival circuit earlier in the year, including a screening at the 24th annual San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. It will be released in independent theaters across the country on July 6.
next: Independent Candy, Babbit on Lyonne
