Film Matters Magazine

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) is a satirical rom-com directed by Jamie Babbit and starring Natasha Lyonne as the film’s protagonist Megan, a closeted cheerleader. Megan is sent to a conversion therapy camp by her friends, family, and boyfriend after they suspect her of being a lesbian due to feminine and vulva-esque motifs in her decorations — all of the posters in her room and locker are of women — and the fact that she does not enjoy kissing her boyfriend. After her family, friends, and boyfriend suspect her of being a homosexual, Megan is sent to a conversion therapy camp run by Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty), who is in charge of the girls at the camp, and Mike (RuPaul), who is in charge of the boys. Megan and the other youth at the camp have to perform and pass a series of exercises and tests throughout the film in order to “correct” their sexual desires, including cooking, cleaning, and dressing feminine for the girls, and yard work and learning how to fix cars for the boys. At first, Megan is open to changing herself and her sexuality through the program, but as she gains more confidence in her sexuality and falls for one of her peers, Graham (Clea DuVall), she rejects the camp and strives for the freedom to be herself.

After his father dies in a fire, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is taken in by his Uncle Claude (Ray Winston), who takes care of the clocks at a train station. Claude is a drunk and eventually disappears, leaving Hugo to fend for himself. The only things that Hugo has from his previous life are an automaton that his father found in the attic at the museum where he worked and the notebook that his father kept as they were trying to repair the automaton. To prevent losing his home, Hugo continues working on the clocks on his own. He also continues trying to repair the automaton using parts that he pilfers and steals. It’s while stealing parts from a toy booth at the station that he meets the other main character, Georges (Ben Kingsley). Georges has caught Hugo in the act of stealing and, during the subsequent shakedown, discovers the aforementioned notebook. Georges is shocked by the drawings found within and, after Hugo refuses to say who drew them, takes the notebook, saying that he will burn it. Hugo follows Georges home to get the notebook back and meets Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz), who lives with Georges and his wife Jeanne (Helen McCrory). The two become friends and bond over a shared love of the movies. At one point, Hugo discovers a key that Isabelle has around her neck in the shape of a heart. He realizes that the key would fit in a slot on the automaton. Hugo and Isabelle use the key, and the automaton comes to life. Hugo believes that the automaton will write a message from his father. Instead, it draws the famous image from Georges Méliès’s Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon, 1902) and signs the image Georges Méliès. Isabelle explains that Georges’s full name is Georges Méliès. This eventually leads them to Rene Tabard (Michael Stuhlbarg), a historian and fan of Georges Méliès’s films. He travels to Georges’s home and plays one of his films for Jeanne, Hugo, and Isabelle. Georges returns home at this time and, after encouragement from his wife and the others, tells the story of how his career as a filmmaker ended. He also mentions that he believed the automaton he created had been destroyed in the fire that killed Hugo’s father. Hugo leaves to get the automaton but is captured by the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). The inspector is getting ready to take Hugo to jail when Georges shows up and tells the inspector that Hugo is his boy. The film ends with a public presentation of Georges’s films and an after-party where all the various characters celebrate Georges’s accomplishments.