| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Wesley Snipes | ... |
Noxeema
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| Patrick Swayze | ... | ||
| John Leguizamo | ... |
Chi-Chi
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| Stockard Channing | ... | ||
| Blythe Danner | ... |
Beatrice
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| Arliss Howard | ... |
Virgil
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| Jason London | ... | ||
| Chris Penn | ... |
Sheriff Dollard
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| Melinda Dillon | ... |
Merna
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| Beth Grant | ... |
Loretta
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| Alice Drummond | ... | ||
| Marceline Hugot | ... | ||
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Jennifer Milmore | ... | |
| Jamie Harrold | ... |
Billy Budd
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Mike Hodge | ... |
Jimmy Joe
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After jointly winning a local drag queen pageant in New York City, Noxeema Jackson and Vida Boheme win the right and are given the round trip airfare to compete in the Drag Queen of America pageant in Hollywood, California. Noxeema sees herself as the next Dorothy Dandridge, who bucked the trend of most black American movie actresses of her time by never playing the slave house maid. Vida's style reflects her past of growing up in upper class suburban Pennsylvania. One of their fellow New York contestants, Chi-Chi Rodriguez, is a straight-talking but naive and inexperienced drag queen. Seeing that Chi-Chi needs some drag queen confidence (despite her bravada), Vida and a reluctant Noxeema decide to cash in their plane tickets and buy an older model Cadillac convertible and drive to Hollywood with Chi-Chi. Their drive takes them through much of the country where alternate lifestyles are less tolerated than they may be in New York or Los Angeles. The three have an extended stay in small... Written by Huggo
I watched this movie, probably about 9 or 10 years ago. At the time I remember being amazed at how absolutely feminine and lady-like Patrick Swayze was. I also remember that it was a "nice" story the wouldn't offend anyone.
I watched To Wong Foo....again and once again I watched while Patrick Swayze turned himself into Ms. Vida Boheme and then throughout the rest of the movie I kept studying this character in all of the different outfits - complete with matching hats, shoes and gloves - that she wore and kept asking myself, "How can that possibly be Patrick Swayze?" The three stars; Swayze, Wesley Snipes (Ms. Noxeema Jackson) and John Leguizamo (Chi-Chi Rodriquez) we just terrific as drag queens who head out for Hollywood and end up in a small town when their car breaks down. he town is old and appears almost as if it were shot in black and white until the "queens" find some old "60's" clothes in the dry goods store and then the town is transformed into a decorated masterpiece.
The movie is fun and has a do-good message that is up-lifting. There are a lot of other actors with little "important" roles that make the movie. Stockard Channing has an excellent role and Robin Williams has a cameo that was great.
Noxeema Jackson and Chi-Chi are really typical "RuPaul" drag queens in this movie but Swayze's character is such a "lady" that is difficult for me to even relate other movie images of Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing (Johnny), City of Joy (Max), Father Hood (Jack) and others) to this character. Perhaps if a Wesley Snipes fan or a John Leguizamo fan watched this movie they would have the same reaction to these actors' characters as I have had to Patrick Swayze's character - amazement and discomfort.