Transamerica (2005)

Director:

Duncan Tucker

Writer:

Duncan Tucker (writer)

Release Date:

10 February 2006 (Denmark)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Life is more than the sum of its parts.

Plot:

A pre-operative male-to-female transsexual takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

Plot Keywords:

Sex Change | Transsexual | Psychiatrist | Therapist | Bail

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Andrea James	...	Voice Coach
Felicity Huffman	...	Bree
Danny Burstein	...	Dr. Spikowsky
Maurice Orozco	...	Fernando
Elizabeth Peña	...	Margaret
Craig Bockhorn	...	Sergeant
Paul Borghese	...	New York City Cop
Kevin Zegers	...	Toby
Jon Budinoff	...	Alex
Venida Evans	...	Arletty
Raynor Scheine	...	Bobby Jensen
Kate Bayley	...	Tennessee Waitress
Stella Maeve	...	Taylor
Teala Dunn	...	Little Girl
Jim Frangione	...	Taylor's Father

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and drug use.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:16 (theatrical rating) | Netherlands:MG6 | Malaysia:18PL | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:R21 | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:12 | Canada:18A | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:16 | China:(Banned) | Japan:R-15 | Brazil:14 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | France:U (with warning) | South Korea:18 | Chile:14 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Belladonna Productions

Trivia:

Many scenes involve improvisation. The scene where the characters are riding in the car towards sunset is one of them: the director asked Felicity Huffman to start poking Kevin Zegers in the stomach and shoulder. Kevin Zegers stayed in character, and the director liked the result.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: During the trip from New York to California, Toby asks why they are heading to Dallas. The scene changes from a Midwest setting to inside the Deck Park Tunnel on I-10 in Phoenix heading West (already past Dallas), back to a Midwest neighborhood.

Quotes:

[discovering that her son is a frog-stealing, drug addicted prostitute]
Bree Osbourne: How much is the bail?
NYC Cop: Bail is set at one dollar.
Bree Osbourne: I can't possible afford... one dollar?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Knocked Up (2007)

Soundtrack:

Act III: Dido: When I am laid in Earth

Incredible movie - Great performances

Huffman did a terrific job of making me forget a "star" was doing the title role. Her performance was incredibly authentic. You could just feel the uncomfortableness of Bree as we see her start her journey (both figuratively and literally) and gets to know the son she never knew she had.

Moments of this movie had me laughing out loud. Others brought me near tears. If you see one movie this year, this should be it. It is movies like this that give me hope that some people still care about quality film-making.

A little gossip: the director said that Huffman enthusiastically agreed to do this film and then when it was almost time to start shooting, he found out she had to go to Hollywood in 3 months to shoot "some stupid pilot." Yes, THAT stupid pilot.