Transamerica (2005)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

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 | Bail | Psychiatrist | Therapist

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:

Not knowing the film would be such a success, most of the wardrobe and props were donated to charity and thrift stores after production wrapped.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the wigwam scene, crew members and the white screen reflector are visible in Bree's sunglasses.

Quotes:

Toby: And these shoes. Three dollars, a dollar fifty each. You know how much these things are worth in Japan?
Bree Osbourne: Three dollars?
Toby: Like 500 dollars. Japanese people kill for old Nikes.
Bree Osbourne: Then you probably should avoid wearing them in Japan.
Toby: Yeah, I'd probably be, like, disemboweled by a ninja.
Bree Osbourne: You don't have to say "like". "Probably disemboweled by a ninja" is sufficient. And please don't put your feet up on the dashboard.

Movie Connections:

Features Finding Your Female Voice (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder

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.