Transamerica (2005)

A preoperative transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

Director:

Duncan Tucker

Writer:

Duncan Tucker

Stars:

Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Fionnula Flanagan

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 32 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Southern Californian Bree Osbourne, formerly Stanley Chupak, has finally received the news for which she has been waiting: she has been approved for male-to-female sexual reassignment surgery. But before Margaret, her therapist, will allow her to go through with the surgery scheduled in a week's time, Bree has to deal with an unresolved problem from her past. Bree gets a telephone call from a seventeen year old man named Toby Wilkins, who is looking for Stanley, his biological father. Toby is in a New York jail, having been supporting himself by petty crime and hustling. Stanley/Bree knew nothing about Toby before the telephone call. Toby apparently is all alone in the world, with his mother having committed suicide and being estranged from his stepfather in Tennessee. Masquerading as a Christian social worker, Bree, not telling him either of her true identity or her transgender status, bails Toby out of jail and tells him she will take him to Los Angeles, where Toby has aspirations ...

---

Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | male objectification | son | parents | looking at oneself in a mirror | 

---

Taglines:

Life is a journey. Bring an open mind.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Transamerika

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$46,908, 4 December 2005

Gross USA:

$9,015,303, 1 June 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,151,744

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belladonna Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Felicity Huffman nicknamed her prosthetic penis "Andy" during filming.

---

Goofs

When Toby shows up at Bree's apartment and is smoking, the plate Bree gives him to use as an ashtray moves around between shots.

---

Quotes

Elizabeth Osbourne: Look at your life. You've never been able to stick to a decision. I mean, 10 years of college and not a single degree. How do you know you won't change your mind about this, too?
[brief pause]
Bree Osbourne: Because I know.
Elizabeth Osbourne: Don't do this awful thing to yourself, please. I miss my son.
Bree Osbourne: Mom, you never had a son.
Elizabeth Osbourne: [crying] How can you say such a thing?
Bree Osbourne: Now you know how I felt when you hired those private detectives.
Elizabeth Osbourne: [crying] We only tried to do the best for you.
Bree Osbourne: Is that why you tried to have me committed?
Elizabeth Osbourne: [shouting] ...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

For all people of trans experience, For all people of any experience, and For my family.

---

Connections

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006)

---

Soundtracks

Fish Song
Written by Jimmie Fadden
Performed by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Published by EMI Unart Catalog Inc. (BMI)
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Excellent real-life comedy/drama from a different point of view

I saw Transamerica last night at the Tribeca Film Festival and absolutely loved it. I was concerned beforehand that I would not be able to relate to the characters, but that turned out not to be a problem. The acting of Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers is done with so much sincerity that I quickly came to care about their characters. Ms. Huffman's performance is one of the best I have seen. Having not seen any of her television or movies, I did not know anything about her. In fact, I thought that she was truly a man playing the part of the transsexual woman. The script was always believable and allowed Ms. Huffman to show some wry humor. The writer/director Duncan Tucker was there to make a few comments answer questions. The only problem is that the film has not yet been picked up by a distributor so if you want to see it (and you should) you may have to find a film festival somewhere.