Rarely have the ideas of social rebellion, political anarchism, and radical feminism reached such an uninspired status. Itty Bitty Titty Committee seems like a gay film for the self-conscious or the quiet homosexuals; a film that they can watch and release their inner-self, yelling at the screen and even going as far as personally siding with the character(s). However, due to its thin and uncertain nature, this film doesn't appear to have much of a thought as to what direction it wants to go in. Political commentary? Humanizing the feminists in general or the characters in the film? The idea of exercising the right of an opinion in a country that fears unpopular ones? These are all discarded while the film attempts to make up its mind.
The story concerns Anna (Melonie Diaz), a young woman working at a plastic surgery clinic and has just gone through a rough breakup. She is inhabiting a life of utter dullness, slogging through numerous patient appointments, and obtaining stress from her sister, whose wedding is right around the corner. When she meets Sadie (Nicole Vicius), a social activist responsible for the "C(i)A" (aka, "Clits in Action," if you couldn't make out the little text reference. The C(i)A works in giving the impressionable public a taste of the strength that women possess, yet are forced to repress in a male-dominated culture. They reject marriage, both gay and straight, defile public landmarks, and stage protests with strong, incorruptible messages feeding on power and deviance. Anna soon becomes consumed in this lifestyle, and her morals and ethics become flipped upside down as her obedient nature is turned into a smarmy, non-conformist personality-change that feeds on ego and narcissistic intentions.
There's nothing more disappointing than a film with an idea that results in a missed opportunity, and Itty Bitty Titty Committee is a grand one. Its idea could instantly brew a fiery sociological debate among pro-feminist and anti-feminist activists based on the content and issues it shows to its audience. Unfortunately, it gives us dull, archetypal anarchists whose motivations seem to not be because of global needs, but shallow personal ones. Our lead characters, mainly Sadie, seem less concerned with how others feel and more concerned about their well-being and personal needs.
Even the monologues delivered by the members of the C(i)A leave a lot to be desired. When we're dropped into a world foreign to our "normal" one in films, we'd like to be provided with a little backstory into the setting, time period, and philosophy of the characters. Consider Red State, Kevin Smith's film that focused on a devoutly religious family that committed atrocities against gays and non-believers. The leading male, Michael Parks, was given a roughly ten minute monologue expressing the motivations of his church in a shivering and unblinking shot. The dialog given to the audience here is disjointed, largely unmemorable, and those unaware of feminist goals or common tactics will not learn very much about them other than they are self-righteous, outcasts in society, and very concerned about how many site visits they'll receive. And they have a talent for swaying Anna with their tactics in only what seems to be a few days.
On the bright side of things, director Jamie Babbit (of But I'm a Cheerleader fame) continues to show promise in her career as a director, as do several of the actresses here, and the soundtrack and cinematography were the two primary things keeping me alert and in-tune with the film. Yet the lack of an introduction on feminism itself, the repetitive state of events, the senseless and absurd ending, and the emptiness of any deeper meaning, Itty Bitty Titty Committee quickly spirals down to the level of forgettable obscurity I'm almost certain it was trying to avoid.
Starring: Melonie Diaz, Nicole Vicius, and Melanie Mayron. Directed by: Jamie Babbit.
