But I'm a Cheerleader

But I'm a Cheerleader
A half-length portrait of a young woman with long hair, wearing a bright pink formal dress and satin gloves. At a distance over her head five cheerleaders in orange outfits perform, flying through the sky. Across the portrait reads, "But I'm a Cheerleader", and below, in smaller letters, "A Comedy of Sexual Disorientation".
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJamie Babbit
Screenplay byBrian Wayne Peterson
Story byJamie Babbit
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJules Labarthe
Edited byCecily Rhett
Music byPat Irwin
Production
companies
Distributed byLions Gate Films
Release dates
  • September 12, 1999 (1999-09-12) (TIFF)
  • July 7, 2000 (2000-07-07) (United States)
Running time
  • 85 minutes (US)
  • 92 minutes (UK)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million
Box office$2.6 million[1]

But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 American satirical teen romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit in her feature directorial debut and written by Brian Wayne Peterson.[2] Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential in-patient conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and, despite the "therapy", comes to embrace her sexuality. The supporting cast includes Clea DuVall, RuPaul, and Cathy Moriarty.

Inspired by an article about conversion therapy and her childhood familiarity with rehabilitation programs, Babbitt used the story of a young woman finding her sexual identity to explore the social construction of gender roles and heteronormativity. The costume and set design of the film highlighted these themes by using artificial textures in intense blues and pinks.

When it was initially rated as NC-17 by the MPAA, Babbit made cuts to allow it to be re-rated as R. When interviewed in the documentary film This Film Is Not Yet Rated, she criticized the MPAA for discriminating against films with homosexual content. While the film has developed a cult following since its release, it was not well received by conservative critics of the time, who compared it unfavorably to the films of John Waters and criticized the colorful production design. The lead actors were praised for their performances but some of the characters were described as stereotypical.

  1. ^ "But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Babbit, Jamie (August 11, 2000), But I'm a Cheerleader (Comedy, Drama, Romance), Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Michelle Williams, Cheerleader LLC, Hate Kills Man (HKM), Ignite Entertainment, archived from the original on September 20, 2023, retrieved September 23, 2023