Celebrating Pride Month Two New Multiplex Movie Reviews Plus, A Trans Journey at The Tower

by Chris Narloch

While I enjoy some of the superhero cinema, and I can appreciate a franchise film if it’s well-made, I just could not bring myself to sit through another “Fast & Furious” film, so Outword readers will not be getting a review of “Fast X” from me.

If the moviemakers had added Billy Porter in a pink Lamborghini to that franchise, I would have been at the theater with bells on, but, alas, they have not yet realized that some queers are also fond of fast cars (and fast men and women). Here are reviews of four new movies I did find time to watch recently.

You Hurt My Feelings

Funny lady Julia Louis-Dreyfus brings the laughs and then some in Nicole Holofcener’s new dramedy about whether it’s better to tell your loved ones the truth or save their feelings with little white lies. Louis-Dreyfus plays a professor and author who discovers that her husband doesn’t like her latest novel after all, a revelation that sends their marriage into a tailspin. A smart script and a terrific supporting cast help create an original movie that is very funny and surprisingly moving. Currently in wide theatrical release.

About My Father

Unlike “You Hurt My Feelings,” the new comedy starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert DeNiro employs tired tropes and sit-com stereotypes, in an attempt to wring laughs out of an overly familiar plot about a man (Maniscalco) and his father (DeNiro) who spend the weekend with the wealthy family of the son’s fiancée. Mr. Maniscalco is a funny guy (and handsome too), but this attempt to turn his real-life relationship with his dad into successful comedy is an unfortunate misfire. Currently in wide theatrical release (but not for long).

L’Immensita

Do not miss this superb drama starring the great Penelope Cruz as the mother of a preteen girl who moves with her family to a new apartment in Rome during the 1970s and gradually rejects her name and identity, in an attempt to be seen as a boy. The child’s father is not thrilled, but the supportive mother played by Cruz is a model for how every parent of a trans child should show them unconditional love. “L’Immensita” should be mandatory viewing for all the narrow-minded, transphobic people currently discriminating against gender-fluid folks around the world. This autobiographical Italian film opened at Sacramento’s Tower Theatre on June 2nd. Do yourself a favor and see it before it’s gone.

Sanctuary

The less said about this contrived, obnoxious indie flick the better. Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley play a rich jerk and the dominatrix he tries to dump one night after the pair meet in a hotel room to sort out their relationship. A twisty battle of the sexes ensues, and we are supposed to be on the edge of our seats as to the outcome. Unfortunately, I was so irritated by both leads – the characters and the actors – that I didn’t care who came out on top. Hopefully, this movie, which opened at Sacramento’s Tower Theatre on June 2nd, will be gone soon.