Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

I loved this film. I really loved this film. In fact it is in my top 5 and I don't even like musicals. Somehow I resisted the urge in Blockbusters to rent it on its original release but something about the cover and blurb intrigued me. Fast forward 18 years and I righted that wrong. It is a compelling watch from start to finish. The songs actually help tell the story as do the short animated sequences. This film is so many things. It is genuinely moving, I actually cried at the end, something I never do at films. It explores interesting themes of identity, sexuality, self awareness and love with such a light touch that you don't feel it is a vehicle for a polemic. I have listened to the songs on Spotify since and they are much stronger than I originally thought on first listen via our oldish TV. This film feels incredibly fresh and original. It is also beautifully acted and shot.

Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell) is a rock singer from East Germany. Yitzhak (Miriam Shor) is his suffering companion. Hedwig has become tabloid news as the the gay transsexual lover to rock star Tommy Gnosis (Michael Pitt). Hedwig has a lawsuit against Tommy as manager Phyllis Stein (Andrea Martin) has the band playing in unlikely places following Tommy's tour.Hedwig is a fascinating bitter character. Ultimately, his inch is too angry to be of much rooting interest. It's a terrific performance and I can imagine it would be an amazing live performance. I wanted more comedic moments. The directing style is limited with some animation work. This is set up for a cult classic.

I'm at a disadvantage…I'm just not that into musicals. Especially the odd types – still haven't seen 'Moulin Rouge!'But, I appreciate my friends' recommendations. After the second – or is this the third or more? – recommendation to see 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' (4/5 Stars) I finally gave in. I was so unfamiliar with what this was about, aside from the main character being a drag performer and it was a musical, I thought the title ended with: "and the angry ITCH" and thought that made sense.I admit…this one is hard for me to review. It's certainly not mainstream. It's also not black & white. In fact, I hate reviewing movies like these because my mind's going around in circles. (This is certainly above my pay range…but since I don't get paid…thank God, right?)I did like the movie, very much. I loved the music, the songs, the story. The acting of director/writer/star John Cameron Mitchell, aka "Hedwig" was phenomenal. The movie's wildly original and for the most part I could follow it. But…Fine. I admit, I was a bit lost, especially in the absolute finale… This MUST stem from my lack of interest in musicals because I guess I'm supposed to "get" the finale and see where this incredibly interesting character headed when naked down an alley…So, I will be watching this again. It sincerely helps that I loved the music and (pretty tragic) story of a lost boy. And then, perhaps I can answer some questions of mine…(Spoiler alert) …Such as: Who did he end up with? How did he end up with that band? Was his co-lead singer a woman in drag? And finally, why the hell did they select places that went against his/her grain?Hopefully, one – or more – of my friends will answer these questions…but I still want to see it again. With further understanding, perhaps my rating will increase. Either way, I'm definitely ordering the soundtrack soon…okay…ordered. The soundtrack will be arriving between Monday, January 30, 2012 – Tuesday, February 14, 2012. Just in time for Valentine's Day or Arizona's 100th Birthday!

I grudgingly rented this movie not knowing what I was getting into. And from the very first frame, my eyes and ears took turns getting raped, getting tickled, and on and on...when Hedwig sang "Wicked Town" and then noticed Tommy kinda hiding but watching, my heart did a flip. Literally. That's when I fell in love with this movie. Then when Tommy "covered" that same song towards the end of the movie, I was practically CRYING!!! I selected that same scene over and over, then started selecting other scenes to watch over and over and over again...then I essentially re-watched the entire movie several times over!!! This is such an addicting movie...I saw so many poetic shots, I could feel the love, and I had no earthly clue that Yitzhak was actually being portrayed by a CHICK. This gem of a movie is truly a work of genius. I recognized the winks and nods to "Tommy" and to "Rocky Horror"! I highly recommend it to everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation!