Start engraving Mitchell's awards

Rating: 9/10 (7 September 2001)

It's incredible how many tough feats John Cameron Mitchell and crew have pulled off beautifully in this film! Firstly, it's never wreaks of being an "adapted from stage" movie; "Hedwig" is a fully realized cinematic project told in ways that only a film could. Mitchell doesn't settle for traditional A-to-B-to-C storytelling. Instead, he uses sometimes ingenious camerawork and styles to bring the story and characters to life. As a musical, "Hedwig" rocks. The songs are first-rate and critically important to the story and mood. Making it all come to life is John Cameron Mitchell's incredible performance. In the club/restaurant scene, when Hedwig is performing live for an audience, Mitchell just about jumps off the screen. Elvis never worked as hard in ALL of his movies combined as he does in one song. And he SELLS the songs; you can not take your eyes off of him. In the non-singing scenes, he also shines. Never do you feel you're watching an actor doing the usual drag queen impression. Hedwig is a totally real, convincing transgendered woman--free from the cliched sassy, finger-snapping behavior crossdressers usually have in films. That's why we care about Hedwig, and that may be Mitchell's most important achievement. He gives a break-out performance that must not be overlooked when the awards season comes around!