Interesting and entertaining, but with a bummer of an ending

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2006)

HEDWIG is a rock musical about a German boy who grows up to be a quasi-woman. He/she is constantly haunted by a botched genital operation (hence the film's bizarre title) and his/her failure to achieve stardom and connect with his/her fellow human beings in a meaningful way. His/her songs reflect the various passages he/she is going through in life, and the actor playing Hedwig (also the film's writer and director) can really belt out a tune. The songs sound like a cross between tunes by Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf's songwriter and one-time partner, and Bernie Taupin, Elton John's former songwriter and longtime partner. Anyone expecting another PRISCILLA OF THE DESERT will be sorely disappointed, however. This is not a comedy and goes way beyond PRISCILLA in depicting the life of a transvestite/would-be transsexual. The ending is odd and something of a letdown, and mainstream audiences are simply not going to understand it. But this is not a mainstream movie; it's strictly for the art-house and intellectual crowd, great music notwithstanding. For most of you reading this, heed my advice and buy the soundtrack instead. The rest of you are in for a disturbing 90 minutes. For those into movie trivia bar bets, keep a close eye on Hedwig's guitarist. A very close eye. Nuff said.