hedwig and the angry inch ( 2001 ) john cameron mitchell , miriam shor , stephen trask , michael pitt , theodore liscinski , michael aronov , andrea martin , maurice dean wint , ben mayer - goodman .
animation by emily hubley .
adapted from the stage play by john cameron mitchell and stephen trask .
music and lyrics by stephn trask .
written and directed by john cameron mitchell .
91 minutes .
rated r , stars )
had " hedwig and the angry inch " came out in the ' 70s , right after david bowie 's " ziggy stardust , " it likely would now be regarded as one of the most popular rock musicals of all time .
released in the 500 channel , sensory overload world of 2001 , however , the big screen adaptation of the acclaimed off - broadway musical must do battle with countless other productions clamoring for attention .
i almost missed it .
every august , the major studios try to squeeze the last few dollars out of summer moviegoers by dumping all of their shakier offerings on the marketplace at once .
i was so busy trying to keep up with national releases like " summer catch " and " bubble boy " that i passed over any independent film that looked like it would only have a short local run .
but an e - mail from a reader asking why i had n't reviewed the movie prompted me to make a late evening trip to the theater .
thank goodness for readers like him .
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hedwig and the angry inch " is a gender - bending glam - rock spectacular packed with great songs .
stylistically , the hook - laden tunes are reminiscent of bowie , " bat out of hell " era meatloaf and " the rocky horror show , " without ever seeming like imitations .
as with " tommy , " " hedwig " tells a story of isolation , pain and defiance , but without the bloated feel of that beloved , but overrated rock opera .
writer - director - star john cameron mitchell and composer - lyricist stephen trask have cooked up a real winner .
mitchell stars as hedwig , a singer from east berlin touring a chain of u . s . coffee shops with her pan - slavic band , the angry inch .
while the patrons of the run - down restaurants look on in shock , and sometimes horror , hedwig boldly tells the sad story of her life in song .
she was once a boy named hansel ( ben mayer - goodman ) , living with his mother ( alberta watson ) and listening to rock and roll on american armed forces radio .
life is an exercise in duality for hansel .
a wall splits his hometown into two parts .
mother describes love as the emotion that comes when you find your other half . as hansel grows up , the duality becomes more pronounced .
after initially mistaking him for a girl , a gi from the states ( maurice dean wint ) falls in love with hansel and wants to marry him .
alas , hansel will never pass the mandatory physical .
mother helpfully suggests a sex change , but the operation goes bad , hence the references to " the angry inch " ( yes , i know this part is squirm - inducing , but stick with me - it 's worth it ) .
several years later , mr . right is long gone and hansel becomes hedwig , decked out in a farrah fawcett - style wig and fronting a band made up of korean women .
hedwig finds a new love in tommy ( michael pitt ) , a beatific lad with a unique take on christianity .
but tommy does hedwig wrong , stealing her songs and becoming a superstar .
cut to the present .
tommy gnosis ' stadium tour is thriving and hedwig is suing him .
despite warnings from her manager ( andrea martin ) that she could easily be labeled a stalker , hegwig and her new band , the angry inch , continue their coffee shop tour , shadowing the thief by playing whatever city he is in .
if this sounds like a bizarre premise for a rock musical , take a few seconds and consider the plotlines of " tommy " and " rocky horror .
" as hedwig , john cameron mitchell does a magnificent job taking a character that could have simply been a caricature or an icon and turning her into a compelling human being .
mitchell has world - class style and vocal chords to match .
even though the backstory is unusually strong , mitchell never forgets that the production is first and foremost a rock musical .
everything is propelled by one terrific song after another
and , trust me , these are full - fledged rock songs , not the over - processed fluff that passes for rock in most musicals .
while mitchell remains in the center of the stage throughout the film , there is much of interest on the sidelines .
miriam shor
does fine work as yitzhak , hedwig 's lover and bandmate , conveying a great deal through expressions alone .
decked out in a bandanna and a surprisingly convincing beard , she makes a mighty attractive man .
as always , " sctv " veteran andrea martin is a welcome presence
onscreen and michael pitt is beguiling as tommy , the angelic - appearing little rat .
artist emily hubley adds to the magic with a string of dandy animated sequences that charm the eye while underlining the central themes of the musical .
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hedwig and the angry inch " surrounds a weird , funny and touching story with a knockout series of songs performed by an exceptional cast .
true originals do not come along very often ?
do n't let this slip out of town without seeing it .
Output: P