hedwig ( john cameron mitchell ) was born a boy named hansel in east berlin .
as a teen seeking his " other half , " he reluctantly agrees to a sex change operation in order to marry american g. i. luther ( maurice dean wint ) .
the operation , performed by a hack surgeon , is botched , and the " angry inch " is all that 's left .
now a " she " , hedwig comes to america , is abandoned by luther , forms a rock band and falls for her 17-year old lover / prot ?
g ?
, tommy , only to be rejected by him later , too .
she and her band , the angry inch , shadows the now - famous tommy gnosis across the us ( for revenge ? ) , but hedwig is really in search of her lost other half in " hedwig and the angry inch .
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first time helmer john cameron mitchell , along with composer / lyricist stephen trask , created and starred in their acclaimed off - broadway production that has become the movie . and quite a movie
it is in its eclectic variety of songs , outrageous costumes , sets and makeup and , especially , a riveting performance by mitchell as the title character .
mitchell and trask have reinvented the movie musical and couple it with the underlying story of just whom hedwig is and what she is looking for .
i am , by far , not a big fan of musicals .
sure , there are exceptions , like bob fosse 's " all that jazz " and " cabaret , " but , for the most part , they are just not my cup of tea .
"
hedwig and the angry inch " is an exception , though , with its combination of humor , wit and a collection of tunes that covers musical styles ranging from " the rocky horror picture show " and meatloaf to david bowie to the sex pistols .
the original songs , by stephen trask ( also appearing as one of the members of the band the angry inch ) , are full of energy and variety and , even though it 's not my kind of music , i found every one entertaining and fun .
the audience i saw " hedwig " with thought so , too .
the main attraction to this one - man / woman show is the presence of its star .
john cameron mitchell gives a solid , sometimes fun , sometimes angry performance as a person searching for self - enlightenment and love .
as a young boy growing up in east berlin , hansel is abused by his g. i. father and raised by his german mother in a tiny flat so small that " mother would make me play in the oven " where he listened to pop music on armed forces radio .
later , as a young man , he meets luther ,
another g. i.
and is swept off of his feet .
the ensuing angry inch incident comes soon after .
flash forward to a trailer park in junction city , kansas , and luther is leaving hedwig for another boy .
frustrated and broke , she takes on baby - sitting and the odd " job " to make ends meet .
she also forms a band with four korean housewives and the musical talent of hedwig is born .
she meets , falls for and loses young tommy , who steals her songs and goes off to become a rock sensation .
jealous and angry , hedwig and her new band begins a campaign to shadow tommy 's tours and , with the help of her manager , phyllis stein ( andrea martin ) , is trying get a law suit going against the star for stealing her songs .
hedwig and the angry inch get gigs , not coincidentally , at a chain of seafood restaurants that just happen to be next to the forums where tommy gnosis is playing .
things finally come to a head , so to speak , in new york city .
the popularity of the off - broadway musical and its offshoots have garnered a ready - made audience base for " hedwig .
"
the wit , humor , music and search for identity has great appeal to young adults , but the charismatic presence of mitchell makes this a cut above what it could have been .
it is this one - man / woman show that casts its spotlight on its " internationally ignored " rock star and mitchell is outstanding in the role .
there is n't a lot going on with other characters , though there are amusing little sidebars , like hedwig 's backup singer / lover , yitzak ( miriam shor ) , deciding to break away from the band to join a polynesian road show of " rent " as a puerto rican drag queen .
the low budget that the moviemakers have for the production belies the quality of the film .
attention to details
- hedwig 's costumes and outrageous " cabaret " -like makeup ; the seedy trailer park setting ; and , the kitschy seafood restaurants - are loads of fun to watch and lend the appropriate air to the proceeds , all on what has to be a beer budget .
"
hedwig and the angry inch " may not be for everybody , but the energy of the effort , the songs , the imaginative sets and costumes and a fast steady pace make it a pleasure to watch .
if you 're a fan of contemporary , edgy music , it is an even bigger draw .
i give it a b+ .
Output: P