REVIEW
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Andrea Martin and Michael Pitt
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Opens Friday, August 10
Uptown Screen
Inch by angry inch
Based on the successful off-Broadway stage show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of Hedwig, an East German ex-patriate whose quest for rock ’n’ roll stardom is made difficult by her botched sex change operation and the fact that her ex-lover has built a successful career out of stealing her songs. It’s not hard to see why the filmmakers wanted to make a screen version of Hedwig, but the film gives you an appreciation of how much better it would be on stage. Even though director John Cameron Mitchell has adapted his own script and reprised the title role, it seems like something has been lost in the translation.
The movie is at it’s best when the story isn’t moving at all. Usually this would be ammunition for critique, but in the case of Hedwig, the music is so entertaining that anticipation for the concert overshadows the rest of the film. Co-writer and composer Stephen Trask seamlessly blends androgynous glam rock and late ’70s punk with a modern sensibility that makes it hard not to tap your feet. The soundtrack features the likes of Bob Mould and a score by Girls vs. Boys, so there is a compelling pop hook underlying the musical numbers.
In between dates on the Angry Inch’s family restaurant tour of the U.S., Hedwig tells us her story. Consequently the film swerves between the funny high-energy musical numbers and Hedwig's less entertaining biography. These extremes are punctuated by heartfelt, yet ultimately distracting, animated segues that push the audience away right at the points when the film needs to hold its viewers closest.
As a character, Hedwig’s blend of David Bowie and Bette Midler is intriguing, and Mitchell’s performance is magnetic, but when the music stops so does the movie. Moments of clever scripting are lost to Hedwig’s melodramatic emotions, so at just over 90 minutes the film feels much longer. Hedwig and the Angry Inch suffers a far worse fate than being an unwatchable film – instead it's only slightly below average. Forget about cult film potential – what could have been a stunning and original work is still a few angry inches away. |
