Bree (Huffman) is a pre-operative male to female transsexual who's close to having surgery that will finally make her a woman. However, out of the blue, Bree discovers that she has a teenage son, Toby (Zegers), the result of a fling that Bree had with a woman in college when Bree was a man. With Toby's mother dead, Toby wants to meet his father, but Bree is reluctant to take on her parental responsibilities. However, Bree's counsellor (Elizabeth Pena) won't process the paperwork for Bree's operation until Bree meets Toby. Bree flies from Los Angeles to New York to bail Toby out of jail, but she doesn't tell Toby that she is his father. Instead, Bree poses as a Christian representative who is in New York to help Toby. The two of them agree to drive back to L.A., but Bree intends to drop Toby off at his stepfather's house on the way. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and their journey across America won't be as simple as they think
Superficially, Transamerica is similar to Matchstick Men (2003), in that a neurotic character who maintains a perfectly ordered life is suddenly saddled with a child that they never knew they had, and which brings chaos to their organised life. With a premise like this, Transamerica could have been a heavy-handed treatise on parental responsibility, as well as a plea for tolerance. These sentiments are obviously admirable, but if they're not subtly and skilfully integrated into a drama, they can turn a narrative film into an earnest but dull lecture. Thankfully, Transamerica is a light-hearted road movie that takes a refreshingly laid back approach to the serious proceedings. There's no solemnity or despair here, and the comedy is never vicious or cynical towards Bree or any of the other characters.
Bree comes across as an uptight conservative; a studious, organised and responsible woman with a strict moral code. The film gently mocks these aspects of Bree's personality, but it's never condescending towards her. For instance, a gag that involves Bree wearing a cap emblazoned with Proud to be a Christian' would normally herald a slew of jokes at the expense of religion. However, the film doesn't mock Christianity. Instead, Bree's statement about Christian values subverts out assumptions about Bree and the role of religion in people's lives.
Anyone familiar with Huffman from her role in Desperate Housewives will find her a revelation here. Although Bree's voice and mannerisms may strike some as qualities that have been exaggerated, it never feels as if Huffman is showboating with her performance. Bree is clearly a self-conscious person, and Huffman shows us that Bree's serious and buttoned-up demeanour is a way for Bree to cope with the world and to be taken seriously as a woman.
Kevin Zegers plays Toby as the typical sullen, nihilistic teen at the outset, but as the film progresses he manages to capture the awkward transition from being a boy to becoming a man. Although Toby wants to set out on his own, he also wants to have some sort of family connection, even if teenage posturing prevents him from saying that he wants his father to be a part of his life. A comic and dramatic highlight of the film is surely the moment when Bree is reunited with her mother and father (Fionnula Flanagan and Burt Young): the former is shocked by Bree's appearance, while the latter is more open-minded. It's like a scene from Meet the Parents (2000), but far less broad and far more convincing when it comes to revealing the tensions in family relationships. And Carrie Preston, as Bree's sister, comes close to stealing the film, gleefully throwing around acerbic asides as her parents try to come to terms with Bree's sudden reappearance.
Transamerica is bound to be compared with Brokeback Mountain, because both films deal with areas of sexuality that are rarely, if ever, treated seriously in mainstream American films. But instead of an anguished story about separation and longing that's centred around one location, Transamerica is a road movie that takes its characters across the United States and puts them together in a car for much of the film. Ultimately, Transamerica is not just about Bree's life as a transsexual; it's also a film about family life. Bree and Toby think that they don't want or need each other, but when they meet and get to know one another, it allows them to come to terms with who they are. This makes them blossom as individuals, while also allowing them to reconnect as a family. Although Transamerica arrives with less of a fanfare that greeted Brokeback Mountain, Transamerica is a quirky, charming and amusing film that deserves to find a wide audience. |
