Instant Favorite.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

disgusting, overrated, pointless

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

11094314 I watched this movie for a university class I'm currently taking because we were discussing transgender. First off I really enjoyed this film not just for its unique characters but because it takes two classic story line templates (road trip and the gradual development of a father-son bond) and puts a very novel twist on them. This film presents two controversial main characters, the transgender woman Bree and her recently discovered drug addicted male prostitute son Toby. In the film the common stigma surrounding transgendered people is very clear first in Bree's aversion of revealing the fact that she is a transgender woman and second in how her family (mostly her mother) treats her. Another important factor is how Bree feels about her transformation from male to female. In the movie Bree is preparing for her final surgery and is excited but completely desperate to make the transition complete. Bree can only see herself being happy as a 'whole' woman and states that her penis disgusts her. I find it very hard to imagine feeling like I was born into the wrong gender and because of that not being able to live with my physical body. I do not know how transgendered people feel I cannot say that they all feel disgusted with the body they were born with but for Bree she cannot be satisfied until her body reflects how she really feels inside. You can see at the end of the film how much happier she is and how much more comfortable and confident she is with herself. In the beginning it seems to me that Toby', her son, is an unpleasant reminder of her previous life when society perceived her as a man and you can tell it makes her anxious. Bree does not reveal to Toby that she is a transgender woman, I believe because she is scared of his reaction which goes back to the idea of stigma, and she does not tell him that she is his father. SO overall I suggest people watch this movie either to gain some insight into transgender struggles or just because it is very entertaining!

Felicity Huffman turns in one of the most complex and engaging performances I've seen in a long time as Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne, a transsexual who's down to her final stages of her final operation as she's about to lose the man jewels as she is finally rid of the horrid past she encountered when she was a man named Stanley. It's a misnomer to some who think that this is a goofy zany comedy film, or a preachy film about the trials and tribulations of becoming transsexual. It is a vulgar satire that uplifts the dramatic elements from the obstacles of the plot and the surprising outcomes that manifest at the principal elements as the movie progresses.In his directorial debut, Duncan Tucker has took on the classic road movie to a new direction that pits Bree and her re-acquaintance with the son she only once fathered. Toby is a juvenile homeless kid who is the biological son of the former Stanley who was once in a relationship with his recently deceased mother. Bree and Toby embark on a cross-country journey from New York to Los Angeles. Sure people might scoff by saying that this is another cross-country road movie. But if you look into the movie beyond the surface, it's really about a journey of a man trying to adapt into womanhood and the hardships it is in trying to adjust to the new life that has become of Bree.Tucker cleverly uses Bree's dreadful occupation as a telemarketer as a symbol of the obstacles Stanley faced during his quest of becoming a woman and Huffman utilizes her character's vulnerable traits and stiff posture. Sure it looked like open field for comical farce, but her acting it pitch perfect and takes her training and regiments very seriously which is all very believable. With the help from Jason Hayes (wig designer) we get to see the gradual physical molding of a man turn woman right before our very eyes and the fear of Bree returning to her old alter ego.The supporting cast backs Huffman up nicely. Young Kevin Zegers was accurate as the poor young confused misunderstood soul Toby who's oblivious that his father is now a mother and that Bree cowardly lied to Toby saying she was a church missionary when really she's really his biological father. Elizabeth Pena of "Lone Star" fame was sublime as Bree's strong-opinioned therapist. Graham Greene ("Dances With Wolves") was in top form as Bree's suitor Calvin Manygoats. And the scene-stealing comes from Bree's parents played by Bert Young and Fionnula Flanagan who are in perpetual denial over their son's life-rendering decision.Along with the parents, Carrie Preston as Bree's sister Sidney make the perfect dysfunctional family comedy foil as they easily go into Bree's self-loathing which is par for the course in most families who try to deal with problems. The film sporadically shifts into being overly sentimental tear-jerker and instead Tucker focuses more on the comedy elements and the absurd scenes that follow. This is a film worthy of its accolades and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

Last week a family getting ready to move gave my wife and I a bag of books and a few films. One of the films was Transamerica. I glanced at the front and back and through "Hmmm, I didn't I know Mrs. H. was into weird movies". A few nights later my wife and I decided to give the film a try. The film was great, we're so tired of the same old Hollywood stuff, action, special effects, top dollar actors who could care less about the characters. The film captured us in the very beginning, we both empathized with Bree, understood her struggle, pain, and basic desire to be herself. The road trip was a great part of the film. I enjoyed the Calvin Manygoats and the meeting with her parents (the mom was great). I grew uncomfortable with Toby's desire to have sex with his biological father, as well as the tryst with the trucker, but this was an intergral part of the story and the film was very realistic. I learned a lot about the struggle and pain that these people have in life, it made me more accepting of their lives. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good story, exceptional acting, and good dialog. It's a very good film.

Duncan Tucker has directed one of the best self-discovery movies of all. "Transamerica" casts Felicity Huffman as Bree, a trans-gender woman about to have a sex-change operation, when she learns that she has a son named Toby (Kevin Zegers). So, she gets the boy out of jail while masquerading as a church lady, and the two of them take a cross-country tour. In the process, Bree learns not only about what kind of boy Toby is, but also about herself.I can't really do the movie justice by simply talking about it. It's a REALLY good movie. Funny but serious at the same time -- without taking itself too seriously -- the movie hits all the right notes. The contrast between Bree's vibrant world in SoCal and Toby's dirty NY apartment couldn't be more stark. The film has got too many good qualities to list here, so I would advise you to just go ahead and see it! Also starring Graham Greene, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young (Paulie in "Rocky"), Carrie Preston and Elizabeth Peña.PS: When "Transamerica", "Brokeback Mountain" and "Capote" (all LGBT-themed) won big at the Golden Globes in 2006, Jay Leno called it "God's way of punishing Pat Robertson".