Barnes & Noble

2005 saw the release of some strikingly brave mainstream films that broke new ground in the depiction of sexual behavior in American society. While Brokeback Mountain grabbed much of the attention, Transamerica, which scored an Oscar nomination for leading lady Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), was even more offbeat and thought provoking than the "gay cowboy" feature. In a daring characterization that wowed critics and moviegoers alike, Huffman played Bree (née Stanley) Osbourne, a preoperative male-to-female transsexual who is totally focused on preparing for the operation that will make him a woman for keeps. At the insistence of his therapist (Elizabeth Pena), Bree travels to New York, following an urgent plea for help from the son he fathered while still in college. The boy, 17-year-old Toby (Kevin Zegers), is a street hustler who hopes to become a porn star. Although Bree withholds his true identity from the boy -- who believes him to be a church-affiliated social worker -- he takes Toby in tow and begins the cross-country journey back to California, encountering a number of eccentric and endearing characters along the way. First-time writer-director Duncan Tucker manages to convey, with not inconsiderable subtlety, the character traits -- a hunger for affection and a longing for acceptance -- that bind father and son. Family values, Transamerica makes clear, are wherever you find them. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The first film by Duncan Tucker, Transamerica stars Felicity Huffman as a pre-operative transsexual named Bree (whose given name was Stanley). One week before going under the knife, Bree learns that she fathered a boy who is now 17 and is in trouble with the law. Bree would like to ignore this information, but is forced to meet the young man, Toby (played by Kevin Zegers), by her analyst Margaret (Elizabeth Peña), who will not allow the surgery to happen unless Bree meets him and confronts this aspect of her past. Upon meeting, the son believes that Bree is simply a do-gooder. She buys a car and the two road-trip back to her home in Los Angeles, Bree all the while attempting to keep from Toby the truth of the situation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 796019790390
• Source: WEINSTEIN COMPANY
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Alternate Wide Screen (1.78:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Español
• Time: 1:44:00
• Sales Rank: 19,860

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