BOY MEETS GIRL

Boy Meets Girl is a 2014 romantic comedy/drama that won a bunch of awards from a bunch of LGBT film festivals as well as rave reviews in what I assume are LGBT magazines, newspapers and media. That’s a natural audience for this coming of age film about a transwoman in a world where my spell checker doesn’t recognize “transwoman” as a word. Since my taste in independent movies generally runs to those that debut on the SyFy Channel or are direct-to-video releases, I hadn’t heard of it until it was recommended to me by a friend

Directed and written by Eric Schaeffer, the movie is described thus at the Internet Movie Database:

Boy Meets Girl is a funny, tender, sex positive romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman, and how important it is to live a courageous life not letting fear stand in the way of going after your dreams.

Robby [Michael Welch] and Ricky [Michelle Hendley] are best friends who live in a small town. Robby is a nice guy who has dated quite a few ladies. Ricky [Michelle Hendley] is a young transwoman who, though accepted by most of the people in her life, hasn’t been as  active in the romance department. Their friendship rings very true and that is the underlying story of the film.

When Ricky is befriends and romantically pursued by rich socialite Francesca [Alexandra Turshen], Robby finds himself in getting both confused and concerned. Francesca is engaged to be married to David [Michael Galante], a Marine who tormented Ricky when they were kids and teens. Things come to a boil when David returns home from the Middle East after completing his last of multiple tours of duty in that neverending war zone.

Hendley is compelling and radiant as Ricky. She has sorrows no one knows about, but she is also has a loving father [Randall Newsome] and a kid brother [Joseph Ricci] to whom she has been more than a big sister in the absence of their departed mother. Hendley’s Ricky can be funny normal, funny nervous and heartbreakingly vulnerable. She’s the standout member of an excellent cast.

I might not have been the precise target audience for this movie, but I am and always have been a sucker for happy endings. Pretty Woman [1990] is a fairy tale about prostitution that ignores that profession’s horrors, but it was saved by compelling performances laced with humor and one of the best closing lines of any movie I have ever seen: 

“She rescues him right back.” 

It’s not a movie that works on any logical or realistic level.

Boy Meets Girl is a movie that desperately strives for and achieves a happy ending. It doesn’t ignore the doubts, drama and rough going of going up transgender in a small town that has its fair share of cruel people. The coincidences and surprises that lead to its happy endings are only semi-believable. But the movie won me over because we all want a happy ending in our life and most of us want the same in the lives of other people. The LGBT community may always have to deal with bigots like Kim Davis and Mike Huckabee and hate groups like Liberty Counsel, but I think most Americans are coming around to the understanding that the pursuit of happiness applies to those who are both unlike and yet much like themselves.

I love movies with likeable characters and I love to watch as those characters overcome obstacles to find their happy endings. I like  spending time in a cinematic world where things do work out the way I wish they would work out in the real world.

Boy Meets Girl is a compelling and funny and even informative movie that will tug at your heart. Its gets my highest recommendation. It even has a killer line, spoken by Newsome but actually a quote from Hendley’s real father:

“That kid of mine has been throwing me curve balls my whole life. But luckily, I played baseball."

I look forward to Hendley’s next role. She is an amazing actress.

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After viewing a television add for Hotel Transylvania 2, which is opening tomorrow at US theaters, I was mildly interested in seeing Hotel Transylvania [2012]. Giselle, my “other daughter” by virtue of being my daughter Kelly’s best friend since they were children, told me I’d like it. She was right.

Here’s the Internet Movie Database blurb:

Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teen-aged daughter.

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and written by a bunch of writers, the animated feature stars Adam Sandler as Dracula. Normally I flee in terror when I hear the name “Adam Sandler,” but, in this case, he submerged himself so completely into the role that I honest-to-Godzilla didn’t realize it was Sandler voicing the Count. He did a great job. Kudos to him and to fellow voice actors Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James and Steve Buscemi.

I liked most everything about this suitable-for-most-ages movie. The character designs were wonderful. There was comedy and even some drama. It was an hour-and-a-half well spent and, if some savvy comics publisher were to get the license to do Hotel Transylvania  comic books and show the further savvy to hire me to write them, I could write the heck out of them.

I give high marks to Hotel Transylvania. If I can get enough stuff done over the weekend, I’ll likely go see Hotel Transylvania 2 at a weekday matinee.

Coming up over the next week or so, I’ll have two more reviews of monster movies...some comic book reviews...a think piece on Batgirl...another think piece on Archie Comics...another “Angry American" column...my report on Pulpfest 2015...and whatever else pops into my head in the days to come.

Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow.

© 2015 Tony Isabella