"Stage Mother" is a comedy that capitalizes on the popularity of drag culture, but its handling of issues like drug addiction and physical abuse can feel superficial. The film begins with the tragic death of a drag queen at Pandora's Box, a struggling Castro District bar. Rickey, a drag queen, dies, and his estranged parents, Maybelline and Jeb, learn about his death. After losing the bar to Rickey, Maybelline decides to keep it alive by turning a trio of drag performers into singers, in memory of her son. The film's superficiality is mitigated by some sparkling performances. Brad Hennig's script for the film is predictable, with characters like Sienna's abusive date and Joan struggling with addiction being merely templates. Nathan, the main character, has only two moods: resentful or supportive, and Grenier's angry performance feels overdrawn. Sienna, a single mom trying to date, is portrayed as a bad comedian's punchline about San Francisco. The performances of Cherry (Mya Taylor) and Tequila (Oscar Moreno) are also disappointing. The story's direction is predictable, but the actors do their best with what they have been given. Weaver adapts her tough mama person to a level of Baptist nice, while Skordi sells the charming bit as well as he can.
The trio of performers, Joan, Tequila, and Cherry, may not be the best singers, but they work well together. Moreno and MacDonald share the spotlight at different times as the most out-going queens, and Taylor plays the shiest one of the three. Cherry is more soft-spoken but also dealing with her own set of problems as a trans woman, bringing a world of patience to the blow-ups around her. Despite Grenier's angry performance feeling more petulant than nuanced, Liu seems to have fun playing her irresponsible character, making herself look as messy and weary as possible. "Stage Mother" is a movie that focuses on a group of queer men and women who are helped by a straight white woman, Joan, under the guidance of cinematographer Tom Harting. The storyline is not as progressive as it could have been, with the cityscape of Halifax in Nova Scotia being a beacon of love and acceptance that contrasts with the decaying ideals of small-town USA. However, the film's message of unity and hope may have won over even the most cynical viewers. Fitzgerald, a pioneering gay filmmaker from Canada, ensures that his characters take center stage, with the film hitting the high notes when Joan, Cherry, and Tequila Mockingbird are on stage. The film hard-sells Maybelline's suitability for the task, as she has experience overseeing a stilted small-town choir and belting out show-tunes with her son in flashback. The trio blossoms from lip-syncing caricatures to impressive drag divas, with the power to draw a huge crowd.
The trio of performers, Joan, Tequila, and Cherry, may not be the best singers, but they work well together. Moreno and MacDonald share the spotlight at different times as the most out-going queens, and Taylor plays the shiest one of the three. Cherry is more soft-spoken but also dealing with her own set of problems as a trans woman, bringing a world of patience to the blow-ups around her. Despite Grenier's angry performance feeling more petulant than nuanced, Liu seems to have fun playing her irresponsible character, making herself look as messy and weary as possible. "Stage Mother" is a movie that focuses on a group of queer men and women who are helped by a straight white woman, Joan, under the guidance of cinematographer Tom Harting. The storyline is not as progressive as it could have been, with the cityscape of Halifax in Nova Scotia being a beacon of love and acceptance that contrasts with the decaying ideals of small-town USA. However, the film's message of unity and hope may have won over even the most cynical viewers. Fitzgerald, a pioneering gay filmmaker from Canada, ensures that his characters take center stage, with the film hitting the high notes when Joan, Cherry, and Tequila Mockingbird are on stage. The film hard-sells Maybelline's suitability for the task, as she has experience overseeing a stilted small-town choir and belting out show-tunes with her son in flashback. The trio blossoms from lip-syncing caricatures to impressive drag divas, with the power to draw a huge crowd.