My friends and I were surprisingly impressed by this spirited,
kooky flick when it turned up, inexplicably, at our local bar's "Movie
Night" recently. The bartender asked whether we should take a
chance on "Fag Hag" and showed off the video packaging.
Noticing immediately that it was distributed by Troma, I got the
jitters and became extremely skeptical that it could be ANY good,
but (thankfully) distribution appears to be the only tie this
production has to Troma. "Fag Hag" is blessedly unlike standard
Troma "cannibal zombie bimbo" fare -- in fact, it turned out to be
remarkably funny.
[Admittedly, not too long ago, Troma distributed a restored version
of the cult classic "Horror Hotel" (1961), so with "Fag Hag", I doff
my hat to Troma two times for having smarts. I won't talk bad about
Troma anymore, promise...! <WINK>]
The title "Fag Hag" was as a warning sign of sorts, also. With a
title like this, I expected the film would be miserably UNfunny, an
attempt to make the conceited "gay world" all warm and fuzzy
(attempted, unsuccessfully, by the cloying film "Broadway
Damage" (1997), featuring a "luvable" fag hag (Mara Hobel, of
"Mommie Dearest" fame).
Instead, "Fag Hag" was delightfully demented, unpretentious, and
cynical.. It was so much fun that my buddies and I were in stitches
time and again. I kept asking myself, "how did I miss this??!!! Why
didn't I see this (1997 release) sooner???!!!"
High praise for writer/director/producer/actor/wunderkind Damion
Dietz who, having his hand in all levels of production, has put a lot
of talent and imagination into this little flick (as well as his rather
tasty looking, scantily clad bod). There's a LOT to make fun of in
"gay culture" (which all too often takes itself far too seriously) and
Dietz pulls no punches lampooning the "gay life" while he gleefully
tosses daggers at American pop culture and traditional values.
Kudos to all involved, particularly Stephanie Orff (as Destiny Rutt)
who pulls out all the stops. Another actress (not named here in
IMDBs lamentably spare details for "Fag Hag") who plays
Destiny's main opponent in the beauty pageant also makes a
memorable splash. Then there's the party host who is utterly
obsessed with Madonna, the "gay basher" who shows his true
colors, and on and on runs the list of wacky characters. Dietz uses
them all to winkingly point out the flaws our society (including gay
society) ought to recognize but usually won't cop to. Applause!!!
Dietz also knows how to make the most out of very little.
Rock-bottom production values add the right kind of tinsel-and-papier-mache "glamour" to all aspects, particularly the
climactic beauty pageant, which is an all out riot containing a
memorable song.
Put your "gay pride" in your hip pocket, take a chance, and rent this
insane bit of burlesque -- gather a group of friends together to
enjoy it to the full (and keep the alcohol flowing). Further
suggestion: Pair "Fag Hag" up with a 1985 documentary about the
Alternative Miss World beauty pageant, titled "I Want To Be A
Beauty Queen" (starring Divine and Little Nell) -- IF you can even
find it on video anymore. If that's not available, you can always trot
out John Waters' "Desperate Living" to keep the cynical, trashy
mood running high.
I didn't know it until I looked up Dietz's filmography, but he's
responsible for 2003's "Neverland" -- a film I sadly missed in
cinematic distribution. You can bet, after seeing "Fag Hag" and
what Dietz is capable of, I will rent "Neverland" ASAP. I hope we
can continue to see great things from Damion Dietz in the future,
and that he gets the recognition he deserves.
