I saw this movie at a film festival and was a little intimidated by the drag queens in full costume wondering around the lobby. Besides never having seen this many in real life, I was praying that I wouldn't have to sit behind any of them in the theater given that they were big men to start with and had huge wigs that would have blotted out the screen.
But five minutes into this documentary I was hooked. Granted, I'm a sucker for any examination of a competition ("Spellbound," a 2002 doc about a recent national spelling bee is one of my favorite movies), but the whole process these men went through was endlessly fascinating.
As the movie progresses, we see each performer craft a character which is supposed to represent a country in a Miss Universe style pageant, and learn about the lives these men are living when they're not wearing mile-high wigs and sequins. (The event is an AIDS fundraiser, so there is a lot of heartache behind the glamour.) Some are old pros, and one in particular ("Miss Mexico") had never done this before.
I ended up picking favorites and rooting for them, thoroughly enjoying the show -- and the movie -- as it lead to the victorious crowning.
A good documentary can educate as well as entertain, exposing you to a world you knew nothing about. "Queen of the Whole Wide World" does just that in spades.
