| Boy Meets Girl (2014) | |
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Rating: 6.5/10 (149 votes) Director: Eric Schaeffer Writer: Eric Schaeffer Stars: Michael Galante, Michelle Hendley, Jean Devereux Koester, Ethan Major Runtime: 95 min Rated: N/A Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance Released: 6 Feb 2015 |
| Plot: 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. | |
Objectively speaking, this movie has its weaknesses – some of the acting feels forced (especially when the movie tries hard to make a point), and the storytelling sometimes seems rushed, making it hard to believe in some of the emotional beats. (For example, I never really believed in the obvious main couple until the very end, no matter how many characters pointed out that Robbie was smitten with his best friend, spunky trans girl Ricky.) However, overall I was so thoroughly charmed, I find those flaws easy to forgive.
Lead actress Michelle Hendley is not only gorgeous but also very natural, helping me to believe in everyone’s attraction to her character. And the supporting characters manage to surprise the viewer often enough to feel less like cardboard cut-outs. There is a LOT of exposition, veering towards lecturing at times, which works best when told with humour (like the awkward sex talks between Ricky and Robbie). However, since there are so few portrayals of trans characters in pop culture (that aren’t victims or serial killers) the information is important and relevant. As for the classic kitschy Hollywood ending? Well, Ricky damn well deserves it! 🙂
Altogether, ‘Boy Meets Girl’ is a sweet romantic comedy that plays lightly with gender and sexuality and left me with a smile on my face. Which is all I wanted.
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Quick primer: Trans* stands for ‘transgender’ or ‘transsexual’ and is an adjective describing a person whose self-identified gender doesn’t match the one they were assigned at birth. It doesn’t matter what kind of genitals trans people have – Ricky is no less a girl for not having had sex reassignment surgery.
RomCom with a twist
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Boy Meets Girl
Summary
Too often the ‘T’ in LGBT gets short shrift in pop culture, unless it’s as victims or serial killers, so it’s lovely to see it put front and center in a thoroughly sympathetic romcom. Telling the story of a small town trans girl in her early 20s trying to find love and follow her own path, the movie veers into lecture mode at times, but its earnestness is also one of its biggest charms.