"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" glossy but a vibrant and heartfelt joy

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2021)


The mere existence of a movie about a gay lad with the teenage dream of playing dress-up is groundbreaking and a cause for celebration in that it could inspire those who feel “different,” “other,” or—back when it held a derogatory or just British connotation—“queer.” As the film adaptation of the 2017 West End musical, itself inspired by a true story (told in the documentary “Jamie: Drag Queen at 16”), “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” isn’t another coming-out story, nor is it another heartbreaking AIDS crisis story. Both are still important, but the LGBTQ community is long overdue for a variety of other stories, and this buoyant, passionately made musical is more joyous than anything.


First-time director Jonathan Butterell, who originated the stage show with writer Tom MacRae (who wrote the book and lyrics) and composer Dan Gillespie Sells, begins with a cute primer: “this story really happened…then we added the singing and dancing.” Living on a council estate in Sheffield, England, Jamie New (played by radiant newcomer Max Harwood with an easy charisma) has just turned 16, and he knows what he wants to be. Despite his school’s career counselor Miss Hedge (Sharon Horgan) drilling realistic goals and “your future” into her students’ heads, Jamie dreams of being a drag queen. His mum, Margaret (Sarah Lancashire), is supportive of her son’s dreams, even if that means signing birthday cards from Jamie’s absent dad (Ralph Ineson), her prejudiced ex-husband. His best friend, Pritti (Lauren Patel), is afraid of others’ acceptance if they see Jamie in a dress, mostly because she understands being taunted for being Muslim. Nothing can stop him, right?


Since Jamie already doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not, he just needs a little more push to be his most authentic self, even if that means wearing the most bedazzled dresses and highest heels. The delightful Richard E. Grant walks into the film, nearly stealing it away as Hugo, a retired drag queen and dress shop owner who becomes a mentor to Jamie. It’s the scenes between Jamie and Hugo, who encourages his protégé of sorts to be the fearful drag queen he wants to be. “This Was Me,” an original song for the film, is a powerful highlight, visually realized through the VHS format and addressing the true obstacles the gay community has had to face as Hugo takes Jamie back to his days of being Loco Chanelle.


The first big number, “And You Don’t Even Know It,” is catchy and alive in its flamboyance, as Jamie daydreams in class about being a star. His duet with Pritti (“Spotlight”) is splashy and inspiring, and some of the numbers are staged as runways, like the poignant “Wall in My Head” and the imaginative ‘80s music video-styled “Work of Art,” led by rule stickler Miss Hedge. Even Sarah Lancashire’s ballad “He’s My Boy” is affecting and soulful. Between the singing and dancing is the down-to-earth honesty and heartache of Jamie’s story. Relatively speaking (unless you’re still a teenager), the stakes are small yet more identifiable that way. 


Director Jonathan Butterell and writer Tom MacRae still don’t shy away from the less-glamorous hard truths of Jamie not being accepted by his dad and being constantly bullied by classmate Dean (Samuel Bottomley, showing his range after “Get Duked!”). Jamie surely has his low points and, even after his hit of a show when he introduces Sheffield to his true self, shows signs of narcissism that feel refreshingly unvarnished. How everything works out in the end could have been a little scrappier and less glossy, like a kumbaya at the prom where the class bully redeems himself and comes around pretty quickly. But by that time, it’s impossible not to already be won over. Vibrant, heartfelt, and infectious, “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” lays its heart bare but fills it with glitter and spirit.


Grade: B


Amazon Studios is releasing “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” (115 min.) in select theaters on September 10, 2021, followed by a streaming release on Prime Video on September 17, 2021.

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