From a young age, movies have dominated my life. As a child, I watched various animated and family films. As I grew older, I began to watch movies differently. They were no longer just light hearted stories, but reflections of life, society, and cultural values. In 2022 and 2023, during my junior year of high school, I worked at a movie theater. That job transformed me from a casual viewer to an avid fan. I would lean on the counter at the concession stand, waiting for the next batch of popcorn to be done, and discuss movies with all of my coworkers. Many of them were film majors at The Ohio State University. They taught me about style, thematics, and the mis-en-scène. I downloaded Letterboxd, at my coworker’s insistence, to track and review every film I watched. I was enlightened. I would spend my off days in the theater, watching some of the greatest films of the year: Top Gun Maverick, Babylon (2022), Everything Everywhere All at Once, Scream VI, and The Menu. After each film I would log my review on Letterboxd and rush to my nearest coworker to discuss our thoughts. I was hooked. As time went on, I moved on from my movie theater job, however my love for film never faltered. In 2023, I watched a film that changed my perception of myself in a way that I never could have imagined.
But I’m a Cheerleader was directed by Jamie Babbit with the screenplay written by Bryan Wayne Peterson. In many ways, the 1999 satirical film represents a new era and the turn of the millennium. The film was shown at Sundance Film Festival in 2000, and it stars notable actors such as Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Rue Paul, and Cathy Moriarty. The fictional film follows two teenage girls, Megan and Graham, as they navigate sexuality, societal expectations, gender constructs, and love at the conversion therapy camp, True Directions. Megan, played by Lyonne, is a cheerleader struggling to admit and embrace her sexuality. Graham, portrayed by DuVall, is sure of herself, but struggles with familial pressures and feelings for Megan. Their unlikely relationship develops and changes throughout the film. From plastic clothes and flowers, the five step process, and the secret relationships that run rampant, the film seeks to poke fun at the ignorance and ludicrousness of conversion therapy. The teenage boys and girls who graduated from True Directions were no less gay than they were before arriving. Rather, they were conditioned to conform to invented gender stereotypes and hide their identities.
On Jun. 15, 2023, I watched But I’m a Cheerleader for the first time. Afterwards, I opened Letterboxd and left my review: “I have never watched a movie that made me feel something so deeply. I laughed, cried & loved. This one is going to be with me for a while.” Since then, I have watched But I’m a Cheerleader over fifteen times. It remains a movie that I adore. I highly recommend the film, and I hope that you find as much enjoyment in it as I do.
Although produced in the late 1990s, But I’m a Cheerleader remains relevant to Queer culture. According to NPR, popular music group MUNA, consisting of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin, paid homage to the film in the music video for their 2021 song “Silk Chiffon,” (feat. Phoebe Bridgers). In an interview with DIY, McPherson described “Silk Chiffon” as a song “for kids to have their first gay kiss to.” Perhaps in a modern But I’m a Cheerleader, Megan and Graham’s first kiss would have been set to “Silk Chiffon” rather than “We’re in The City” by Saint Etienne. Nonetheless, the song represents the continuous impact Babbits’s masterpiece has on the Queer community.
In 2025, But I’m a Cheerleader celebrated its 25 year anniversary. In an interview with Letterboxd, Lyonne addressed the impact the film has had on her life. Lyonne said, “[But I’m a Cheerleader] means something to people and it means something to me…When I look at the fact that Clea DuVall and I are still best friends, Melanie Lynskey, Jamie Babbit and I are still so tight. So, it occurs to me that something very real happened there. You know, it’s based on a real story, and it’s just as insane as ever that it’s even a topic of conversation, really. I remember in Utah at Sundance, some young girls came — they like snuck up to me and Clea, and we were teenagers, and they said, ‘Hey, thanks.’ And they were whispering, and I—It was very moving, you know? So I think I understood in that moment why it mattered so much. So I’m just — I’m so proud of that.”
I wish I could tell Lyonne, DuVall, and Babbit, “thank you.” But I’m a Cheerleader was the first time that I saw people like me in a film. I was quite like Megan, a teenage girl in denial, or perhaps unsure, about who I was. I remember sobbing as the credits rolled. I could finally put to words what I felt. The fear of admitting who I was to friends and family, the worries about being broken, or not being ‘normal.’ For ninety minutes, I was Megan.
As Sundance comes to Boulder in 2027, I urge you to take a moment to appreciate the lesser known films. They may not be big box office successes or feature your favorite celebrities, but they might help you learn a little bit more about yourself. That is the greatest power a film can have.