NOW PLAYING
by Jed Ryan

"SORORITY BOYS"
Boys WIll Be...Girls?

"Sorority Boys" opens with the sight gag of four naked male asses, a fraternity officer holding a hamster in a cage, and another brother's greased-up hand. Given that, don't expect this "Animal House" -inspired flick to take itself too seriously. Guys putting on dresses and wigs, especially really tacky dresses and cheap wigs, is always a sure-fire way to get laughs, and it was only a matter of time before the teen sex comedy genre discovered using drag for cheap ha-ha's. In "Sorority Boys," three frat boys get kicked out of Kappa Omicron Kappa (KOK--get it?) for supposedly embezzling fraternity funds. They seek revenge and in doing so, masquerade as girls ("Daisy," "Edina," and "Roberta") to try and steal a videotape which would prove their innocence. Along the way, sexual identity issues run amok as the "prettiest" of the three gets the attention of an attractive (and brainy) blonde Cameron Diaz look-a-like with lesbian inclinations, and another gets the unwanted attention of a horny and very persistent fellow KOK brother. "Sorority Boys" clearly belongs on the same shelf at the video store as such 80's comedies as "Porky's" and "Revenge of the Nerds," yet nowadays, even R-rated teen sex flicks have to have a "message." So in between gags involving stuffing bras, "Sorority Boys" actually preaches respect for women: through their drag escapades, the boys learn-- the hard way-- about how hard it is to be female (especially a tall, masculine-looking female!). In the same way that "To Wong Foo..." had three drag queens livening up the female population of a sleepy Midwest town, our three "heroines" in "Sorority Boys" empower a geeky sorority (Delta Omigron Gamma-- get it?) to rise up against their antagonists, including sexist college guys who make fun of them and sling-shot dildos into their house. Also stars Heather "Welcome to the Dollhouse" Matarazzo. Don't expect this cross-dressing comedy to have the intelligence or depth of say, "Tootsie" or "The Adventures of Priscilla," but as cinematic junk food for the lover of gender-bending movies, it's not bad.

"THE PANIC ROOM"
Come out, Jodie, PLEASE come out!

America's favorite non-lesbian, Jodie Foster, plays a recently-divorced mother who moves into a huge (the kind you only see in movies) New York City apartment with a "panic room"-- a self-contained, steel-walled room built for protection in the case of home invasion. Shortly after moving into the new place, claustrophobic Jodie and her androgynous-looking 11-year old daughter get the unfortunate experience of testing the room out, when they're invaded by a trio of robbers. For most of the movie, the invaders try to get Jodie to come out (ahem...), because there's supposedly money in the panic room, left there by the apartment's wealthy former owner. Eventually, Jodie does come out (ahem...), only to face more danger when her daughter, on the verge of a diabetic coma, is now trapped in the panic room with two of the robbers. "The Panic Room" is a psychological thriller with Jodie in a role which has become too common in movies lately: the vulnerable woman who rises to the occasion and gets tough when she or her family is threatened. Jodie is perfectly adequate in the role, but a hundred other actresses could have done just as well. And the movie, while it does have some thrills, isn't exactly the nail-biter that it was hyped to be-- leaving the audience's mind to wander about inimportant details...for example, why is Jodie's ex-husband in the movie so blatantly unattractive? Personally I'd like to have seen the underused Ms. Foster in a character that better accentuates her charms: her brains, her matter-of-fact attractiveness, and most of all, her enigmatic persona. Will the real Jodie Foster please, ahem, come out?

"KISSING JESSICA STEIN"
Lez Be Friends

To say that "Kissing Jessica Stein" is the lesbian movie of the year is not far from the truth, but is a bit incomplete. Granted, it's the most funny, sexy, and well-made comedy about two women in love that's come out in a LONG time. With fully-fleshed characters (both the two pretty leads as well as the supporting cast), genuine New York City locations, and a script that really gets it right, there's not one false moment in this delightful flick. But "Kissing Jessica Stein" is not just about the love between two women. It's about how we fall in love with the PERSON, which in this flick, shows itself to be stronger than the labels of "straight" and "gay" that we impose on ourselves. Neither the title character Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) nor her object of desire, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen) define themselves as "lesbians." Both have had sexual experiences with men before they met. Yet their attraction-- first as friends, then as lovers-- is based upon qualities that transcend gender. Both women are attractive, skinny, intelligent, and good-natured. But Helen, who works for an art museum, is proudly bisexual ("I find a lot of things sexy," she says) whereas Jessica, a newspaper copy editor, is open to an experience with a woman but takes skittish baby steps the whole way. Jessica, who is high-strung and sometimes too serious for her own good, is attracted to Helen's free spirt, quirkiness (Love those outfits!), and lack of sexual inhibitions. Helen at first is put off by Jessica's initial hesitations (She jokes about her new love, "She's the Jewish Sandra Dee!") but soon falls hard. The climax comes when Jessica contemplates "coming out" about her new relationship to her family: Should she bring Helen as guest to her brother's wedding? "Kissing Jessica Stein" boasts a cast of colorful supporting characters-- including Jessica's pregnant yenta friend Joan, her mother (who starts out as a Jewish mother stereotype but then shows her true colors), her ex-boyfriend/boss, and a spunky gay male couple. The ending, in tune with the rest of the movie, is realistic, though bittersweet. Yet hands down, this is a movie for everyone--straight, gay, male, female... in short, anyone who can understand the movie's focus: It's all about love!

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