Thomas Brown

The movie supposedly is based on a true story in England, but this version was hard for me to believe. It was like the "It Gets Better" campaign on steroids. Jamie's mood swings from depressed to manic were sudden and difficult to understand, and the flashbacks to being shamed by his father didn't shed much light. I enjoyed the entertainment aspects of the film -- dance numbers and songs ranged from good to memorable, with "He's My Boy" being the best. But the plot made some tremendous leaps in order to conclude with a 99 percent happy ending. Jamie had to stand up to school bullies only once or twice and endure just one beating, and suddenly his classmates became best buds, welcoming him to their prom. The steadfastly loyal Muslim girl is supposed to be his date, but Jamie ignores her to flirt with the hunk who was his archenemy just a few scenes earlier. Jamie declares himself gay at the film's outset but he seems to have no male friends at all except for the elderly queen who takes him under her wing. I wish there had been a more informative epilogue, telling us what became of Jamie in his 20s and 30s. Did he become UK's RuPaul or a star on "Britain's Got Talent" or did he languish in Sheffield. amusing the drunks in a two-bit show lounge?