The Iron Ladies (2001)

I really enjoyed watching this unusual movie. A group of drag queens from Thaileand make up the bulk of a volleyball team. The film is great, it's comedy mixes perfectly with the real-life story. Definitely worth a watch.If you don't mind watching a film with subtitles The Iron Ladies is a great feel-good film. The highlight of which has to be the character Jung. Whose happy outlook on life just keeps you smiling throughout the film.Because the storyline follows a true life story there are few dull moments, if your ever stuck for something to watch, and you see a copy of this movie, get it, trust me, you won't be able to stop yourself from smiling.

This film is funny. However, I found the portrayal of transsexuals and gays over the top. They played on the stereotypes that all gays must act feminine, which is not true. I thought that the way which the actors acted was very exaggerated. This is quite unfair, as this film perpetuates the misunderstanding towards the transsexuals and gays instead of clearing the misunderstanding.Putting this aside, this film explores the issues of discrimination against the transsexuals and gays, and also the pressure that they are under. These people have to work extra hard in order to prove themselves. Not only is this a comedy, it gives people something to think about too.

Not every gay film *has* to be politically correct, the characters don't *have* to be non-stereotypical, and it doesn't *have* to "send the right message about the gay community," and it can *still* be fun, funny, and a treat to watch. Part of the reason that the characters were so outrageously stereotypical is because the real people on which they were based were themselves screaming queens - and, last I checked, there's nothing wrong with that. These were people who celebrated who they were - everyone else's opinions of them be damned. Moreover, their differences were what brought them together to win the championship, defy the odds, and defy perceptions of what they *should* be like. It puzzles me that other readers focus on the "negativity" of their behavior, when the story is about acceptance, fighting ignorance, and celebrating the differences in us all.

It is amazing that this is a true story, as the structure is almost formulaic. I had the opportunity to quiz the director about the '7 Samurai'/'Golden Fleece' resemblance, he claimed that was the side of the story that required the least adjustment.Touching, moving, and funny. Iron ladies, squeezes every laugh out of the material without degrading the subject. The audience is drawn into the story. The film carries no definite style and this assists the progression. Flexibility is the key to it's success; flexibility of camera and performance, large when needed, subtle enough to maintain empathy.Above all else, it's fun to sit in a packed cinema with everyone laughing for the right reasons. I was entertained more than I had hoped.