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To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 13 Reviews)

Wonderfully fun and heartfelt film!
I was hesitant to see this film, because I thought it would be an Americanized version of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," which was a wonderful film in itself. But "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" was so much more! It was a delightful piece of heaven with three charming angels! :) Initially, I really didn't think such macho men like Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes could pull off playing refined ladies of drag, but they were FABULOUS! And John Leguizamo was great - as anticipated - such an incredibly talented actor! And the story, was charming. Such heart!

While most of the film was fun-loving and light-hearted, I was moved by some of the "heavier" issues as well: Rich boy Swayze is rejected by his family because of his drag life; Swayze is almost molested by a bad cop, who thinks to take advantage of a "lady" on the road; Snipes' character inadvertantly reaches out to a withdrawn woman, a small town turns a blind eye to a battered woman, but Swayze's "queen" cannot; and all three queens help the women of a small town to empower themselves and play in a world of glamor and beauty. It was very empowering to watch these men dressed as women make such a wonderful statement for so many communities (whether they intended to do so or not). As someone else posted here, it's mainly about acceptance and love and the power those things can have in one's life.

"To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!"

(Boys dressed like) girls just want to have fun
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I thought it would be simply an American knock-off of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", but it wasn't. Well, okay, it was a little bit ... but it was more lighthearted, and arguable more fun. Patrick Swayze gives a surprisingly believable and sensitive performance as bossy, mother-hen drag queen Vida, and John Leguizamo is predictably hilarious as ghetto drag-queen-wanna-be Chi Chi. Wesley Snipes is good as the slightly hardened Noxema, although you can sense his slight discomfort at playing the role. Plotwise, it's pretty light ... traveling cross country, the girls have a breakdown in the middle of nowhere and end up waking up the residents of a small midwestern town. The film touches on some serious issues (homophobia, domestic violence, etc) but the emphasis is mostly on being fabulous and having fun. This is the perfect movie to watch when you just want to laugh and lift your spirits.

Schmaltz In A Purple Wrapper
[Add a half-star if you don't mind being manipulated.]

All during the summer, in seeing previews, I was worried about To Wong Foo... being an American version or rip-off of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert. Trust me, there are a lot of similarities; however To Wong Foo... stands on its own as an enjoyable movie experience. In the audience I sat in, there was laughter and applause throughout and I found myself laughing and applauding along. (I hadn't expected to.)

Patrick Swayze is Vida Boheme, a drag queen from Bala Cynwyd, PA living in New York City. Bala Cynwyd is pivotal in his story. So is Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes). Boheme and Jackson are friends competing against Chi Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) and others for "Drag Queen of the Year". Well, as luck would have it, Boheme and Jackson tie for the honors and both win an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood.

Well, Boheme is a queen with a heart. She can't stand to see Chi Chi, who lives in the same building, so upset about not winning the crown; so, Vida bullies Noxeema into trading their paid-for airline tickets for a car and, together, the three set off to drive cross-country. Shades of Boys On The Side.

Early on, the trio is stopped in the middle of nowhere by a county sheriff (Chris Penn in a hoot of a role). What happens next brings more remembrances of Boys On The Side.

Eventually, our fun-loving "females" end up in Snydersville, a small hamlet where everyone seems to have a problem and our girls have a solution for every single one of them. Despite this manipulation, To Wong Foo... delights at every turn. It's laugh-out-loud funny and not at all subtle. Normally, that would be a criticism, but in this case, it turns out to be a refreshing change of pace.

Of course, all of the elements in the story come together for a schmaltzy conclusion. But, that's OK. You'll get all wrapped up in it anyway, just like I did.

(Boy, was I surprised.)

[Originally written 10 September 1995]

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