{"id":34717,"date":"2015-10-22T08:59:29","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T15:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34717"},"modified":"2020-12-10T21:27:45","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T04:27:45","slug":"outrageous-1977","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34717","title":{"rendered":"Outrageous! (1977)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;ll never be normal &#8212; but you&#8217;re special. And you can have a hell of a good time!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Poster-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-34723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Poster.jpg 210w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Poster-90x128.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA talented aspiring drag queen (Craig Russell) shares an apartment with his best friend, a schizophrenic young woman (Hollis McLaren) hoping to keep her &#8220;bonecrusher&#8221; away by becoming pregnant and feeling alive inside.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aspiring Stars<\/li>\n<li>Friendship<\/li>\n<li>Gender Bending<\/li>\n<li>Homosexuality<\/li>\n<li>Mental Illness<\/li>\n<li>Misfits<\/li>\n<li>Pregnancy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that perhaps the popularity of this &#8220;funny, touching film&#8221; &#8212; based on a short story by Margaret Gibson &#8212; is &#8220;due to the fact that both [main characters] succeed in achieving their modest goals&#8221;. He notes that &#8220;at times it&#8217;s a sloppy film, poorly lit and edited in a manner that causes you to lose all track of time; but the characters are so likable and believably played&#8221; and &#8220;the direction and script&#8230; are so spirited and tender that you are willing to forgive it for not being as polished as a Hollywood production&#8221;. He lauds the film&#8217;s emphasis on eschewing conformity, and notes that the &#8220;picture shows that those who struggle to retain their &#8216;healthy brand of craziness&#8217; in our dehumanized world can have a lot of fun&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Peary specifically calls out Craig Russell&#8217;s &#8220;award-winning performance as Robin Turner, a character with great range&#8221; who is &#8220;kind-hearted, angry, witty, philosophical, moody, vulnerable to criticism, strong when he has to be, even heroic, extremely sarcastic, and harmlessly bitchy&#8221; &#8212; not to mention &#8220;dazzling&#8221; when he &#8220;does impersonations of Streisand, Channing, Garland, Bankhead, Davis, West, etc.&#8221; Indeed, the film is chock-a-block full of truly entertaining footage showing Russell doing what he does so well: we can easily understand why he expresses disdain and dismay early in the film when watching an amateur performer on stage, giving a bad name to his craft. Writer\/director Richard Benner&#8217;s script heads in unusual directions, keeping us on our toes about what will happen next, and occasionally surprising us &#8212; but Russell&#8217;s friendship with McLaren trumps all, and provides the film with heartwarming continuity.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> This film is profiled at length in Peary&#8217;s original <em>Cult Movies<\/em> book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Craig Russell as Robin Turner (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell2.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Russell2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Hollis McLaren as Liza Connors<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-McLaren.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-McLaren.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-McLaren.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-McLaren-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-McLaren-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A refreshingly humane and compassionate view of mental illness: &#8220;You and me are here to love and look after each other.&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Mental-Illness.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Mental-Illness.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-34722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Mental-Illness.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Mental-Illness-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Outrageous-Mental-Illness-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>An authentically feel-good script: &#8220;I&#8217;ve never known anyone worth knowing who wasn&#8217;t a positive fruitcake.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an enjoyable cult favorite. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0076513\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1977\/08\/01\/archives\/outrageous-film-merely-insidious.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=8007&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/reviews\/12187\/outrageous\/\">DVD Talk Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/outrageous-1977\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll never be normal &#8212; but you&#8217;re special. And you can have a hell of a good time!&#8221; Synopsis: A talented aspiring drag queen (Craig Russell) shares an apartment with his best friend, a schizophrenic young woman (Hollis McLaren) hoping to keep her &#8220;bonecrusher&#8221; away by becoming pregnant and feeling alive inside. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Aspiring Stars Friendship Gender Bending Homosexuality Mental Illness Misfits Pregnancy Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary writes that perhaps the popularity of this &#8220;funny,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34717\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34717"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56978,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34717\/revisions\/56978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}