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Michelle
Ehlen,
wrote,
directed
and
stars
in
“Butch
Jamie,”
the
opening
movie
of
the
new
“Films
For
Us”
(F4U)
series
at
Cinema
Paradiso.
Ehlen
even
wrote
a
couple
of
the
songs
in
the
film.
She
may
be
a
writer,
director,
actor,
singer,
woman,
but
she's
no
Barbra
Streisand.
She's
no
Dustin
Hoffman
either.
“Butch
Jamie”
steals
directly
from
Tootsie,
the
1982
movie
in
which
Hoffman's
character,
an
unemployed
actor,
finally
lands
a
plum
role
on
a
soap
opera
when
he
auditions
as
a
woman.
The
movie
opens
with
a
series
of
quick
auditions
as
Hoffman
is
rejected
over
and
over--he's
too
short,
too
loud,
too
ethnic,
too
too.
In
“Butch
Jamie”
we
see
Jamie
at
only
one
audition,
but
she
barely
gets
out
a
sentence.
"Thank
you.
Next!"
Her
roommate's
cat
gets
more
roles.
Part
of
Jamie's
problem
is
that
she
isn't
herself
when
she
goes
on
auditions.
In
"real
life,"
Jamie
is
a
chunky,
short-haired
lesbian
in
baggy
jeans
and
a
heavy-metal
neck
collar—hence
the
“Butch”
moniker.
After
applying
fake
French
tips
to
her
nails,
however,
she
auditioned
in
a
pageboy
wig,
wearing
heels,
a
lacy
blouse
and
a
skirt
too
short
for
Nicole
Richie.
So
she
asks
her
other
roommate,
David,
for
advice
on
snagging
a
role;
he
tells
her
to
"look
like
yourself."
Dressed
as
her
butch
persona,
she
is
offered
a
small
part
in
a
no-budget
independent
film.
Only
catch:
The
producers
want
her
to
play
a
man.
Jamie
is
appalled,
but
no
matter,
she
takes
the
role
of
"Steve,"
and
the
movie
goes
on.
And
on.
Jamie
is
humiliated
on
the
set,
but
Jill,
the
costumer,
finds
"Steve"
attractive,
even
though
Jamie's
wearing
the
most
obvious
fake
facial
hair
since
Santa
Claus.
There
are
complications,
especially
when
Jill
wants
to
have
sex
with
"Steve."
But
Jill
has
her
own
secrets.
The
point
of
the
movie,
of
course,
is
that
everyone
should
be
herself.
When
Jamie
isn't
trying
to
be
someone
else,
she
is
appealing.
You
want
to
hug
her
and
say
everything
is
going
to
be
okay.
Ehlen
is
great
as
an
actor,
but
writer/director
she
needs
work.
There
are
way
too
many
scenes
of
characters
standing
awkwardly
as
they
talk,
when
“Butch
Jamie”
becomes
as
flat
as
her
chest
taped
with
ACE
bandages.
This
is
unfortunate,
because
Films
For
Us
is
exactly
that:
films
of
interest
to
the
GLBT
community.
The
series
of
one-night-only
screenings
is
a
joint
venture
by
ArtsUnited,
Stonewall
Library
&
Archives
and
Cinema
Paradiso.
Hal
Axler,
executive
director
of
FLIFF
(Fort
Lauderdale
International
Film
Festival),
said
the
goal
is
"to
show
GLBT
films
yearround."
“Butch
Jamme”
kicks
off
the
series
on
Wednesday,
August
13,
and
with
future
film
screenings
on
the
second
Wednesday
of
each
month.
This
opens
a
much
needed
venue
for
independent
films
that
can't
get
a
wide
release,
but
which
have
done
well
at
film
festivals.
“Butch
Jamie”
has
done
well.
It
won
awards
at
The
Chicago
Reeling
Film
Festival,
The
Long
Island
G&L
Film
Festival
and
Michelle
Ehlen
received
the
Outfest
2007
Grand
Jury
Award
for
Outstanding
Actress
in
a
Feature
Film.
Many
reviewers
found
“Butch
Jamie”
funny.
Maybe
I
have
higher
standards.
For
years
gay
men
have
lowered
their
expectations
when
watching
a
gay
movie.
We
deserve
better.
And
so
do
lesbians.
GRADE:
C-
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