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| Image courtesy of Amazon Studios |
So many releases over the last four years were forgotten about because of the pandemic. So many titles went directly to streaming instead of getting a theatrical release. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie was one of those, being released direct to streaming in 2021.
Based on the true story of Jamie Campbell and his mom Margaret from, Jamie was originally a stage musical performed at theaters in the West End in London. This Amazon Studios adaptation of the play follows Year 11 student Jamie who dreams of being a drag queen. Though fully supported by mom Margaret, who buys him shimmering ruby high heels for his birthday, he is constantly rejected by his father and told to consider more realistic career options by others.
So many of the songs are moving and well-written, but having the majority of them dubbed instead of sung live can take the viewer out of the experience. When Les Miserables was adapted in 2012 by Tom Hooper, every song was performed live, giving so much more emotional heft to each scene and lyric. In Jamie, that heft is missing in many of the songs.
Two of the most moving numbers are sung live by Jamie’s best friend Pritti (Lauren Patel) and mom, Margaret (Sarah Lancashire).
The casting choices work very well here, with Sharon Horgan as severe teacher Miss Hedge and Richard E. Grant playing Jamie’s drag mentor, Hugo Battersby/ Ms. Loco Chanel. Lancashire also nails it as a mom supporting her son but also trying to shield Jamie from his father’s rejection.
The musical numbers are extravagant and fun, with many more mournful and serious numbers in the middle. Grant’s ‘This Was Me’ is particularly sobering as it’s his character recounting his times of doing drag through the 80s and 90s, with all the heartbreaking history of that time.
The inclusion of this history of drag, and its function of protesting and empowering the queens on stage, helps to keep the story from being too saccharine. Any scene involving Jamie’s father (Ralph Ineson) also keeps things grounded as a reminder there’ll always be someone who rejects queer people.
In spite of the distancing that comes from many of the songs not being performed live, the movie still is a moving musical that is all the more relevant as the politics behind drag become even more important.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is streaming on Amazon Prime.
- EB