Review of Different for Girls (1996) by David B — 16 Feb 2009

[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]Paul: ?Kim. I am straight, you know.?[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]Kim: ?So am I.?[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]Brilliant, and so true for both characters. I love the dialogue in the film, and the preceding quote is one of my all time favorite lines in any movie. And it pretty much summed up the whole romance ?Different for Girls.?[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]I remember seeing ?Different? in the theater in 1997 (I?m shocked it was even shown here in ultra-conservative Phoenix, especially in that decade), as I am an avid Rupert Graves fan since ?Maurice.? And the first word of the title certainly fits. Yes, I was drawn to the film for the actor and content, but I had no idea how far off it was to what I expected. Now, watching it over 11 years later, I remember how much I loved it. The acting (especially Graves,) the complexity of the main characters (no one?s cookie-cutter) and great music used makes this twist on an old love story unique. It also makes a great statement. [/color][/size][/font].

[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]What better message does this movie convey ? people can fall in love with people, no matter the gender, present or past. As per that quote, heterosexual Paul almost receives a kiss from post-op Kim. Leading up to this point, we?ve gathered that Kim (formally Karl) has been ruthlessly picked on during his childhood and he was always saved by white knight, Paul. Years pass, and a chance encounter brings back the childhood friends. A (no spoiler) spark ignites, and we see hot-head Paul trail humble, adjusting Kim around town. Some subplots (the film?s only real downfall) develop and are mostly irrelevant, aside from a perverted police/court case that sums up the always down-on-his-luck (for obvious reasons) Paul and his need to redeem himself in saving his old pal.[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]Other than Kim?s sister and place of employment sidebars, the movie is pretty straightforward. The ?difference? is the message I already mentioned. True love knows no genders (or boundaries), and I wish more people would realize that. Paul?s not in love with another man, or a man-turned-woman. He?s in love with the person.[/color][/size][/font].