Review of Do I Sound Gay? (2015) by Mona B — 15 Aug 2015

I loved it. Such a sweet, smart, and multi-facetted subject: Handled adeptly. Yes, it starts with a gay man's discomfort with the sound of his own voice, which begins him on a path of speech therapy, enunciation dvds, and other hilarious vocal exercises. The journey inevitably takes a turn into deeper exploration of the various kinds of covering we all do through our unique style of speech. Deep stuff, but somehow the movie manages to be lively, fun, and guileless despite the meaty issues underneath: issues of identity, protracted self-shame, bursts of self-invention, and the constant struggle to be seen and heard, often at great peril. Dan Savage, David Sedaris, Tim Gunn, Margaret Cho, and a host of other awesome personalities and scholars make fantastic contributions to the conversation, as well.

Ultimately, I found it to be a darling, heart breaking, funny, and soulfully existential study. Complete with references to Wayland Flowers and Madame (!!!), Auntie Mame, a history of hollywood dandies, Disney characters, and more. Too much fun.