Review of Soldier's Girl (2003) by Walter M — 20 Aug 2009

In "Soldier's Girl," Fisher(Shawn Hatosy) takes his fellow soldiers to Visions, a nightclub in Nashville where you need a scorecard to tell the men from the women, to taunt the performers.(Well, that's what he says but later he ends up making out with one of the singers...) Mostly, he takes aim at Calpernia(Lee Pace), wondering aloud if her breasts are real. Since she is a pre-op transsexual, the answer might be a little complicated. What is rather simple is her attraction to Barry(Troy Garity), Fisher's roommate, who she invites backstage and gives his her phone number.

The first person seen in "A Soldier's Girl" is a man dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I who was monarch when William Shakespeare's tragedies were first performed with men acting as women. Based on a true story, this is a very touching, heartfelt, well-acted and even occasionally erotic movie about how gender and sexual orientation are fluid, but this is not New York or San Francisco. It is the heartland of America where acceptance is surprisngly the order of the day. Not so with the military with its very macho attitude and the asinine Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy which should be repealed as soon as possible. See, there are times when compromise can backfire.