BEFORE: Still in World War II tonight, perhaps something of a war comedy tonight. I got caught up on episodes of "The Amazing Race" just in time to watch the finale and learn who won before reading any spoilers tomorrow. Plus I got some more internet shopping done this weekend, and got our Christmas lights up - gotta stay competitive with the other houses on the block. Just a few more Christmas cards to send out, then it's just wrapping presents and packing.
THE PLOT: A mismatched team of British Special Services agents led by an American must infiltrate, in disguise, a female-run Enigma factory in Berlin and bring back the decoding device that will end the war.
AFTER: I'm not buying Matt LeBlanc (or some of the other team members) dressed in drag. But he doesn't have to fool me, his character just has to fool the Nazis, and fortunately some German women tend to be on the burly side, plus they didn't usually shave their armpits back then... But unfortunately for the spies in question, some of the German men actually are attracted to the burly, Teutonic type.
Then you've got Eddie Izzard (last seen in "The Avengers"), who seems right at home in drag - of course the actor has done several stand-up shows (available on DVD, and well worth checking out) in which he jokes about being a transvestite - an action transvestite, even. Well, he lives up to that dream here, sort of resembling a rougher Susan Sarandon type when in full drag (only with bigger ta-tas).
Izzard's character is the most interesting, because he's an ex-soldier and drag performer who's openly bi-sexual, and who lived in Berlin for years - Berlin in the 1930's being described as something like San Francisco in the 1960's, or Greenwich Village in the 1980's.
And while the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is being disputed, this retro movie couldn't be more timely. So many people - even reporters - seem to think that the issue in question is whether gay men and women should be allowed to serve in the military. Which is missing the point - obviously, they're already there, and have been all along - and the only question is whether they're entitled to the same freedoms as the people they're fighting for. (Geez, when you put it that way, it should be a no-brainer, right?)
I rather enjoyed this film - it was a bit like "To Be Or Not To Be" crossed with "Some Like It Hot", with a bit of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and a dash of "Benny Hill" mixed in. And I enjoyed hearing German spoken - I really should find some more movies in German, I do find it to be a beautiful language, especially the parts I understand.
Also starring James Cosmo, David Birkin, Nicolette Krebitz, Edward Fox (last seen in "Force 10 From Navarone"), and Udo Kier.
RATING: 7 out of 10 parachutes
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