EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE
Strike a pose: Max Harwood as teen drag queen Jamie.
★★★
OUT NOW (AMAZON PRIME VIDEO) CERT TBC / 115 MINS.
DIRECTOR Jonathan Butterell
CAST Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Richard E. Grant, Sharon Horgan
PLOT Teenager Jamie (Harwood) loves who he is and wants to express himself fully. That includes going to his school prom in drag. His teacher says that if he does, he’ll be banned, but that’s not about to stop him. He turns to a more experienced drag queen (Grant) for help.
IN 2017, THE true story of Jamie Campbell, a teenage drag queen, was turned into a poppy, feel-good West End musical. With a big lipsticked grin on its face, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie told of the teenager’s determination to go to his school prom in a dress, and the school’s insistence that could never happen. It’s a show with a few catchy tunes, a lovely message about acceptance, and so much upbeat energy that it’s very easy to like. This adaptation is much the same. It lacks the dazzle of the live experience and lurches around a bit in trying to find a consistent tone, but it has plenty of moments of joy.