Movie Review of Pageant
Documentary Highlights Miss Gay America Pageant
In its East Coast Premiere at the Florida Film Festival, "Pageant" follows the story of five gay men competing for the title of Miss Gay America at the annual event.
Miss Gay America is all about illusion: No hormones or surgical body enhancements are permitted – just lots and lots of makeup, glittering gowns, and glue. Everything from false eyelashes to false breasts to false derrieres is glued to these 52 contestants who answer questions, model, dance, and lip sync their way through the pageant until one lucky “girl” is crowned queen.
Here He Comes, Miss Gay America
While in costume, the contestants refer to themselves and each other as women, although they say it’s representative of short-term fun, rather than a long-term goal. They don’t want to become women – at least not for more that a few hours at a time. Most say they are merely following a dream of living a glamorous life, promoting gay culture, and performing in drag. Many of the men make their livings as professional female impersonators, which make them (and their luxurious gowns) even tougher to beat in the competition than the weekend Wandas.
As in the Miss America pageant, the talent portion of the competition is the highlight for the audience. Here, the contestants dance (often accompanied by back-up dancers) and lip sinc to classic show tunes or other favorite musical numbers. These performances often exhibit impressive talent, expensive costumes, and years of preparation. One entrant talks about spending more than $60,000 in the past few years on makeup, jewelry, gowns, travel, and related expenses in order to compete in the annual event.
The Men Behind the Makeup
Co-director/producer/writer and executive producer Ron Davis attended the festival screening held on March 30 at Regal Cinema. He said in trying to dispel the stereotypes about gay men and female impersonators, he and co-director Stewart Halpern used three criteria in selecting the contestants who were followed in the film: “We looked for contestants who actually had a chance at winning, had an interesting story, and didn’t look alike.”
The five men featured in the film are hairdresser Carl Glorioso (stage name Victoria DePaula), David Lowman (Coti Collins), Tony Brewer (Alina Matteti), Robert Martin (Chantel Reshae), and Victor Bowling (Victoria Parker/Porkchop). They each talk about their reasons for becoming female illusionists and their insecurities about their physical appearances, both as men and women. Watching the glamorous competition, inevitable backstage drama, and the contestants struggling to overcome individual problems and weaknesses, you’ll be drawn into the excitement right along with them.
- Pageant
- Directors: Ron Davis, Stewart Halpern
- Run time: 95 minutes
For more reviews of documentary films, read I Think We’re Alone Now and Young @ Heart Movie Review. For more information on gay-themed movies, read The Artistry of Aimee & Jaguar.
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