DVD Review: Soldier's Girl (B+)

Soldier's Girl
Directed by Frank Pierson
Starring Troy Garity, Shawn Hatosy, Lee Pace, Andre Braugher
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Scott Standish

Based on the true story of a young soldier's love for a transgendered nightclub performer, Soldier's Girl is an unexpected gem of a film.

Troy Garity (the white barber in Barbershop) stars as Barry Winchell, a hard drinking soldier that comes into the famous 101st Airborne division. His homophobic/closet homosexual (never a good combination) roommate Justin Fisher takes Winchell to a drag club, where Winchell meets Calpernia Addams (Lee Pace). Calpernia and Winchell fall in love, and this relationship causes Fisher to go off the deep end. Fisher uses every aspect of the military's homophobic environment to attack Winchell and violence erupts.

The performances in this film by Garity (Jane Fonda's son) and Pace are nothing short of remarkable. Veteran director Frank Person (Truman, Conspiracy) presents the story with a delicate balance of tact and emotion. The violence in the film is necessary in order to show the deep rage that exists within the unstable characters. Soldier's Girl will be appearing on Showtime through June of 2004. If you miss it on cable, you should definitely search it out on DVD.

Buy Soldier's Girl On DVD