''Transamerica'' is a 2005 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film written and directed by Duncan Tucker, and starring Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers. Released by IFC Films and

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...

, the film premiered at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

on February 14, 2005, and to theaters in the United States on December 2, 2005. The screenplay, inspired in part by conversations between Tucker and his then-roommate Katherine Connella, tells the story of Bree (Huffman), a

trans woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

, who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby (Zegers). The film received positive reviews and won multiple awards, including Huffman winning a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

and a nomination for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

Plot

One week before her vaginoplasty, a

named Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne receives an unexpected phone call from a young man named Toby Wilkins, a 17-year-old jailed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He asks to speak to "Stanley Schupak" (Bree's deadname); Toby claims to be the son of "Stanley". Bree was previously unaware she had a son and, wanting a clean break from her past, nearly renounces him. However, Bree's therapist, Dr. Margaret refuses to give her approval for Bree's upcoming surgery if Bree does not contact Toby. Bree flies from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to bail Toby out of jail. Toby is a foul-mouthed runaway who is a small-time

drug user Drug use may refer to any drug use; or: * Entheogen * Performance-enhancing drugs * Pharmaceutical drug * Poly drug use, the use of combined psychoactive substances * Polysubstance dependence * Recreational drug use * Self-medication * Substan ...

and male "hustler". Toby’s mother committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

when Toby was a child after which Toby was raised by his stepfather, whom Toby says he does not want to see. Bree pretends to be a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

and persuades Toby to ride with her back to the West Coast, secretly planning to leave him at his stepfather's house along the way. When they arrive in the town of Callicoon, Kentucky, it turns out that Toby's stepfather was abusive and he molested Toby several times when Toby was a child. Bree and Toby continue driving to

together. They also stop by a house in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

where a group of transgender women are hosting a gender pride gathering. Later on in the trip when Bree goes to the restroom, Toby accidentally discovers that Bree has male genitalia. Toby tries to be open-minded but is angry that Bree has not previously informed him that she is transgender. After their car and money are stolen by a young hitchhiking

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

who calls himself a " peyote

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

", Toby makes some money by prostituting himself to a truck driver, pretending to Bree he got the money from selling drugs. A kindly rancher, Calvin Many Goats, drives Toby and Bree to Bree's parents' house in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. During the drive, Calvin and Bree begin flirting, which disturbs Toby. At Bree's parents' house, Toby and Bree encounter Bree's self-centered mother, Elizabeth; Bree's

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

father, Murray (who seems to be dominated by Elizabeth); and Bree's rebellious and sarcastic sister, Sydney. Elizabeth disapproves of Bree's transgender identity (it is mentioned that Bree has been estranged from her family for some time), but is astonished to find out she has a grandson. She is kind to Toby and invites him to stay and live with them. Toby enjoys luxury and kindness but hesitates because he does not like his grandparents' disrespectful attitude towards Bree. Misunderstanding his feelings for Bree, Toby tries to seduce her, saying that he will marry her if she wants. Bree realizes she must tell Toby the truth immediately and reveals she is his biological father. Toby is appalled and infuriated that Bree had not disclosed this earlier. Later that night, Toby steals money and valuable antiques from the house and disappears. Heartbroken, Bree returns to Los Angeles via a plane ticket bought by her parents. Her family finally accepts her calling herself Bree and she has a successful surgery but is unhappy because she feels she will never again see or hear from Toby. While Bree is recovering from surgery, her therapist visits her; after she confesses she made a mistake, Bree sobs on her shoulder. Months later, Bree is surprised to see Toby at her front door. Bree invites him inside and he tells her that in the meantime he has turned 18, he has bleached his hair blonde, and he has become an adult actor in gay pornographic films in Los Angeles. Bree is also vibrant, happy, and enjoying her job as a waitress at the restaurant where she was formerly a

busser In North America, a busser, sometimes known as a busboy or busgirl, is a person in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables, refilling and otherwise assisting the waiting sta ...

. They reconcile, seemingly happy to have each other.

Cast

* Felicity Huffman as Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne / "Stanley Schupak" * Kevin Zegers as Toby Wilkins, Bree's son *

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

as Calvin * Fionnula Flanagan as Elizabeth Schupak, Bree's mother * Burt Young as Murray Schupak, Bree's father * Carrie Preston as Sydney Schupak, Bree's younger sister * Elizabeth Peña as Dr. Margaret, Bree's psychiatrist * Venida Evans as Arletty * Teala Dunn as "little girl" * Calpernia Addams as Calpernia * Stella Maeve as Taylor *

Raynor Scheine Raynor Scheine (born Raynor Johnston; January 19, 1942) is an American actor who has appeared in films for three decades dating back to 1979, including '' My Cousin Vinny'' and ''Fried Green Tomatoes.'' His name is a play on the phrase "rain or ...

as Bobby Jensen, Toby's step-father *

Danny Burstein Danny Burstein (born June 16, 1964) is an American actor and singer. Known for his work on Broadway theatre, Broadway stage, he's received numerous accolades including a Tony Awards, Tony Award, a Drama League Award and two Drama Desk Award, Dram ...

as Dr. Spikowsky * Bianca Leigh as Mary Ellen * Andrea James as the voice coach

Production

In reference to her nude scene in the bathtub, Felicity Huffman said there were supposed to be a lot more bubbles, but because they were 'a little indie running a day late and a dollar short', they tried dish detergent and other things but there was not the time to do something else, so she was more exposed than anticipated."

Soundtrack

The ''Transamerica'' soundtrack includes cuts written by members of Old Crow Medicine Show. Christopher Day "Critter" Fuqua wrote "Take 'Em Away", performed by the group. "We're All in This Together" was written by Ketch Secor and Willie Watson, also performed by Old Crow. Both songs were published by Blood Donor Music, Administered by Bug Music, Inc. (BMI), and made available courtesy of Nettwerk Productions. " Travelin' Thru" was written and performed by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and for the Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Song. According to the New York Times website, "Travelin' Thru" won for best original song at the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 2005. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song from a Movie.

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. The review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported that 77% of critics gave ''Transamerica'' positive reviews, based on 145 reviews, and an average rating of 6.79/10, with the consensus that "a terrific performance by Felicity Huffman carries this unconventional but touching transgender road movie."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

reported the film had an average score of 66 out of 100, based on 37 reviews. Film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

stated that "Felicity Huffman brings great empathy and tact to her performance as Bree."

Awards and nominations

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

** Won – Best Female Lead ( Felicity Huffman) ** Won – Best First Screenplay ( Duncan Tucker) ** Nominated – Best First Feature – (Duncan Tucker, Sebastian Dungan, Linda Moran, Rene Bastian) *

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

** Nominated – Best Actress ( Felicity Huffman) ** Nominated – Best Original Song (

, for the song " Travelin' Thru") *

** Won – Reader Jury of the '' Siegessäule'' *

Broadcast Film Critics Association The Critics Choice Association (CCA), formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is an association of television, radio and online critics. Their membership includes critics who review film and television. Founded in 1995, it is the l ...

** Nominated – Best Actress ( Felicity Huffman) ** Nominated – Best Song (

, for the song "Travelin' Thru") *

Deauville Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then Mayor of Deauville Michel d ...

** Won – Best Screenplay (Duncan Tucker) ** Nominated – Grand Special Prize *

GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

** Won – Outstanding Film – Limited Release *

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

s ** Won – Best Actress in a Drama ( Felicity Huffman) ** Nominated – Best Original Song (

, for the song "Travelin' Thru") * National Board of Review ** Won – Best Actress ( Felicity Huffman) * Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 2005 ** Won – Best Original Song (

, for the song "Travelin' Thru") * Satellite Awards ** Won – Best Actress ( Felicity Huffman) *

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

** Nominated – Best Actress in a Lead Role ( Felicity Huffman) *

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

** Won – Best Actress ( Felicity Huffman) *

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

2006 ** Won (Chopard Trophy) – Male Revelation Kevin Zegers *

San Diego Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival held in San Diego, California, produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Q ...

2005 ** Won – Best Actress ( Felicity Huffman)

Home media

The film was released on DVD on May 23, 2006, in North America. There are no plans for a North American

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

release for it yet. However, the Blu-ray was released in Italy.

In popular culture

The film is referenced in the comedy film ''

Knocked Up ''Knocked Up'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. It follows ...

'', when the character played by Jason Segel admits that he was attracted to Huffman, stating that ever since he saw ''Transamerica'', he can't get her out of his mind.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control 2005 films 2005 directorial debut films 2005 independent films 2005 LGBTQ-related films 2000s American films 2000s buddy comedy-drama films 2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s road comedy-drama films 2000s sex comedy-drama films American buddy comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American independent films American LGBTQ-related films American road comedy-drama films American sex comedy-drama films Bisexuality-related films Country music films English-language buddy comedy-drama films English-language independent films English-language road comedy-drama films English-language sex comedy-drama films Films about LGBTQ and Judaism Films about trans women Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance Films scored by David Mansfield Films set in Arizona Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in New York City IFC Films films LGBTQ-related buddy comedy-drama films LGBTQ-related coming-of-age comedy-drama films LGBTQ-related independent films LGBTQ-related sex comedy films Satellite Award–winning films The Weinstein Company films