An old womans (Peggy Hickey) death in a small Texas town sets off a firestorm within the family. Her sister Sissy Hickey (Beth Grant) tries to calm down Peggy's children--uptight Latrelle (a wonderful Bonnie Bedelia) and sassy Lavonda (Ann Walker). Also Latrelle wants her gay son Ty (Kirk Geiger) to come to Texas for the funeral...but he's out in LA and never told anyone he's gay and is sick of keeping it a secret. Then there's Peggy's son Brother Boy (Leslie Jordan) was has been institutionalized because he's gay. THEN there's G.W. (Beau Bridges) who was cheating on his wife Noleta (Delta Burke) with Peggy and feels guilty about her death.This played all summer long back in 2002 in Provincetown MA (a small town with a large gay population during the summer). I never saw it there but got it on DVD the next year at the urging of some friends. THEN it just sat on my shelf for ten years till I watched it last night. My friends kept saying it's an unheralded masterpiece. You know what? They're wrong. It's really not that good. It DOES have some funny parts and the acting was great all around especially by Bedelia, Burke and Geiger (who it seems has quit show business--this was his last film to date). There's also a scene with Geiger and several totally nude men which some people may enjoy. Olivia Newton-John pops up also singing a few songs (especially the title song which is great). But, I found this more caustic and vicious than funny. The constant screaming and yelling got annoying and the treatment of Brother Boy at the institution was just horrific. Also the eccentric residents of a small Texas town are easy targets and have been done many times before. Maybe if I saw it with an audience it would work better (it was a big hit in PTown and Palm Springs) but, as it is, I was not impressed. A 6 all the way.

This movie is hilarious. I KNOW these people. They reminded me of growing up in Tennessee and living in Georgia. Very accurate depiction of the South, which is rare. The women characters are dead-on, especially Beth Grant as Sissy, plus Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy is not to be missed. Olivia Newton-John is great as long as she's singing, but otherwise is the weakest link. It wasn't clear what her character added to the story.Beau Bridges also was not as strong as the rest of the cast. The ending left a lot to be desired, but overall this film was well worth watching, and one you can watch over and over to pick up all the details. If it's true this was shot in just 9 days, then it's nothing short of amazing. At times it really soars, but then it would get really campy with some surprisingly lame moments. Overall it's a great story, a lot of fun while still touching some deep places that will make you cry. A must-see for anyone who grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line, and anyone else who wants to see some great acting.

I think Cipher-J's review -- and some of the others here -- miss the main point. It's not whether you find the movie hilarious or not. I mean, if you're gonna like this movie, I guess you'd better find to be funny. But the real pay-off of this movie is how you grow to like, or at least empathize with, many of the characters. If you find yourself resenting or dismissing this movie as just cheap shots at a bunch of losers, you're missing a whole layer. Maybe you're the loser. You gotta be able to care about these characters. This movie is one of the very best I've seen which collects a crew of oddballs and makes you love them. Think Coen Brothers. Think Rushmore.The crime of it is that the Oscars and Golden Globes don't reward performances like Leslie Jordan's and Beth Grant in this movie.

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen. We've watched it so many times we know the lines by heart. These people are all in my family, and I've often wanted to holler out myself to some of my relatives "Shoot her Wardel, shoot her in the head." I can relate to being gay in a small southern town.My partner and I are gay in Arkansas, although they have just tried to pass a law to prevent us from being so. But for some reason "It ain't a workin" and there are more of us coming out now that the election's over than before. You'll laugh til you cry when Brother Boy sings Til I Can make it on My Own to the psycho with a fish in her ear - although I do not believe this was one of her "early years" songs. Watch it 10 times and then you can pretend you're in the cast.