Tammy Faye, Gucci, Halston, Spencer, Céline… when reality is a drag

‘Tis the season when most movie studios release their biggest Oscar contenders, and this year is no exception. There is arguably no greater Oscar bait than the biopic. An actor’s ability to create and bring a character to life is one thing, but to successfully recreate and become the embodiment of a real life person—be it an entertainer, a televangelist, a member of the Royal Family or a murderer—is the highest achievement. The academy voters eat it up every year (and so do we). Of course, when an actor is cast in a biopic and fails to embody its subject—the look is off or the accent isn’t right—well, that’s often camp and arguably even better and more entertaining than when an actor pulls it off (we’re looking at you, Faye Dunaway).   

This year has brought us a slew of biopics both on the big and small screen, including The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Halston, and two Aretha Franklins (Respect and Genius: Aretha)—but the best have been saved for last (and closest to Oscar voting time). In the last few weeks House of Gucci, Spencer and Aline have been released back to back, creating a frenzy on Gay Twitter. This week, we’re taking a look at some of those films and looking back at biopics past to find out why there is such a uniquely queer affinity for the genre. 

Tranna: My queer brain cannot keep up with all of the biopics that are being thrown at us—is this how straight people feel about the relentless (and endless) release of superhero movies? Let’s start with the one getting the most buzz: House of Gucci. It’s Gaga’s second movie; her first, A Star is Born, was a massive success. I think queer audiences are desperate to know if Gaga’s Best Actress nomination in 2019 was a fluke, or if she really can act. House of Gucci is the test. In the film, she plays Patrizia Reggianni, who notoriously hired a hitman to kill her husband, Maurizio Gucci, the former head of the legendary fashion label. Gaga’s been very self-congratulatory in her press interviews for the film, talking about how Italians are praising her accent (every Italian I’ve spoken to thinks she sounds Russian). It’s also very funny to me to hear Gaga talk about “method acting” and her intense preparation for something that is basically a glorified Lifetime original movie. What I love about Gaga is also what I hate about Gaga: she takes everything so seriously. 

Thomas: I saw House of Gucci last Thursday with my Sicilian boyfriend and the experience did not disappoint! We’ve been quoting lines from the trailers to each other for weeks; he had watched them so many times that at the screening, he knew which iconic line was coming. I’m so glad we went on opening night—the theatre was packed with Gays (honestly, there were no straight men in that room) and the mood was just electric. When she delivered lines like “Father, son and House of Gucci” or “It’s time we take out the trash” or “Bravo!” (with a clap) or “Our name, sweetie” (pointing at her wedding ring) or, obviously, “I don’t consider myself to be a particularly ethical person, but I am fair,” the theatre erupted in applause and laughter. 

Tranna: I love that House of Gucci is already the new Rocky Horror. 

Thomas: Now, Gaga is clearly not playing a real Italian—she is playing what Americans think is an Italian. I don’t mind her Russian accent; it’s not fair to examine Gaga’s Italian accent in English, as most Italians born in Italy barely speak English. Gaga’s genius is to play into fantasies and to seemingly be devoid of any form of self-censorship! In her music and now on the big screen she just goes for it, and that’s what makes her so fascinating. As queer people, we are truly blessed to have her shaping culture.

Tranna: Gaga’s portrayal of Patrizia brings to mind one of my favourite, most overlooked biopics, House of Versace, an actual Lifetime original about another famous fashion house in which Gina Gershon plays Donatella. I can’t help but wonder if Gaga hired Gina’s accent coach. The fashion world is so glamorous and cutthroat, it’s a great setting for high camp movies. Earlier this year we also got Ryan Murphy’s Halston, with Ewan McGregor playing the titular role. It’s so funny how all these films employ the same clichés, even in their trailers. The Halston trailer uses a slowed down version of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence,” while House of Gucci uses a slowed down version of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” All of these films are basically offering the same thing: glamour, camp, costume, melodrama. As redundant as it all is, I can’t get enough. 

“The absurdity of doing a biopic without obtaining the rights and having to change the name of Céline Dion to Aline Dieu alone was orgasmic to me.”

Thomas: It’s interesting that you bring up Halston, because when I left the theatre after House of Gucci, I basically told myself this should have been a Netflix show in five episodes. There is more to the story than just the Maurizio murder; during the initial period of post-war expansion, Aldo Gucci was nicknamed the “Italian Ambassador” by John F. Kennedy (Jackie loved Gucci). And after Maurizio’s murder, Tom Ford, who became the brand’s creative director in 1994, completely changed the fashion game until he finally exited 10 years later after allegedly asking for too much control and money. (Can you tell I’ve read the Gucci Wikipedia page?) And of course, the trial of Patrizia Gucci should have been more than just one scene at the end of the movie, especially since her daughters stood by her side for most of that time! The movie is crazy, but the real Gucci story is crazier. In a strange way, House of Gucci delivers to queer audiences the same kind of aspirational storytelling that superhero movies are giving straight audiences. Fantasy is addictive.

Tranna: Even more wildly camp than House of Gucci is Aline, “une fiction librement inspirée de la vie de Céline Dion” (a fictional story inspired by the life of Céline Dion), which is basically this year’s Cats—a movie so preposterous it’s hard to believe it actually exists. As soon as this pseudo Céline bio was announced, I knew it was going to operate on a level of camp we are not treated to very often. The absurdity of doing a biopic without obtaining the rights and having to change the name of Céline Dion to Aline Dieu alone was orgasmic to me, then you add the fact that Valérie Lemercier, who wrote, directed and stars in Aline, also plays Aline at every age? A 57-year-old woman is going to play a five-year-old Céline?! And then on top of all that, you add the fact that Lemercier is French and not Québécoise and that French people don’t know how to do Québécois accents? To quote Céline herself, “It’s much too much!” 

Thomas: The real trigger for me is that some Céline fans would have expected a more conventional approach… I mean, really? From her love story with René to her historic residencies in Las Vegas, Céline’s story is larger than life and lacks some of the tragic undertone that most biographies rely on. There really isn’t anything tragic or unfair about Céline’s life story. Even when dealing publicly with grief (we all knew René would pass before her), she did it in such a restrained, dignified way; she is a tabloid bore. Of course a Céline biopic would have to be this bizarro mashup of real-life events with complete fantasy because ultimately that’s what is interesting about her.

Tranna: What I can genuinely appreciate about Aline is that it states its intention upfront: it’s fictional. It’s “loosely inspired by.” And, honestly, that’s what all biopics should do. A biopic is not, and should not be, a documentary. Vanity Fair critic Richard Lawson wrote: “What Lemercier does in Aline is an utter shock, one of the strangest approaches to a biopic I’ve yet seen.” Those are the kinds of reviews that make me want to see a movie so badly; I just wish Lermercier wasn’t a problematic nightmare (yes, she’s also a standup comedian who’s done Black face). 

Thomas: Céline’s siblings Claudette and Michel very publicly panned the film, saying that it was disrespectful to their late mother, Thérèse. Played by Danielle Fichaud (a legendary acting coach who trained me!), maman Dieu says things on screen that real-life maman Dion would never have said about René (who is renamed Guy-Marcel in Aline). But ultimately, the bigger trigger for some people in Quebec is watching Céline filtered through the vision that les Français have of her. Even though she is and always will be Québécoise, it’s hard for some of us to see how Céline is affectionately ridiculed outside of the province. Céline herself hasn’t seen the movie, but René-Charles has allegedly requested a copy. (If you want a good Québécois laugh, you should listen to the Radio-Canada podcast Céline, c’est elle le boss! that I co-produced and on which I dive into Céline conspiracy theories.)

Tranna: There seems to be a particular affinity among queer audiences for biopics. So many biopics become cult classics and lines from the movie become a part of queer life—arguably none moreso than Mommie Dearest (“No wire hangers ever!” and “Tina, bring me the axe!” can be overhead in the dressing room at any drag club). Faye Dunaway’s performance is unhinged and sublime in its intensity; she turns the biopic into a monster movie and it’s brilliant. The film received terrible reviews at the time of its release (Dunaway herself rarely acknowledges it) but it’s also one of the most memorable, iconic screen performances of all time and to me, that’s real success. When you get down to it, the biopic is basically a two-hour version of Drag Race’s Snatch Game: Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla, Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, Halle Berry as Dorothy Dandridge, even Julia Roberts as Erin Brokovich—these are some of the best Snatch Game performances ever! 

Thomas: One of the best biopic actresses around is Nicole Kidman, who has played Virginia Woolf, Fox News’ Gretchen Carlson and now Lucille Ball. Now THAT’S range! But as much as I love biopics, I also worry about their impact on our collective imagination. In a world of remakes, book adaptations, franchises and biopics, it’s clear that it is harder than ever to sell an original story to audiences. 

Tranna: Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball in the upcoming Being the Ricardos kind of looks like the cinematic equivalent of the RuPaul Christmas ornament but I will reserve judgement until I see it. I think there’s a level of skill and talent required to portray a “real-life” person that goes beyond bringing a fictional character to life and part of that has to do with the audience’s expectations. When an actor plays a famous historical person, there’s a pressure to get the nuances, the voice and the look down perfectly because the audience has a point of reference. An actor playing a real-life person receives so much more scrutiny than one playing a fictional character. Even though the script wasn’t great, I think of Renée Zellweger’s performance in Judy as one of the better biopic performances because Renée wasn’t trying to completely imitate Judy Garland. She took the essence of Garland and channelled it and I think that’s generally the best approach to playing an iconic figure. 

Thomas: Speaking of RuPaul and biopics, I draw the line at a RuPaul biopic (just putting it in writing that this should never happen). Sometimes, like in the case of Amy or Whitney, the right way to tell someone’s story is actually to make a good old-fashioned documentary, like the one about Oprah slated to be released by Apple+.  

Tranna: Or you can do a Wendy Williams and produce a biopic and a documentary and air them on the same night!   

“I draw the line at a RuPaul biopic (just putting it in writing that this should never happen).”

Thomas: I sincerely hope that Hollywood will never greenlight an Oprah biopic because at this point, it would be like making another movie about Jesus. Even though I admit that her pre-talk show life story is fascinating and that there is probably plenty of early family trauma to source, I’m scared that such a movie would be packaged as a lame rags-to-riches fable. I also worry that the Madonna biopic will one day see the light of day. Look, I’m not opposed to a Madonna biopic at all, but it obviously shouldn’t be written or produced by her! Sadly, she will probably get her way, as she usually does.

Tranna: I am extremely nervous about Madonna’s biopic. The videos of her writing with Diablo Cody were so cringe-worthy. I don’t think Madonna can take an honest look at herself but honestly, the biopic is my favourite genre of movie and I think it’s because it is, ultimately, the most high-brow version of drag. There’s been so much debate about cis women being able to participate in drag and whether that’s even “really” drag, but when you think about it, some of the best drag queens ever are cis women. Name another drag queen who can do a better Jackie Kennedy than Natalie Portman or a drag queen who can do a better Tina Turner than Angela Bassett. If I am not cast to play Barbra in the inevitable Streisand biopic, I will be very upset. 

Montreal-based comedians Thomas Leblanc and Tranna Wintour’s podcast Chosen Family streams on CBC, Apple and Google; new episodes drop every other Thursday.