Gypsy 83

Todd Stephens's 2001 American film follows Gypsy, a goth-dressed young woman in a small Ohio town, and her friend Clive deciding to go to New York. The purpose is to attend a night where Stevie Nicks impersonators gather; the real matter is what becomes of them both if they stay in the town. The film is built as a road story and the figures met at its stops carry the account. Sara Rue's performance makes credible a character who covers her lack of confidence with rudeness. Karen Black's short role contains one of the film's best scenes. Its weakness is stating the theme of self-acceptance too directly in the final section, and letting the budget limits show in the images. Who it's for: viewers who like American independent road films and queer stories of youth. Who it's not for: anyone wanting high production values, or who dislikes endings that lecture.