[10]

Two drag queens and a grouchy transsexual brave the Australian outback to perform at a hotel in the middle of nowhere. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings) plays the drag queen with a secret, Guy Pierce (Memento, LA Confidential) plays the flaming provocateur, and in a brilliant bit of casting, Terence Stamp (General Zod from Superman) plays the grieving post-op woman whose sour face and witty one-liners provide this superlative gay comedy-adventure with many of its finest moments.

Director Stephan Elliott elevates the film with some well choreographed, iconic moments, including a ‘gumby’ drag show with aborigines in which Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” gets treated by the didgeridoo. Pile onto that a barrage of Abba tunes, inventive Oscar-winning costumes, and one of the naughtiest uses of a ping pong ball you will ever see put to film, and you have one of the finest, most joyously outrageous films of the past few decades.

Academy Award: Best Costume Design