Only recently I had the immense pleasure of being forced to watch Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes cross dress for a whole ninety minutes, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to watching To Wong Foo, but I’m glad my sister forced me into my seat. Sealing me down with duct tape and putting a gun in my face.
Because To Wong Foo and Roadhouse are two Patrick Swayze films that are of a genre that I have never seen before with the sole exception of Wall:E. A genre I like to call the ‘Mesiah Flick’, a protagonist who is kind, gentle but not without the ability to defend himself sweeps through a small, secluded community and makes a positive influence upon everyone that he (or she) meets. It shouldn’t work because the protagonist is already pretty much perfect as he is, and they don’t change through the course of the movie because they are too busy changing the lives of those around them. It sounds cheesy and saccharine… And yet Swayze managed to pull it off twice.
To Wong Foo follows three drag queens, or two drag queens and a drag princess played by John Leguizamo who break down in the middle of the Deep South on their way to a drag beauty pageant. They have nothing to do for three days but talk to the locals, and soon enough various dysfunctions, problems and abuses become apparent. And the ladies take it upon themselves to rectify these problems as best they can.
Basically, just watch this clip:
It’s a testament to their acting prowess and sheer manliness that Snipes, Swayze and Leguizamo manage to play women so well despite the fact Swayze and Snipes have biceps the size of my head. If you ask me, I feel Wesley Snipes manages to be more badass here in a dress than he ever did in a Leather Jacket in Blade.
I know this film probably doesn’t look like your cup of tea. Just trust me. It’s a piece of absolute art! And it saddens me to know that I found it so soon before Swayze’s death.
When I saw the tributes on the various websites I frequent. It was mentioned several times that Swayze starred in what Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and Rifftrax described as the greatest movie of all time. Roadhouse. Considering MST3K and Rifftrax are famous for their uncompromising criticism, this was really high praise. I had to see what the fuss was about.
In Roadhouse, Swayze plays a club bouncer called Dalton who is hired to clean up a nasty place in the middle of nowhere. Everything from the nasty clientele to the corrupt and equally nasty staff to the local crime lord with an interest in the club Swayze has been hired to protect are merely obstacles for him to beat down after being offered a proper warning.
So far so cliché, but where this movie and Swayze himself excel is the fact that he is so secure. So many heroes are famed for delivering retribution at the smallest slight, Dalton is not like that. He is so unflappable, so calm and reasonable that you can see how he has survived so long unlike many other movie protagonists.
How many times have you heard Arnie or Van-Damme tell someone to ‘Be nice’? Dalton is the kind of movie hero I wouldn’t mind having someone take as a role model. He sets the example of being reasonable, sensible and keeping calm until the time comes when you have to rip some motherfuckers throat out.
So here’s to you Swayze! You were an exceptional man, and an incredible woman as well.
