Psycho Beach Party (2000)

Even by playwright Charles Busch's own admission, this parody of films as diverse as Marnie, Gidget, and Halloween was a pretty lightweight piece when it premiered in New York in the mid-'80s. Beefing up the plot and adding a fun new character for himself, however, drag auteur Busch and first-time feature director Robert Lee King turned the film version of Psycho Beach Party into a fun little luau. A who's who of young alt-Hollywood -- from Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon to Gregg Araki vets Nathan Bexton and Kathleen Robertson -- get to paraphrase the teensploitation epics of years past with a knowing wink, while future Six Feet Under star Lauren Ambrose shows her considerable range in a performance that veers from goofy melodrama to all-out slapstick and includes no less than three separate characters. (Grown-ups Busch and Beth Broderick get some laughs, too, but sometimes come off like defanged John Waters heroines.) The over-the-top but humorous homoeroticism, broad caricatures, and frequently profane sight gags and puns may not endear the film to all audiences. But for those who appreciate its dated East Village attitude and its frequently spot-on pop culture spoofs, Psycho Beach Party is a quirky, deliberately low-rent ball of laughs. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide