Everybody's Talking About Jamie

You shouldn’t need any reason to tune in to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie other than this: Richard E. Grant plays a semi-retired drag queen named Loco Chanelle (aka Hugo, a dress-shop owner). Grant gives us the sassy, supportive flipside of his venomous gay sidesick from Can You Ever Forgive Me? playing mentor to the film’s teen title character, a drama-prone bleach-blond U.K. high schooler whose one dream is to be a drag queen.

The film is a full-on, break-into-song musical, adapted from a London stage hit (its transfer to the U.S. was thwarted by COVID-19). The theater show was in turn inspired by a short 2011 documentary titled “Jamie: Drag Queen at 16,” about Jamie Campbell, a teenager in a small town in the far north of England. (Campbell has since gone on to become a successful drag performer and clothing designer.)

This is no Dear Evan Hansen, weighted down with issues of suicide, mental illness, and social media deception. The big issues are nothing more fraught than bullying (fairly mild), dress codes, and teenagers’ future hopes. (Maybe that one’s a little fraught.) And if you think the bully can’t be redeemed, you’re in the wrong frame of mind for this energetic, upbeat tale.

The twist in Jamie’s story, both real and musical, is that his mum, Margaret (Sarah Lancashire), is supportive of his ambitions. After a flashy production number at Jamie’s school (“Don’t Even Know It”), the first scene with Margaret is when she gives her son a Kinky Boots–worthy pair of red glitter high heels. That inspires another song (“Wall in My Head”) — and so it goes.

What conflict there is, is twofold: Margaret is hiding from Jamie his estranged father’s disdain for his son, and a priggish teacher (Sharon Horgan) has banned drag from the school prom. Jamie has an unlikely best friend, Muslim teen Pritti (Lauren Patel), and an antagonist, bully Dean (Samuel Bottomley), and, of course, a mentor, Hugo. (For Hugo’s big number, “This Was Me,” written just for the movie, the filmmakers bring in pinch-singer Holly Johnson, the former lead singer of ‘80s band Frankie Goes to Hollywood.)

Max Harwood, who did not appear in the stage musical, plays Jamie with just the right blend of defiance and vulnerability. Most important, he’s a fine and versatile singer and a joy to watch frolicking across the screen. The songs are jolly or touching or powerful, as needed, staged with impressive choreography and not even a wink of realism. This is largely escapist fun — it’s got a great beat and you can dance to it, whether or not the melodies stick with you. (I have enjoyed the cast recording without the benefit of diverting visuals, so I’d say the songs by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae hold up just fine.)

The director is first-timer Jonathan Butterell, who developed and directed the stage musical, and he knows how to build his characters and keep things brisk and heartening. As Hugo might have noted, there was a time when the story of a teenage drag queen would have been a tragedy. Now it can be escapist fun with a grand, feel-good ending.

Grade: A-minus. Rated PG-13. Now showing on Amazon Prime.

(Photos: Amazon)

Max Harwood in “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.”