Bam Bam & Celeste

dark humor and sweet release
Antithetical to the laugh-so-hard-you'll-cry theory is comedian and activist Margaret Cho, who will have you crying, hard, before making you laugh like you've never laughed before. In her stand-up shows, she tells achingly raw stories about the torment of growing up "different" and does so in a way that makes her the only comedian who can respond to racial slurs with "f*ck you" and pull it off like the most brilliant one-liner ever. Those soul-quenching moments of sweet release don't come as often in Bam Bam and Celeste, but hey--we finally get to see Margaret dressed up as her mother, which alone makes the film worth watching.

Bam Bam and Celeste are best friends from high school who discover they've become "townies." They leave their midwestern hometown for NYC in order to face their high school nemeses on the makeover show "Trading Faces." Many encounters--pleasant and otherwise--arise along the way.

The thing about Cho's stand-up stories is that they are...

If I were capable of feeling guilt...this would be a guilty pleasure.
There is no doubt that Celeste & Bam Bam is borderline ridiculous and often very silly. However, it is also irrepressibly likable, loaded with some great one liners, and is a refreshingly undemanding entertaining watch.
You may be familiar with the story; two small town outcasts go on a quest to find themselves and escape their present situations. After the initial set-up where we're introduced to young queen (Bam Bam) and his awkward best friend (Celeste), a zany road-trip ensues. Splashes of intermittent hilarity follows as Celeste & Bam Bam adventure their way to "the big city" in search of all of their dreams.
All in all this is a very light and funny ride. Margaret Cho & Bruce Daniels are committed to their roles, and the rest of the cast, including the always likeable Alan Cummings, are more than willing and more often than not, very funny. The whole thing feels like a wonderful 80's throwback a la John Hughes and clearly has its heart in the right place. A fun...

Classic Cho!!
If you have ever felt like an outcast, you will see yourself in this movie. Classic Cho, Bam Bam & Celeste takes up Margaret's perennials themes of friendship, individuality, and accepting yourself for who and what you are, and weaves them into a comic gem that will lift the spirits of the down trodden.

Bam Bam & Celeste follows two friends since high school, Bam Bam (Bruce Daniels) a flamboyantly gay hairdresser and Celeste (Margaret Cho) a down on herself fag hag, as they drive across America to appear on the make over show, Trading Faces. One of the highlights of the film is Margaret in costume as her mother.

If you do not share Margaret Cho's or Bruce Daniels' sense of humor, you may miss the many jokes, puns, and digs at GLBT culture. This tale of a queen and his fag hag is an owner for me. I don't think I could have enjoyed it more.

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