As full of smart Jewish humour as it is, this film version of Harvey Fierstein's stage hit, complete with the author as star (ludicrous to bill himself third in the credits) still makes pretty heavy going as a film. In spite of the humour, tragedy is perhaps kept too much to the fore in this story of a drag queen and his life from 10 to 40. The central character, who seemed so touchingly human in Antony Sher's London stage interpretation, comes across on screen as harsh, unsympathetic and self-centred. And the one-paced direction of Paul Bogart tends to underline the stagy quality of many of the scenes outside of the club where Arnold (Fierstein) works as an entertainer. Worth sitting through, though, if only to watch Arnold's hefty black transvestite friend hold up a gold ladies' shoe in a dress shop and ask the assistant if she has it in a 16.


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