Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Great music and a stunning central performance by John Cameron Mitchell make this musical one of the only rock musicals in cinema history that actually works. Mitchell plays Hedwig, a transsexual rock star with a flip wig and a complicated past. The film starts off as something in a This is Spinal Tap mode and transforms into something far different. Mitchell (who also directed) gives us a character that is unforgettable, a bravura performance. The music is a major plus, a nice mixture of raucous rock, with the occasional hints of progressive rock. Funny and sweet, this movie represents a new high point for the rock musical. I would love it if Mitchell remade The Who’s Tommy.