In a time when popular culture embraces the ever-increasing
obscene and overtly sexual, a former UCLA theater student is trying
to push the envelope even further.
David Rucker’s directorial debut “Die Mommie
Die!” does not suffer from its perverse subject matter. What
sets Rucker’s film apart is his ability to elevate sexual
humor beyond the purpose of transparent shock-value. “Die
Mommie Die!” conveniently comes at a time when the blatant
showiness of sexuality in thematic performances is increasingly
accepted by the movie-going public.
“Compared to 40 years ago, the audience is definitely much
more receptive to this type of film,” Rucker said. “Of
course there is the sexual appeal, but people are able to
appreciate it because of the stylish wittiness of the
sexuality.”
First shown at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie chronicles
the trials of fading diva Angela Arden (played by drag queen
Charles Busch, who won a performance Jury prize at the festival).
Discontent with her family and career, Arden is driven to the brink
of desperation and murders her husband (Philip Baker Hall).
A whodunnit in the truest tradition, the film disentangles
itself as Tony Parker (Jason Priestley), Arden’s gigalo,
Edith (Natasha Lyonne), Angela’s suspicious daughter and
Lance (Stark Sands), Angela’s dim-witted and sexually
ambiguous son, clash in humorous fashion as they uncover the
murderer and learn more about each other than they ever wished to
know. The film borrows elements from mystery movies of the 1960s
and soap operas from the 1940s to 1960s, resulting in a
melodramatic mystery.
“Students may get that there is something period about the
film but they don’t know any of the movies that it comes
from,” Rucker said. “I think through popular culture
and Saturday Night Live and Mad TV and all these things that are
part of their culture, they can identity with the humor in the
film.”
The film never takes itself so seriously that the audience is
supposed to believe the outrageous scenarios taking place on
screen. While the film highlights various hints and obvious clues
the actors leave, the characters themselves do not realize the
absurdity of the situation or their actions.
Because the movie pushes the standards of comedic sexuality, the
film provides a perfect opportunity for actors to break out from
typecasts. A far cry from his squeaky clean “Beverly Hills,
90210″ days, Priestley plays a playboy who stops at nothing
to uncover the mystery of the murder.
In much the same way that the movie reflects a growing tolerance
for sexuality on the screen, this sexuality also crosses over into
the gay arena. Rucker expected the gay community to embrace the
film, but was wholly surprised with the positive reaction it
received from most movie watchers.
This positive reception is largely attributed to Busch’s
drag performance as Arden. Rucker expects audiences to accept the
fact that the female lead is played by a drag queen, displaying the
growing recognition of gay actors.
“We’re asking a lot of an audience to just accept
that Charles is playing a woman. There is no explanation; there is
no pulling off of the wig or anything like that. It’s just
what it is,” Rucker said. “And I think people are a lot
more open to that than they would have been even a few years
ago.”
“Die Mommie Die!” screens tonight for free in
the James Bridges Theater at 7:30 p.m., followed by a question and
answer session with Rucker.