Editing But I'm a Cheerleader (section)

{{short description|1999 film by Jamie Babbit}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = But I'm a Cheerleader
| image          = ButI'mACheerleader.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = A half-length portrait of a young woman with long hair, wearing a bright pink formal dress and satin gloves. At a distance over her head five cheerleaders in orange outfits perform, flying through the sky. Across the portrait reads, "But I'm a Cheerleader", and below, in smaller letters, "A Comedy of Sexual Disorientation".
| director       = [[Jamie Babbit]]
| screenplay     = [[Brian Wayne Peterson]]
| story          = Jamie Babbit
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* [[Andrea Sperling]]
* [[Leanna Creel]]
}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|<!--per billing block-->
* [[Natasha Lyonne]]
* [[Clea DuVall]]
* [[Melanie Lynskey]]
* [[RuPaul|RuPaul Charles]]
* [[Eddie Cibrian]]
* [[Wesley Mann]]
* [[Richard Moll]]
* [[Douglas Spain]]
* Katharine Towne
* [[Cathy Moriarty]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Jules Labarthe]]
| editing        = [[Cecily Rhett]]
| music          = [[Pat Irwin]]
| production_companies = {{plainlist|
* [[Ignite Entertainment]]
* [[The Kushner-Locke Company]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Lionsgate Films|Lions Gate Films]]
| released       = {{Film date|1999|9|12|[[1999 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2000|7|7|United States}}
| runtime        = {{plainlist|
* 85 minutes (US)
* 92 minutes (UK)
}}
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $1 million
| gross          = $2.6 million<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0179116/|title=But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=17 December 2022|archive-date=December 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217191704/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0179116/|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
'''''But I'm a Cheerleader''''' is a 1999 American [[Satire (film and television)|satirical]] [[Teen film|teen]] [[romantic comedy]] film directed by [[Jamie Babbit]] in her feature directorial debut and written by [[Brian Wayne Peterson]].{{Not verified in body|date=April 2025}} [[Natasha Lyonne]] stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school [[cheerleader]] whose parents send her to a residential in-patient [[conversion therapy]] camp to "cure" her [[lesbian]]ism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and, despite the "therapy", comes to embrace her sexuality. The supporting cast includes [[Clea DuVall]], [[RuPaul]], and [[Cathy Moriarty]].

Inspired by an article about conversion therapy and her childhood familiarity with [[Drug rehabilitation|rehabilitation]] programs, Babbitt used the story of a young woman finding her sexual identity to explore the [[social construction]] of [[gender roles]] and [[heteronormativity]]. The costume and set design of the film highlighted these themes by using artificial textures in intense blues and pinks.

When it was initially rated as NC-17 by the [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]], Babbit made cuts to allow it to be re-rated as R. When interviewed in the documentary film ''[[This Film Is Not Yet Rated]]'', she criticized the MPAA for [[Homophobia|discriminating against films with homosexual content]]. While the film has developed a [[cult following]] since its release, it was not well received by conservative critics of the time, who compared it unfavorably to the films of [[John Waters (filmmaker)|John Waters]] and criticized the colorful production design. The lead actors were praised for their performances, but some of the characters were described as [[stereotype|stereotypical]].