Bam Bam and Celeste (2005)

Very best movie i ever watch

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Margaret Cho is a gifted comedian and in this misguided film, there are hysterically funny moments. Margaret plays the titular Celeste like a true manic-depressive. She can be sunny and upbeat one second, and then suicidal the next. The plot, such as it is, follows her and her best friend "Bam Bam" (Bruce Daniels) (and very unclear why he was called that) as they make their way from the hellish small town they've been imprisoned in their whole lives to NYC, where they have managed to land a spot on a make-over show, which is judged by none other than their high school bullies, i.e. the beautiful blonde white people who will get everything in life. En route to NYC, they have off-beat road adventures which involve wonderful cameos by Wilson Cruz and Jane Lynch. Kathy Najimy makes a funny pit-stop and John Cho also has a wonderful supporting part as the cruel and judgmental host of the makeover TV show. But as funny as Margaret and the other characters were, I thought Elaine Hendrix as Jackie, the most obnoxious of the high school bullies, stole the show when she went "black" on Bruce Daniels. It was a scene-stealer. Margaret also does double duty as her own mother, and while she does it beautifully and convincingly, she should have limited it to very short bits. She does one extended bit near the end, trying to talk some sense into Celeste's head and although it was well done, the character's heavy (and authentic) accent almost wiped out the purpose of the speech (to get her daughter to understand the value of love). Ultimately, the film fails... and I hate to say this, because there was a lot of love put into this project... but... after all Celeste goes through, when she apparently comes to the realization that she is "beautiful" as she is, the truth is: she did not need a "make-over" (which, sorry, was a half-assed attempt to make Margaret look glamorous). Celeste is stuck somewhere in the 80s with her spiky haircut, her heavy make-up and her Cindy Lauper hand-me-down dresses. But that's who she was... and, after all the hell she goes through in this movie, the real punch should have been, "I don't need a make-over. I am beautiful the way I am." If she had done that, it would have made this film a lot more powerful. Margaret is definitely talented and funny and the supporting cast did a great job, but sadly the film fails because it is actually not true to itself. But for a quick, easy view and some hearty laughs, it's worth a one-time popcorn night.

I LOVE this edgy flick and I'm here to tell you Celeste & Bambam is gonna be a CULT Classic. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN A FILM LIKE THIS BEFORE! The kinda wild combo of a funky Korean-American girl, Celeste Chun (MARGARET CHO) and hip, gay Black American guy, Bambam (BRUCE DANIELS) teams up to escape "in your face" white racism in the U.S. Midwest. While they work their way cross-country to overcome their past, Celeste tells Bambam "Someday people are gonna wanna hear what WE have to say!" Right on, Celeste! Then there's Margaret's spot-on interpretation of a goofy yet loving Mom, also played by HERSELF. "Who is this?" Mommy asks Celeste on the phone, "I'm sorry, I have to ask everyone for security reasons." There's so much going on in this film and there are more memorable lines & quirky characters. Brit actor ALAN CUMMING plays nice guy Eugene: "High school is the natural habitat of dictators," while JOHN CHO (Harold of "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") plays the host of a TV show called "TRADING FACES." I love JANE LYNCH, too, as "Darlene Dawson" - "Just a leeettle bit'a in-breedin'. Just-a touch." And later to Celeste: "I think you're even more beautiful-er in the mornin'." Darlene's the white "lesbian Lone Ranger" with a sweet heart of gold. Later Celeste has a run-in at a gas station where she tells off a racist store attendant calling her ALL kinds of names. "If you're gonna be racist, get a 'neo-Nazi to English' dictionary!" You go, Celeste! I'm not giving away anymore, but mark my words: CELESTE & BAMBAM IS a whole new Cult Classic. If you can handle it check out this flick. Thanks Margaret and Bruce!!

Margaret Cho's first narrative feature "Bam Bam & Celeste" famously went through many hurdles to finally reach the public. First they went through a battle to get funding to even have the movie produced. Then, once produced, critical reception was horrible, and it took them 2 years to get distribution on DVD. Now that the final product is readily available one can see why the movie had such hurdles.It certainly isn't for want of effort and genuine interest on the part of those involved. If there is one thing the movie has going for it it is that the cast and writers genuinely believe in their story and their characters, and the charisma carries the film during those times when it isn't a total, emotionless stinker.The film stars Cho as Celeste, an Asian-American punk rocker fag hag living in small town America with her extremely effeminate African-American friend Bam-Bam. The first five minutes of the film show the two in all of their awkwardness as they are soundly rejected by their classmates (including Elaine Hendrix, who played a similar role in the brilliant "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion"). When not being subjected to constant overt racism, homophobia and physical violence, the duo dreams of becoming stylists and moving away.We then jump ahead many years to see the two as adults, living essentially the same lives as before. Their racist and hateful bullies, however, have gone on to be hugely successful NYC stylists who are frequent participants on a reality T.V. show about makeovers. The two are afforded the chance to go to Manhattan to square off against their former rivals, and see it as their chance to finally live the lives they dreamed of.The results are predictable: they encounter rednecks and homophobes during their brief car trip, get to New York, have a fight, make-up, go on TV and make a statement about individuality and beauty. It's nothing we haven't seen before and there isn't a single surprise throughout.When I watched the film I couldn't help but think "These people could do better." Margaret Cho has spent the last seven years building a following of misfits and socially shunned minorities who look to her as a beacon of outspoken rebellion. Her messages of equality for all and beauty in all people permeate her one woman shows and books, so it makes sense that those messages would be translated into a movie she wrote.Unfortunately it is glaringly obvious that Cho simply couldn't find a way to put these ideals into character form, and the result is a bunch of bumbling stereotypes who have – if possible – fewer than one dimension each. The gay characters are REALLY GAY! The racist characters are SUPER RACIST! There is no room for ambiguity when painting with such broad strokes, and as such the cast is left with little more to do than fill in the chalk outline Cho's characters present.Cho as Celeste is the least interesting of the characters; a woman so convinced of her own hideousness that she has long since stop believing she could find love or happiness. She starts the film apologizing to a racist who throws a milkshake at her head and calls her a Ch*nk, but by the end of the film is confronting her childhood bullies screaming "I am beautiful!" The problem is that very little has actually happened on screen to make us understand what finally unlocked the warrior woman within. It may be the thinly outlined romance Celeste has with Eugene (Alan Cumming), a nerd who is a PA on the reality show and whom she has coincidentally been flirting with on the internet. Unfortunately the two have absolutely zero on screen chemistry, and I can't envision that their relationship would consist of anything more than them fawning over one another while hating themselves.If Cho's performance is boring, Bruce Daniels as Bam Bam is painful. Bam Bam talks in a squeaky, high pitched Michael Jackson voice that Daniels never commits to enough to make it believable. His character is meek throughout, and we're supposed to accept that his femininity and meagerness are admirable, beautiful qualities, but this same character is painted as one who has unashamed, indiscriminate sex. It's a gag about gay men that Cho has joked about on stage, and maybe it's even true, but when Celeste and Bam Bam have their big blow out over Bam Bam's putting sex before friendship, you can't help but think she's totally right.Perhaps the worst part of the film is the characterization of the uber stylists, headed by Hendrix, as overtly and blatantly hyper-racists bordering on KKK caliber hatred. This is highlighted by an exchange during which the words N*gger and Negro are tossed around so cavalierly by these characters that it's impossible to understand why any talented black stylist would ever agree to be treated that way to begin with. (And how would such an unabashedly racist person ever rise to fame anyhow? Even Mel Gibson hid his bigotry for 25 years.) It's these overly broad characters that bog the film down in emotionless mire. It's not that I don't relate to feeling discriminated against and the desire to break free from an unhappy life; it's just that I don't care if THESE characters do it, because I don't know anything about them other than that they are minorities, and that certain other people have made them feel bad about themselves.Celeste's final speech after the makeover competition is reminiscent of many Cho has closer her one woman shows with: all about self-acceptance and how we're all beautiful in our own way. Unfortunately the sentiment is squashed since her character has just been turned from a goth chick into a glam babe with straightened hair and a sleek cocktail dress.

Horribly directed. I'm going to assume that this is why Margaret looked like she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag but even the director couldn't ruin her turns as her mother, which were the film's highlights.Who told Daniels to talk like that? He had to raise his voice so people would believe he was a fag? Oh please. It's kind of insulting if you think about it.I was really looking forward to Margaret's first narrative film but was so disappointed. I've read her books and have seen most of the concert films. I find it hard to believe she actually thought this was funny but supposedly, she wrote the script. Perhaps she should stick to stand up.