Ben Larson It is amazing what you stumble upon when you wake up early Sunday morning. I had seen brief snippets of this and decided to give it a total view. I am certainly glad I did.These women were just amazing. Under the purview of the first Transsexual beauty pageant, you had the opportunity to see six of the women and their families and get to know what their childhoods were like and how they coped as males before they were transformed. You learned that there is some conflict between pre-op and post-op transsexuals. You learned to appreciate another part of what makes up this human race.Were they beautiful? I would have no problem hooking up with almost all of them (post-ops, of course). A really great show

evening1 It's all done in the shlockiest of settings but this is a powerful, educational film about the transsexual experience.It's never explained how these women got into the pageant but many of them are truly beautiful. The film respectfully explores a number of their backgrounds, complete with interviews with family members -- an element that adds considerable depth. (Unfortunately, very little is said about how these women manage to make a living. So much time and money is invested in conjuring a diva-worthy look, but the only jobs we hear about are make-up artist at a mall and a go-go dancer. The pageant winner only won $5,000, for God's sake! A little more reality would have been welcome.) The glittery Las Vegas pageant is hosted by Jahna Steele, who looks somewhat reminiscent of Carol Channing and Goldie Hawn -- ultra-glamorous but seemingly scarred about her large mouth, perhaps because of too many lip injections. I was sad to read (in Wikipedia) that Ms. Steele died shortly after this film was released, due to a drug overdose. (The film never mentions that she'd gained notoriety for having been outed as a transsexual and fired from her showgirl job.) Transexuals will often say they simply are women. Yet one is dazzled, in watching this film, by the sense of illusion that is created. Take pageant winner Mimi Marx, for example -- her look is no less than amazing. Although many tend to favor dresses that show as much breast as possible, many of the contestants look a lot better than anyone born with XX chromosomes, and it is truly amazing to see them strut their stuff in the talent portion. This film was far better than "Pageant," which I've also reviewed on IMDb. That documentary aimed for more of a female-impersonator vibe and was far more crude.I will not soon forget the incredible interview in this film of one pageant contestant's grandmother. Not only has the woman expressed pride in her former grandson, but she continues to seek God's help in understanding the transformation that has occurred. In all, a very moving experience.

lastliberal It is amazing what you stumble upon when you wake up early Sunday morning. I had seen brief snippets of this and decided to give it a total view. I am certainly glad I did.These women were just amazing. Under the purview of the first Transsexual beauty pageant, you had the opportunity to see six of the women and their families and get to know what their childhoods were like and how they coped as males before they were transformed. You learned that there is some conflict between pre-op and post-op transsexuals. You learned to appreciate another part of what makes up this human race.Were they beautiful? I would have no problem hooking up with most of them (post-ops, of course). A really great show.

freakfire-1 This is a film that won't be seen by a lot of people. However, it feels more like a transsexual infomercial than a film. Not only that, but it didn't cover everybody's history or the social environment of the little known community. And that is just one of the major flaws.Many of those participating were obviously too manly and they did not try to hide it. Some were post-op and even had hormones to keep their voices to a more feminine tone. And thank God those are the ones who were in the final selection.The film really fails to keep things interesting, at least for me. I do admit some of them, who were post-op, were female to every degree a natural female is. Breasts, body, voice, everything. But I fail to see why this is a movie instead of a Discovery Channel special program. "D"