ALL THE QUEEN'S MEN

[CRITIC'S PICK]

Friday, Oct. 18, 9 p.m.
Lincoln Theatre, $9

Let's get one thing perfectly clear: Matt LeBlanc does not make a pretty woman. Nor is the Friends star meant to in the funny and charming All the Queen's Men, a World War II screwball comedy about a group of misfits who go undercover in drag, deep into the heart of Nazi Germany, to steal an Enigma machine for the Allies.

The movie, which is getting a mainstream theatrical release later this year, is the Hollywood feather in this year's Reel Affirmation cap. LeBlanc is on macho overdrive as a super-spy reluctantly forced into a wig and nylons, but it's British comic Eddie Izzard who steals the film as a full-fledged gay drag queen who must teach LeBlanc and his far-from-elite troop to sashay in heels. These are broad-shouldered dames, with skull-crushing thighs, caterpillar-thick eyebrows and deep voices. And the joke is, they pass perfectly as German women.

All the Queen's Men

Expertly directed by Stefan Ruzowitsky, All the Queen's Men is delightful, entertaining, first-rate fun. Had it been programmed just one night earlier, it would have the opened the festival with a joyous big bang. -- RS