Itty Bitty Titty Comittee
Reel Affirmations 2007
Review by Kristina Campbell
Rating: 
(3 out of 5)
Saturday, 10/20/2007, 6:00 PM
Feature presentation, $10 at Lincoln Theatre
WITH A NAME like Itty Bitty Titty Committee, viewers might expect giggly girly fare, maybe even verging on soft-core pornography. This film obliterates those expectations. From the director of 1999’s farcical But I’m a Cheerleader, Jamie Babbit, Itty Bitty harkens back to the early ’90s, when anger and activism were the (dis)order of the day.
The story centers around a radical feminist group called Clits in Action (CiA), whose M.O. includes vandalism, civil disobedience, confrontation and social intimidation. While the activism sets the backdrop, at the forefront is Anna (Melonie Diaz), a young lesbian who’s seduced into direct action — and more — by the sexy and emotionally complicated Sadie (Nicole Vicius). Anna soon finds herself immersed in the hostile world of CiA, where the members seem to be unable to break out of their anger long enough to even be nice to each other.
As a farce, the film does a fine job of keeping us amused and on our toes, but there’s a bit too much biting cynicism and suspicious anger among the characters. (As well as way too much cool-kid smoking, as if nicotine addiction and the related air pollution are still glamorous. What’s that about?) As a result, it’s difficult to sit back and enjoy the movie for its comedy. Or maybe some of us are just still scarred from our days of following the Lesbian Avengers.
One triumph: The film features Guinevere Turner in a dead-on portrayal of a TV talk-show host caught up in the sensationalism of the trade. Turner, best known to lesbians of a certain age as the star of 1994’s Go Fish and more recently cast in the minor role of Gabby in The L Word, is something of a staple in lesbian cinema, so her presence in Itty Bitty lends a dose of legitimacy.
With Odile (), an ephemeral and ethereal daydream of a short film that shows Odile, a baker, crossing paths with an enchanting, red-haired, biker chick who stops in for some pastries. It’s a picturesque adventure that, while somewhat difficult to follow as it alternates between past, present and fantasy, has elements of escapism that we can all probably relate to at various points in our lives. — KC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQSJjK_ENg
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