Review: Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-shero lacks (la)wow factor

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every coffee shop must employ at least one (1) cute, gay twink barista. (Is "gay twink" redundant? A conversation for another day.) At the Pink Unicorn, home of the famous glitter latte, that barista is Simon (Grant Hodges): freshly 21, bumbling, excitable, and awkward. But also, a twink barista, so adorable, charming, and with great hair. 

While taking the trash out at work, Simon encounters a bubblegum pink alien-wig-dog thing that takes a liking to him, so much so that it binds with his head to give him the eponymous alter-ego: Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-shero. Seven-feet tall, oozing confidence, hair full of alcohol, she's everything Simon is not. In fact, neither persona even knows about the other, as Simon's best friend/coworker Jae (Erika Ishii, star of the forthcoming Ghost of Yotei game on PS5) realizes. Once Maxxie enters the picture, she's the star of the show, quickly diving into the nefarious dealings of a sinister drag queen and saving the day, all while looking fabulous, naturally.

I imagine a lot of people will be immediately turned off by the look of the film, which I get. It sort of looks like Bitmojis come to life. But it worked for me. It means the characters are colorful, bright, appealing to look at. For a movie that was presumably made for a pretty small budget, I think it's a smart visual approach. Nothing offensive to the eye. 

My bigger issue is with the film's script, both the content and the pacing. The film moves at a pretty glacial pace, with loooong scenes unfolding in single locations. Lots of dialogue and exposition, not much of particular interest. I don't know that the main conflict of the film is supposed to be particularly mysterious, because every breadcrumb that's dropped in the lead-up is accompanied by a blinking neon sign, but it was definitely underwhelming nonetheless. This is a movie about a superhero drag queen with musical numbers and a bunch of iconic voice actors. Why isn't it cattier, campier, cuntier? Why is it so bland?

But I don't want to just rain on this movie's parade. As dull as it is, it clearly has its heart in the right place, and there are some bright spots. Late in the film, we see a few scenes from the saddest movie ever made, Jersey Dunes 2, which feature voice performances from Jinkx Monsoon and Ben DeLaCreme. These are easily the funniest scenes in the movie, thanks to both the over-the-top dialogue and the great work by two of Drag Race's most revered alumni. I think it's especially cool that Jinkx -- whose star has risen with multiple Broadway roles, a well-received run on Doctor Who, and more -- still finds time to lend her talents to smaller queer art. 

There are some other fun gags along the way, like Simon's customer crush Calvin (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) reading a book on exotic throw pillows while Simon and Jae try to discern if he's actually gay. And Maxxie's arrival to the story (about a third of the way through) brings a lot of good stuff: the angelic choir that repeatedly sings her name, her She-Ra-esque transformation sequence, and the best bop of the film's musical numbers, "Bye, Girl, Bye" (I think that's the title...I should've checked in the credits).

At the end of the day, I'm glad to have a little gay animated movie like this, but I wish it leaned a little harder into the culture it's building its story around. It feels a little safe, a little flavorless, lacking in shade and pizazz and venom. I don't know if director Anthony Head (also credited as coming up with the story, and a producer) wanted to make the film feel more accessible, but we all know that's a losing battle. I imagine he wanted to pay homage to the superhero genre with a fun coat of queer paint. I just wish that paint had more shine.