Mrs McCutcheon (2017) Reviews

• Too over the top

  bethvanv-617362018-08-30

  I consider myself a very open minded and accepting person. But, this movie is nothing more than a push from the left to force us to accept what is not normal. They want us to believe it's perfectly normal for a 10 year old boy to show up at school in a dress. And demand to be addressed as Mrs. McCutcheon. Not Sue or Mary, but Mrs. Ridiculous. And all the other children are supposed to just welcome him as if nothing is different. Bull I understand it's a short story, but, come on. The ending is absolutely ridiculous. And the band? Playing Touch Me Once?? At a dance for 10 year olds?

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• Mediocre, lacks on several occasions

  Horst_In_Translation2018-09-18

  "Mrs McCutcheon" is an Australian 17-minute live action short film from 2017, so still a relatively recent video and this one is the only filmmaking effort so far by writer and director John Sheedy, who seems to be an actor otherwise. Anyway, this is the story of a boy named Tom and what happens when he comes to a new class where he is dressed like a girl and this is implied to be the reason why conflicts came up at his previous schools. So we get to witness what happens, how teachers react to him, how the principal reacts to him, how his mother reacts to him and, of course, at the very core, how the other kids react to him. There's extremes in both directions and I did not find it realistic. Honestly, I would have expected a "couldn't care less" attitude from most children, but this wasn't there at all. Instead, we have one boy really like the protagonist and the rest basically really disliking him. Same can be said about the teachers who act in a tolerant manner, but the principal who doesn't and is the exact opposite. The forced happy ending happens at a school dance eventually and while it is as feel-good as it gets, it is just too much in my opinion. It would have been better to see the boy who likes him act in a way where we find out in a subtle manner that they will stay friends and this could have put a smile on my lips. But the film goes all in instead anmd as a consequence frequently over the top unfortunately. I think neither writing nor acting are on a level where I would recommend the watch and I am baffled by the awards recognition this one received. Then again, somehow I am not as the subject of transgender is a really hot one these days and I am convinced that it was not just people from the LBGT community who really appreciated this one here. But the subject alone is not enough for me, the execution was never on a level where I really felt for the characters or found myself at the edge of my seat. I guess it helped them that the boy does look kinda cute as a girl. Still i think at age 10 or what he is it is still dressing-up and at best a vague implication that should not be ignored, but also definitely not seen as a tendency for what will be in 10 or 20 years from then on in terms of the character's sexual identification. Besides, I don't think this story could have taken place exactly this way (with the school changes, the refusal to go to school as a boy etc. at least one of these, maybe not all), so it's not a successful film in terms of realism either. Have to give it a thumbs-up. Watch something else instead.

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• Truly keep an open mind while watching this.

  Warren_Scott-550872018-10-08

  Though some of the acting in this cute, short film has a lot to be desired, it sends a powerful, poignant message. The message is, to be who you are in this sometimes cruel and judgemental world no matter the cost. I'm as much a man's man as the next guy but i believe in live and let live just as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. The ending of this film touched my heart and if anyone truly has one, it will touch theirs too.

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• Perhaps a little too cute.

  CinematicInceptions2018-01-04

  Whether intentionally or not, the ending scene of this short shows up the one little "gay moment" at the end of the live-action Beauty and the Beast in so many ways. It is true that an independent short does not have the same kind of audience expectations as a classic Disney movie, but the short does have mostly nine-year-old characters which counts for something. I've never seen or heard of anyone wanting to cross-dress at such a young age, but I expect I will start to more often in coming years. The school bullying was pretty standard and unrealistic, but at least they cast a short kid as the head bully instead of resorting to the fat bully cliche. I, and most of the audience I saw it with, liked Mrs. McCutchen's friend Trevor, and I liked that he was a sporty kid who got into trouble instead of an obviously gay kid. The ending dance was a little overly cute, but it was nonetheless fitting in showing the sort of acceptance and tolerance that the short is hoping to bring about.

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