Ready? OK! At the Alamo Drafthouse
Film still from Ready? OK! [source]
I have been a volunteer at OutYouth (a non-profit providing services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning and ally youth in the central Texas area) for quite some time. One of the things I have done as a volunteer is work on film programming for the drop-in center. In seeking out films that address GLBTQ politics and issues, it became very obvious how few films short of the PG-13 or even R rating there are that feature queer characters.
I think it’s a real shame that younger folks and their families rarely if ever have the opportunity to see films in the theater that address GLBTQ politics and issues. I’ve worked with the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival and OutYouth to have a screening of Ready? OK!. A full description of the film is below.
If this even remotely interests you, please come. Not only is this an opportunity to come see a fun movie and eat brunch at the Downtown Alamo, it’s also an opportunity to support two fantastic non-profit organizations that do a great deal of work in and around Austin. The screening is this Saturday, August 2 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission or $5 for AGLIFF members. Children 6 and up are welcome with parents or other grownups (I have a note about age appropriateness for kiddos down near the bottom — feel free to ask me any questions you might have about this). Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Alamo site, where you can also watch the film’s trailer.
SYNPOSIS:
Andrea is a single mother in Normal Heights. Her son Joshua is a smart, happy and enthusiastic ten-year-old, but she worries that he’s on the wrong track. With each summons to the Mother Superior’s office at Joshua’s private school, Andrea searches for answers to a nagging problem: How can she convince him that aspiring to be on the cheerleading squad, relishing the art of the French braid and calling Maria von Trapp his most influential role model is just not what little boys do?In this quirky take on the modern family, one woman must strip away all her preconceptions to seek a kind of peace with herself and her son. Some hard advice from her gay next-door neighbor Charlie helps Andrea turn her focus in the right direction: inward. Embracing Joshua’s individuality rather than fearing it might be the only answer, but can she do it?
A note on age appropriateness:
Like most independent films, Ready? OK! is unrated. We hope that this will not deter you from bringing younger family members and friends to the screening.
Ready? OK! provides an excellent opportunity to discuss gender, sexuality, and family relationships with younger family members, and provides a sadly too-rare opportunity for families to see a film that addresses issues of gender and sexuality in the theater. The film contains some brief rough language, an instance of junior-high bullying based on gender performance, and a brief reference to drug use.
Based on these factors, we recommend Ready? Ok! for ages 10 and up. This is not a definitive evaluation of the film’s contents, and we are happy to provide more specific information if you are uncertain whether or not the film is appropriate for a child in your life.