The Cockettes (2002)

89% of critics liked it
(38 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(637 ratings)

In the late '60s and early '70s, a San Francisco-based group of transvestite performers formed a talented troupe known as "The Cockettes." This documentary tells the story of the group's short but memorable existence. Directors Bill Weber and David Weissman utilize a wealth of archive footage to… More In the late '60s and early '70s, a San Francisco-based group of transvestite performers formed a talented troupe known as "The Cockettes." This documentary tells the story of the group's short but memorable existence. Directors Bill Weber and David Weissman utilize a wealth of archive footage to relate how George Harris became "Hibiscus" and formed the gender-bending troupe that would perform street theater. By the time they have their glorious off-Broadway debut, most of the original members had already left. In addition to the flamboyant performers, the directors show how their scene interrelated with the booming San Francisco counterculture. The Cockettes was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Bill Weber, David Weissman
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jul 26, 2002 Limited
On DVD: Jan 21, 2003
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Cockettes has the glorious, gaudy benefit of much stock footage of Those Days, featuring all manner of drag queen, bearded lady and lactating hippie.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
As Weber and Weissman demonstrate with such insight and celebratory verve, the Cockettes weren't as much about gender, sexual preference or political agitprop as they were simply a triumph of the indomitable human will to rebel, connect and create.
Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter
An insightfully cheeky entertainment.
Steven Rosen, Denver Post
This expert, heartfelt movie establishes them as being as much a part of swingin' San Francisco as the Grateful Dead or the Beats.
Loren King, Chicago Tribune
Manages to transcend the sex, drugs and show-tunes plot into something far richer.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
An irresistible documentary look at the ensemble of the moment in the hippie kingdom of San Francisco, this comprehensive and charming film not only recalls those days exactly, it also manages the wonderful trick of taking us back there along with it.
Chris Gore, Film Threat
This is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
Much has been written about those years when the psychedelic '60s grooved over into the gay '70s, but words don't really do the era justice. You have to see it.
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy
One fantastic (and educational) documentary.
David Elliott, San Diego Union-Tribune
Gaudily filmed, tenderly imagined.
, E! Online
It's a warm, vibrant visit with a flock of freaky creative people and proves that being a total weirdo is a very good thing indeed.
Misha Berson, Seattle Times
It celebrates the group's playful spark of nonconformity, glancing vividly back at what Hibiscus grandly called his 'angels of light.'
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
An occasionally interesting but mostly repetitive look at a slice of counterculture that might be best forgotten.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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