WARNING: Spoilers ahead — if you have yet to experience The Rocky Horror Picture show stop everything you’re doing and go watch it now.
I’ll wait.
*Shivers with antici…pation!*
There is no greater joy in the world than seeing Tim Curry fabulously clad in fishnets, stilettos and that iconic sparkling corset and singing his heart out to the normies, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick)and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon).
And let me tell you, there has been many a time I’ve tried to encapsulate the magic that is Dr. Frank-N-Furter in my day-to-day life.
I usually don’t quite hit the mark, but I strive onward.
So imagine my delight and surprise when my daughter said to me the other day, “Mom, we should do Rocky Horror for one of your Direct Quotes articles.”
The gist of Rocky Horror Picture Show’s storyline is that newly engaged Brad and Janet are on their way to tell their college professor about their upcoming nuptials when their car breaks down in front of a mysterious castle. They visit the castle to get help, but instead are swept up into the sexually charged world of kink-liberated aliens from the planet Transsexual, Transylvania.
Brad and Janet are pretty vanilla when being first introduced in the film. However, they quickly see the beauty and euphoria of living outside the box once getting wrapped up in this new and exciting world.
These are the cinematic moments that made my life as a teenager. As a strange young person, I often felt I was misunderstood. As much as I tried to “belong” in that cookie-cutter world of Teen magazine and MSN Messaging with your middle school crushes, I never seemed to fit in. That was until I was first introduced to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
I was having a sleepover with my best friend Ashley when her mom (who coincidentally is named Janet) asked if I’d ever seen Rocky Horror. I told her no, I’d never heard of it. That’s when she called up my mom on the landline and asked permission to show me the movie.
I am forever grateful that my parents never censored my viewing material as a young adolescent.
I’ve been singing the songs from Rocky Horror loud and proud for my children’s entire lives. Recently my daughter had enough and asked, “Mom, can you just show me the movie? I’m getting sick of not understanding your references.”
I thought back to when I was 11 and first saw this impeccable flick and agreed immediately.
Sophie is very much into all things LGBTQIA+, so her excitement to watch this monumental film celebrating otherness was teeming.
Here are her thoughts (and mine):
LRB’s Disclaimer: You can’t get mad for my nonstop singing, Sophie. I am physically unable to watch this movie without signing.
Our journey begins.
*Science Fiction/Double Feature roars through the speakers.
You can’t listen to this movie unless it’s cranked to the max! I scream into my daughter’s ear. She looks at me dubiously. Then a look of recognition crosses her face.
Oh, this is where that song comes from. I like the lips! –Soph, Age 11
You’re not allowed to throw rice at weddings anymore. –Soph, 11
That is literally the least of Brad and Janet’s worries at this point.
Um, how many times have you watched this? –Soph asks while I enthusiastically quote every single line as it happens.
Is someone going to die in this movie? –Soph, 11, looking nervous
No one dies in Rocky Horror. Oh, wait. A bunch of people die at the end, but only one person in the middle of the film.
Is it a bad person? –Soph, still looking nervous
Well, that depends if you like…Meatloaf!!! *Manic laughing*
And yes, I was very proud of my little joke.
Why are they strolling through a cemetery singing about their love for one another? –Soph, feeling like I’ve completely lied to her about what this film is about.
It really just sets the tone for the entire production. Just wait.
Soph: never trust the castle!
Or…Always trust the castle.
*Soph keeps predicting plot points, and it’s infuriating me*
Let’s Do The Time Warp Again!
You memorized this dance!? –Soph
No, I’m not going to dance with you, Mom. –Soph
Please. Please sit down. You’re going to hurt yourself. –Soph, clearly underestimating how many times I’ve danced the Time Warp at the bar with 6 tequila shooters under my belt.
I hear Soph quietly singing along to Sweet Transvestite by the end of Tim Curry’s performance, and it is the sweetest music my ears could ever hear.
I wish nonbinary was a thing when this movie was made. –Soph
Actually, if you look at the background characters, I believe they are all meant to be nonbinary. The point of this movie is to highlight sex and gender fluidity.
Male, female, trans, non-binary, that’s all besides the point. We are attracted to whom we are attracted. We love who we love. We are who we are deep down in our beautiful, imperfect bones. Being brave enough to identify who we are and who we love makes those imperfect bones absolutely perfect in the best possible way.
Okay, I understand now why you love Tim Curry so much. –Soph
Fun Fact: I made every boyfriend I ever had watch this movie. The only one to sit through it was your dad. That’s when I knew I’d marry him.
That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard! –Soph
*fast-forwarded through the sex scenes at Sophie’s request*
I apparently stopped fast-forwarding too soon, however.
How are you letting me watch this right now? –Soph, during Touch Me.
But isn’t Susan Sarandon an absolute goddess?! I’m still obsessed with Susan Sarandon to this day.
Insert emoji heart eyes here.
Wait. Are they eating Eddie right now? *pauses* Ahhhh, “It depends if you like meatloaf” Ha! I get it now! Dad must have been so sad when he saw this scene. Meatloaf is one of his favourite singers! –Soph
I really liked the movie mom but it sort of bugged me that Dr. Frank-N-Furter ended up being the bad guy. He’s so cool. –Soph
When watching the original Rocky Horror, it’s important to remember that this film is a product of its time. Back in the 1970s, gender fluidity, homosexuality and anything “other” for that matter were deeply frowned upon. At the end of the film, when Riff Raff and Columbia take charge, they reveal that Frank’s mission has been a failure and his lifestyle’s too extreme. Mirroring much of society’s sentiment towards people identifying as LGBTQIA+ during that time in history.
So the people making the movie agreed with society? — Sophie, age 11
No, it’s a satirical look at the social climate of the time. My take is that Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman writers of the original musical play and screen play were showing how silly it is to look down on the LGBTQ community because it’s not all about sex, drugs and what certain people saw as depraved activities. It’s about being who you are and loving who you love.
Yeah, I think a lot people still think this way about the LGBTQ+ community. So these people wrote a movie joking about how stupid people look when they try to enforce rules about people’s lives that have nothing to do with them. –Soph, a brilliant 11-year-old
Eureka, I think she’s got it!
Okay, I can get on board with that! — Soph, 11
When I was young and watching Rocky Horror, I didn’t pick up on the film’s underlying themes. Perhaps it was only now, as an adult and mother explaining the movie to my LGBTQ-identifying daughter, that I truly began to understand the impact this film makes with its messaging.
RHPS has always been such an enormous part of my life, and now, after all these years, I’m so incredibly thankful that it was.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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