Tangerine movie poster
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Tangerine
Tangerine movie poster

Tangerine Movie Review

Now available on Blu-ray and DVD (Buy on Amazon)

Sometimes a movie about an expressive and fast-talking transvestite prostitute who tears through Los Angeles searching for the pimp who cheated on her will surprise you, and Tangerine, a movie about an expressive and fast-talking transvestite prostitute who tears through Los Angeles searching for the pimp who cheated on her does just that.

One of the more offbeat, refreshing and entertaining movies of 2015, Tangerine is a fast-paced, sharply written comedy-drama with colorful characters and a deliciously simple story that is nearly irresistible. From writer/director Sean Baker and co-writer Chris Bergoch, Tangerine alerts you in the first few seconds that you’re in for a wild ride. The dialogue comes fast and furiously, delivered with passion and gusto from trans actresses Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor. The color bleaches out, the music pulsates loudly, and the movie is off to the races.

As the two leads and several supporting ones navigate through the underbelly of Tinseltown on Christmas Eve, you never know exactly where Tangerine is going to go. Sure, you know that Sin-Dee (Rodriguez) is inevitably going to find her pimp/boyfriend who cheated on her with a non-transgender woman (played well by Mickey O’Hagan), but how she gets there or what else will happen along the way is anybody’s guess.

The entire movie is a refreshing change of pace from your standard Hollywood flare, a bright, beautiful, unpredictable and highly charged film full of offbeat laughs with an undercurrent of touching drama you don’t truly realize until Tangerine’s final minutes.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.

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