Stream It or Skip It: ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ on Amazon Prime, The Movie Version of A Hit West End Musical

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is Amazon Prime Video’s third movie musical of the year (following Leos Carax’s highbrow Cannes fare Annette and Kay Cannon’s family jukebox musical Cinderella), and it’s the only one of the lot based on a stage production — in this case a hit West End musical (itself inspired by true events), which is about to hit stages in the States with a National Tour in 2022. Amazon’s screen adaptation will no doubt build buzz for its American production, which might very likely lead to a Broadway run.

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Jamie New (Max Harwood) isn’t your average 16-year-old in Sheffield, England. Not only is he out and proud, he’s empowered enough to admit that his dream job is a performer — not just any kind of performer, but a drag performer. (Yes, in this post-RuPaul’s Drag Race world, some teenagers are probably more advanced at drag than they are physics or calculus, bless them.) While he has the complete support from his single mom, Margaret (Sarah Lancashire), and his best friend, Pritti (Lauren Patel), his fellow classmates aren’t too open to the idea. Neither is his teacher, Miss Hedge (Sharon Horgan), who admonishes him in front of his classmates when he declares his intention to pursue a stage profession; while she probably fancies herself a liberal person, she’s ultimately a close-minded realist who tries to convince Jamie his dreams are too lofty to pursue.

Unbeknownst to Jamie, his father is also turned off by his effeminate son — a fact that his loving mom has shielded from him nearly all his life by sending him notes and presents signed with his name. But Jamie finds a new father figure (of sorts) in Hugo Battersby (Richard E. Grant), an aging drag queen who now owns a store catering to fellow drag superstars called Victor’s Secret. (A drag queen clothing store in a small English working class town? Just go with it.) When Jamie reveals his intention, Hugo — AKA Loco Chanelle — takes the teenager under his wing and becomes his drag mother, helping him nail down a look and booking his first performance at a local nightclub.

Soon Jamie, riding high on his budding drag career, get the notion that wearing a dress to prom isn’t enough — he wants to go in full drag as his persona Mini Me. But when news breaks at school, Miss Hedge bristles at the idea and effectively blocks Jamie from attending the prom and pulling focus from his classmates. It’s here that the film becomes its most formulaic — there’s not a moment in the second act that you can’t see coming from a mile away — but that formula works, with the result being a joyful and celebratory musical about (to paraphrase RuPaul) loving yourself before being able to love anyone else.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of: Netflix’s The Prom, which also featured a high school student banned from attending prom because of homophobic outrage — although Ryan Murphy’s movie musical focused more on the grown-up Broadway actors using their faded star power (and big, bright egos) to bring attention to an Indiana lesbian who wants to bring her girlfriend as her date to prom. While Everybody’s Talking About Jamie doesn’t feature the same A-list caliber in its cast, James Corden is (thankfully) nowhere in sight. It also has much in common with Billy Elliot and Kinky Boots, two British films that also earned the pop-driven musical adaptation treatment (with songs from Elton John and Cyndi Lauper, respectively).

Performance Worth Watching: Make no mistake: This is Max Harwood’s movie, and you’d be hard pressed to find another newcomer this year whose acting debut is as infectious and charming. But supporting players Lancashire, Grant, and Patel dominate the screen for each of their tender solo songs.

Memorable Dialogue: From Jamie’s tone-setting opening number: “And when you’re old, like 32, you’ll all remember Jamie New: the kid who learned to fly, and I’m gonna kiss the sun.”

Sex and Skin: There’s none to be found in this teenage-driven movie musical.

Our Take: Fueled by a pop soundtrack with both splashy musical numbers as well as catchy tunes from Becky Hill, Todrick Hall, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, this charming coming-of-age film hits all the right notes. While it may seem fairly obvious to some older viewers, it’s the perfect movie musical for a young adult audience that’s bright, colorful, and incredibly fun.

What makes the film stand out from others like it is that it’s the rare film about a queer teenager in which there’s no coming-out narrative. Jamie is who he is from the beginning, even if he hasn’t found his drag alter ego yet. For the most part, Jamie’s friends and family already accept him for who he is. While he does eventually win over his biggest haters (even the homophobic bully character is hardly the villain in the end), the film doesn’t give all its characters a happy ending: Jamie’s spotty relationship with his father is never healed, and one ultimately feels like Jamie is better off for it.

Our Call: STREAM IT. It’s bubbly and fun, with toe-tapping musical numbers that are geniously staged. And it’s irresistible message of empowerment, acceptance, and self-expression will likely make this delightful film build a young audience over time and make this a new classic movie musical for generations to come.

Tyler Coates is a writer who lives in Los Angeles.

Watch Everybody's Talking About Jamie on Amazon Prime