Cross-dressing rock opera for all! Witness the heartbreaking tale of Hedwig, who suffers a failed sex-change operation that leaves him with “an inch” and goes on to rock-’n’-roll glory. Or that’s the idea. This fun and scandalous tale of Hedwig and his adventures owes much to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and ’80s rock videos for inspiration.

Based on the off-Broadway production of the same name, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH is a musical with more than one twist. My favorite one is the presentation of the songs. In the traditional (and let’s face it, too campy for words) method, characters burst into song whenever the mood strikes them and the orchestra or rock band joins in unseen. In HEDWIG, every song starts as a live performance by either Hedwig or the rock-’n’-roll rival who broke his heart, Tommy Gnosis. This leads to exploration of the song’s subject matter, Hedwig’s life, and neatly ends the flashbacks at the conclusion of the song. Two music video-style performances break up this pattern nicely, once for full-on ’80s rock video silliness and once for an animation sequence. The animation sequence, by Emily Hubley, appeared to blow many audience members away with its simplistic style and beauty in the screening I saw at Sundance. I was not impressed, but it didn’t take away from the power of the rest of the movie.

The blame for that power lies solidly at the feet of writer/director/star John Cameron Mitchell, whose incredibly charismatic portrayal of a cross-dressing East German rock star brought us to our feet in a standing ovation at the film’s end. The strong supporting characters do well to keep up with Mitchell’s energy, though none stand out particularly against the glare of Hedwig. I should note that Mitchell also co-composed all of the music (the theatrical album is already available and the movie soundtrack should follow soon) that gives Hedwig’s heart a nice beat you can dance to.

Who should you take to this movie? Probably not your mother unless she proudly displays her hippie roots or used to do ROCKY HORROR every weekend in her youth. For anyone else, ask three questions: Like musicals? OK with transvestites? Ready to rock? If they just get two out of three, drag them in to enjoy one of the best new movies of the year.

—Reed Oliver

hybridCinema Ratings Guide:

Take a pal and pay full price for both tickets.

It’s worth a full-price ticket.

It’s worth a matinee ticket.

Wait for video rental.

Check out the video from the library, if you must.

While we would never encourage anyone to destroy a video...