Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Jacomedi A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

nuckyblue What more can you ask for in a movie than campy characters, memorable performances, a happy ending and non-stop laughter? The Iron Ladies truly delivers on all accounts.The true story of a Thai volleyball team made up mostly of gay men, drag queens and transgendered women ("katoueys") that wins the men's national championship, The Iron Ladies is sassy, funny and extraordinary. Cross-dressing Jung (Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi), make-up loving soldier Nong (Giorgio Maiocchi) and transsexual cabaret star Pia (Kokkorn Benjathikoon) are the standouts in this hilarious cast of characters who unite together to overcome the adversity they face on a daily basis, and take Thailand by storm. Shiriohana Hongsopon gives probably the best performance as Coach Bee, the glue that holds the often hot-tempered and always effervescent team together.As we see the Iron Ladies through to the national finals, all the characters receive a touch of humanity from each other, and rally together to reach the top. This hilarious romp will keep you laughing, and it will definitely be a film you will never forget! For it's fantastic script, three stars...the amazing acting, one more star...and because it's a movie you'll want to see again and again, one more. 5 stars out of 5!

Gordon-11 This film is funny. However, I found the portrayal of transsexuals and gays over the top. They played on the stereotypes that all gays must act feminine, which is not true. I thought that the way which the actors acted was very exaggerated. This is quite unfair, as this film perpetuates the misunderstanding towards the transsexuals and gays instead of clearing the misunderstanding.Putting this aside, this film explores the issues of discrimination against the transsexuals and gays, and also the pressure that they are under. These people have to work extra hard in order to prove themselves. Not only is this a comedy, it gives people something to think about too.

philip-ct True life stories do not make for good films. Julie Andrews - giving a brilliant performance in Star! - could not redeem a poor script. Other, more recent examples could include films about Vietnam, American presidents, the British royal family.The true life element is uplifting; the film itself is not. Take Nathan Lane's hysteria (and histrionic it was) in The Birdcage, his bitchiness towards Andrews at the Tony Awards, and his bizarre turn in Jeffrey. Multiply by a hundred and you can see why I was irritated beyond measure at some of the turns in the movie.Like Philadelphia, this plays oh-so-safe. The gay men are queens. Finito. Little of the quiet dignity Hurt portrayed in Love and Death on Long Island, or Robin Williams in The Birdcage. Mostly all of them wear make-up, are transvestites or transsexuals. And the straight captain, starts to learn tolerance.Laugh at the prima donnas putting on make-up. Snigger as they fight over a man. Giggle uproariously as they wriggle their asses in a bizarre little dance routine. Guffaw as they stick out their tongues and screech to high heaven. Chuckle as the 'ladies' make it oh so easy to laugh at, rather than with, a gay population.The telling subtitle, 'Are you gay because you're not a real man, or are you gay because you wish you were a woman' (to that effect) is the crux of the movie. There is no honest attempt to examine the range of sexuality and celebrate gay differentness in myriad of colours. Here it's a shrill, high-pitched pink.Thank God for the dignified acting by Hangsopon as the Coach - truly inspired acting, and a pivotal role that raises this film from the depths of total stereotype. Phohklee as Chai and Buranapansit as Wit give good performances. Even two dimensional acting is better than one dimensional acting, and that's the kindest that can be said for most.In all, a really disappointing film.* 1/2 out of 4

valliton A very well made and carefully acted film depicting life in Thailand for a small group of Transvestites.While the movie is obviously gay, it is still very powerful in raising awareness of the need for Teamwork and and a desire to be respected, not easy for transvestites, gays or lesbians in any culture, let alone Asia.The story is full and the characters are believable. For those with an interest in Asia and Asian sub-cultures, it is worth watching to learn more about a real group of transvestites working together to achieve a level of athletic ability shown by few.