Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine (1945-1988) was the ultimate outsider turned underground hero. Spitting in the face of the status quos of body image, gender identity, sexuality, and preconceived notions of beauty, Divine succeeded in becoming an internationally recognized icon, recording artist, and character actor of stage and screen. Glenn went from the often-mocked, schoolyard fat kid to underdog royalty, standing up for millions of gay men and women, drag queens and punk rockers, and countless other socially ostracized misfits and freaks. With a completely committed in-your-face style, he blurred the line between performer and personality, and revolutionized pop culture.
The Pink Flamingos star Divine gets her own well-deserved spotlight.
– Peter Debruge,
Variety,
25 Oct 2013
rotten:
Filled with heady outrageousness at the same time it continuously skirts the apparent emptiness in the man wearing those crazy wigs.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
8 Nov 2013
fresh:
In "I Am Divine," bolstered by plentiful interviews with Waters and other collaborators, Schwarz effectively turns Milstead into the life of a party that didn't really end with his death in 1988.
– John Hartl,
Seattle Times,
14 Nov 2013
fresh:
It's hard to go wrong with a movie about famed drag queen Divine, and director Jeffrey Schwarz certainly doesn't in "I Am Divine," a serious documentary about this gloriously trashy trailblazer.
– David Lewis,
San Francisco Chronicle,
27 Dec 2013
fresh:
A glimpse of a surprisingly shy and gentle soul who longed to be a star.