FilmThreat.com – by Niki Foster
2007, Un-rated, 93 minutes, Isla Films
A raucous, high camp farce about a drag queen who goes butch to help a girlfriend out of trouble, Puerto Rican feature “Manuela y Manuel” is lots of fun. Though it touches on some heavy themes – unwed motherhood, transphobia, and jilted lovers, to name a few – the tone remains ultra-light throughout. Humberto Busto is adorable as the title character; in fact, much of the cast is adorable; but it’s difficult to take any of the characters’ problems seriously amid the contrived script and the surreal, glitter-laden visuals.
The film’s narrator, Manuela, is a drag performer who basically lives as a woman in a man’s body. When her best girlfriend, Coca (Elena Iguina), becomes pregnant from a one-night stand, Manuela reluctantly agrees to pose as Manuel, Coca’s fiancé and the father of her child. Naturally, hilarious clashes and misunderstandings between the world of Manuela and the world of Manuel ensue.