Berlinale Review: Itty Bitty Titty Committee

With her new film Itty Bitty Titty Committee, director Jamie Babbit (But I'm a Cheerleader, The Quiet) once again delivers a politically-charged message by dressing it up in a Hollywood-ized story, with predictable characters and a whole bunch of jokes that often mask what's really going on. Like with The Tracey Fragments, Babbit takes the reins behind a new generation of filmmakers looking to throw a wrench in traditional on-screen teenage angst by pushing the boundaries, while keeping it fresh and familiar. The world has changed, teenagers have changed and, thus, our movies will have to change ... along with our thoughts, our feelings and our ratings system.

Following the screening, the first comment during the Q&A was a call to American distributors to please take a chance on this film. Babbit, who just barely dodged an NC-17 rating with Cheerleader and spoke about the issue in the pic This Film is Not Yet Rated, might face similar issues with Itty Bitty -- what with its steamy -- yet tame -- lesbian sex, an attempted bombing of the Washington monument and an "extra large" shot of a male penis (hard to describe without spoiling the finale, so you'll just have to see for yourself what I mean) thrown in at the end. However, as of yesterday, producer Lisa Thrasher informed me a number of offers were almost all but certain. But, is the film worth it?

Hannah (Melanie Diaz) seems like your typical teen; bored with family, bored with friends and bored with her job at the local plastic surgery clinic. (Hey, it's LA -- don't all kids work for plastic surgeons?) Her girlfriend (yes, she's gay) just broke off their romance and, with the extra job perk of a 50% discount on a boob job, Hannah is seriously considering upgrading her itty bitty chest size. When she leaves work one night and spots daredevil Sadie (Nicole Vicius) spray-painting "Woman is more important than her parts" on the windows outside her office, a fearful confrontation soon turns into an intriguing offer Hannah cannot refuse.

See, Sadie is the ring-leader behind the CIA (or Clits in Action) -- the kind of feminist group who sneak out late at night and deface public and private property with messages that preach hate toward anything that could even remotely be perceived as demoralizing toward women. And, with Hannah looking for a little excitement in her life, as well as a potential new lover in Sadie, she leaps at the chance to join these girls in their reckless behavior. But, it will come at a cost ... as hearts, trust and a really erect national monument will be broken along the way.

Inspired, in part, by the The Guerrilla Girls (a radical group of feminists in the 70's who wore gorilla masks while spreading their message) and the pic's super hip soundtrack (featuring folks like Le Tigre), Itty Bitty Titty Committee is a film designed to appeal mainly to today's youth ... and not to a bunch of old, tired, grumpy critics running from screening to screening for 12 hours straight. The acting isn't exactly top notch and the main love story (which finds Sadie torn between the young, sexy Hannah, and her much older and more traditional feminist live-in girlfriend Courtney) is simple -- sort of like something you'd expect from Lifetime or The Disney Channel -- but it's new, it's fresh, it's now, and it subtly packs a powerful message into what's, essentially, just another light, breezy night out with the girls.