The film manages to take these dark feelings of shame and confusion, of family rejection and religious persecution and betrayal, and make it funny and cool and even a little romantic.

But I'm a Cheerleader is a smug little comedy that tries to mock other people's self-righteousness while ignoring its own.

I would have preferred to know more in documentary terms about the actual reality of these terrible camps, rather than sit through this heavy-handed and oddly lenient comedy.

But I'm a Cheerleader is an admirable attempt to tell the touching story of a young woman discovering her true sexual identity & potentially her true mate at the same time, but sadly it ends up being greatly hindered by rather poor execution.