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Review

Inspired by the films of Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), writer/director Michelle Ehlen's new mockumentary POP-U-larity follows several strange individuals who are looking to compete in the small town of Penskeegee's 25th Annual POP-U-larity singing contest - hosted, this year, by gay reality TV star Marcellas Reynolds.

Butch cowgirl Charlene Hornsby (played by Michelle Ehlen herself) yearns to be a successful singer/songwriter and win the affections of someone other than her horse (and best friend) Beth. In an effort to come out of her shell before the competition, she starts seeing Celeste (Betty Ouyang), a new-agey musical therapist who equates her healing powers with that of Jesus Christ. According to Celeste, the only way that Charlene can free herself to sing with passion is to be forgiven by the ghost of a cow named Bessy - whom Charlene regrets not rescuing from the slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, Marcia Anderson (Pamela Wick) awaits the arrival of her beloved prodigal son Danny (Krys Fox). The pair used to compete in the POP-U-larity contest together when Danny was a spirited young boy. Now, much to Marcia's surprise, Danny has transformed himself into a provocative, nihilistic performance artist named "Darque." Darque refuses to perform "Puff the Magic Dragon" with his mother like in years past. Aiming to please her baby boy and take an interest in his new life, Marcia and he start rehearsing an original composition called "Die Motherfucker!" that is sure to shock and horrify Penskeegee's church-going judges (Cinthea Stahl and co-writer J.C. Peterson).

The film also follows Katrina Whitman (Ashley Cuellar), last year's reigning champion. Katrina is also preparing for the content, but she's more concerned with getting her solo singing career off of the ground. With the help of Sebastian (Chadwick), her insanely loyal gay personal assistant, she hopes to cultivate a hip gay following that will carry her to super-stardom! There are only two gay men and one lesbian in her fan club at the moment, but everyone has to start somewhere!

Fast-paced and packed with laughs, POP-U-larity will have you and your friends doubled over with laughter. Every single member of the cast brings their "A" game - delivering performances that are both believable and hysterically funny. Many faux-docs of the same nature gain their comedic traction by mocking their bizarre characters. While Michelle Ehlen's characters are certainly over-the-top, the film makes no mistake in conveying that their dreams are on the line. Injected with enough humor to make you roar, and enough heart to make you care about the contest and the people involved, POP-U-larity is a gay comedy gem.

 -- Robert O'Neill