But I’m a Cheerleader
Jamie Babbit’s highly stylized satire about a cheerleader who is suspected of being...gasp...gay is packed with laughs, lust, and early screen roles from soon-to-be 2000s stars Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, and RuPaul Charles. When the family of peppy cheerleader Megan (Lyonne) suspects she’s a lesbian, she’s sent to a conversion therapy camp. Ironically, it’s there she discovers she is gay when she falls for co-camper Graham (DuVall). The film, based on Babbit’s own experiences, became a cult favorite for its message about self-acceptance.

DIRECTOR: Jamie Babbit. WRITTEN BY: Brian Wayne Peterson. CAST: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, RuPaul Charles, Melanie Lynskey. 1999. 85 min. USA. Color. English. DCP.

Point Break
One of the best crime thrillers ever made is also one of the most iconic unspoken love stories. When undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) infiltrates a notorious bank robbing surfer gang led by Bodhi (the late, great Patrick Swayze), he finds himself pulled in deeper than he could have ever imagined. Bodhi’s girlfriend, Tyler (’90s It Girl Lori Petty) is ostensibly the love interest, but the chemistry and connection between Johnny and Bodhi is undeniable—even though they are on opposite sides of the law.

DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow. WRITTEN BY: Rick King, W. Peter Iliff. CAST: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty, Gary Busey. 1991. 122 min. USA. Color. Scope. English. 35mm. Courtesy of the American Cinematheque Collection at the Academy Film Archive.

All film screenings in the Summer of Love: 1990s Romances series are available here. 

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.