Countdown to Outfest: Fit the terrific "Ready? OK!" into your schedule...

What a sweet film this is! Well-acted and well-written, "Ready? OK!" is a comedy about a single mom (Carrie Preston) whose sweet, happy and enthusiastic 10 year old son (Lurie Poston) wants to be a cheerleader. Mom gently tries to discourage this ambition which is ridiculed at his Catholic school.

What I love most about this movie is that the kid, Joshua, is absolutely undaunted and not at all self-concsious about following his dreams. They are his dreams and the adults in the movie who don't get it, or him, can't dampen his enthusiasim and focus. Poston is perfect as Joshua and conveys a real feeling that this is a kid who knows who he is. While mom is a frazzled working woman with some control issues, you begin to understand how Josh came to be this beautiful soul: He's got an uncle (John G. Preston) who drifts in and out of his life but with whom he has a strong connection, a gay neighbor (Michael Emerson) who makes the kid uniforms (he's a tailor) and helps him with his cheers, and there is his grandmother (Sandra Ellis-Troy) who rolls with anything the kid comes up with with total love and acceptance. Everyone should have a grandmother like this. ,It;s all about embracing the kid's individuality and his beautiful spirit - a good lessons to parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, school officials and anyone else who has influence over kids.

This movie was a terrific gem in my package of Outfest screeners. Written and directed by James Vasquez,, it has already won three awards this year at FilmOut San Diego 2008 including best narrative feature film, best actress (Preston) and outstanding emerging talent (Vasquez).

The film will screen at Outfest on Friday, July 11 at 7 pm and again on Saturday, July 19 at 11:30 a.m. at the Fairfax Theatre.
Here is a clip:

Related posts:
- Countdown to Outfest: A chat w/Charlie David about "Mulligans"
- Gearing up for Outfest 2008...
--Countdown to Outfest: A chat w/the writer-director of "The New Twenty"

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org