STORYLINE: Examines “It’s Pat” through the lens of 2025, trans visibility and their own conflicted recollection of the controversial SNL character played by Julia Sweeney. (IMDb)

    Many great things, in entertainment, have come out of Saturday Night Live.  The career  of Tina Fey, the 1992 motion picture Wayne’s World, and the John Belushi/Dan Ackroyd legendary comedy The Blues Brothers (1980) to name a few.  We Are Pat, is a recently released documentary, inspired by the It’s Pat sketches, and 90’s motion picture, from SNL.

    Off the top of my head I can only think of a few main stream feature films, either about the transgender community, or featuring transgender characters.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Boys Don’t Cry (1999), The Crying Game (1992), maybe a few more come to mind.  The point I am trying to make is the majority of the LGBTQ cinema I watch does not feature this specific group.  

   So, when the trailer for We Are Pat started to appear, I became intrigued. I was intrigued by an examination of a character from yesteryear, being examined by a community today, and how this character that they loved then is felt today. The character, of course, is the SNL character Pat, abd those examining the character are members of the transgender community.

    We Are Pat starts by showing those who were doing the examinations love for the character.  The documentary touches on their personal lives. It mentions childhood years, and transitioning. Much like the character, Pat, the viewer never gets the gender of those involved with the movie.  

    From here the film shows the conflicts over the SNL character.  While once there was laughter, now they find points that are bothersome to them.   Mixed in with this examination are interviews with character, creator, and actress Julia Sweeney, as she discusses the creation of the character Pat.   As the documentary progresses the Filmmakers also create the own version of Pat, as the character would be today. 

    The movie, is at times insightful, abd personal. These come out when the filmmakers bring out their own personal stories. When they don’t, it seems a bit like complaining.  The Julia Sweeney is insightful as well, especially about the 1990s Saturday Night Live mindset.  The updated Pat segments are semi humerus, but I don’t remover eboihj about the original sketches, or motion picture to have a baseline comparison.   I enjoy looking back at suck material, and of a dvd of It’s Pat, the Movie shows up the thrift store, I’d pick it up for a rewatch.

   We Are Pat was an insightful character study, though it had its moments of complaining, about a character from yesterday year, from a community that I feel is under a representative cinema today.

    Until next time, I will see you at the movies!