The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love
Encyclopedia
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love is a 1995 film, written and directed by Maria Maggenti
, of the story of two very different high school girls who fall in love. It generated good notices and publicity at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival
. It also launched the film careers of Laurel Holloman
(Randy), Nicole Ari Parker
(Evie) and Dale Dickey
(Regina).
Latino
), secret cigarette and marijuana habits and a cashier’s job at a gas station with Regina. She is pursuing a dead-end relationship with Wendy, a married woman who drops by the gas station when it pleases her. This often entails a follow-up visit from her jealous husband, Ali, who roughs Randy up and orders her to stay away from Wendy.
One day Evie Roy stops in a pristine Range Rover
, unsure if her tires need air. Randy recognizes her from school and talks to her for the first time. Evie is an only child living with her well-off, cultured mother, Evelyn, who has a difficult relationship with her (re-married) husband. Randy and Evie start passing notes in school and hanging out with each other, although Evie does not reveal this to her cliquish
friends. They hang out in meadows, trading music (opera
and Mozart from Evie, punk rock
from Randy) and talking. At the gas station, Randy rejects an angry Wendy, claiming she has a new girlfriend, Evie.
Evie breaks up with her boyfriend after he complains of her distant attitude towards him. Later, apparently on a spur of the moment, she lends Randy a copy of Walt Whitman
’s Leaves of Grass
, which Randy starts to devour.
Inviting Evie to her family’s small house for dinner, Randy reveals to her that she has lived with her lesbian
aunt Rebecca and her lover Vicky since Randy's mother abandoned her to devote all her time to an Operation Rescue
-like group. On the front steps of Rebecca's house, they kiss for the first time. Evie records it in her diary later, apparently wondering what it all means.
Randy and Evie experiment with how “out
” they can be as lesbian
s, nervously holding hands at a local diner. Remembering Randy’s warning of how intolerant the town can be, Evie nevertheless breaks the news to her three closest friends. One girl is supportive (if confused), but the other two are hostile to the idea: one of them says, “God, Evie, if you were gonna turn gay you think you could at least choose someone who’s pretty.”
Randy’s grades continue to plummet and the school warns her she will not graduate; Randy hides this information from Rebecca. When Evie’s mother leaves on a business trip, the girls take the opportunity to cook a huge meal, indulging in wine
and marijuana. That night, they make love, then fall asleep in Evie’s mother’s bed.
The next morning, Evelyn returns prematurely. The kitchen is a mess and used wine glasses are scattered about. Furiously searching the upstairs, she discovers the girls but does not recognize Randy as a girl until she runs past her on her way out.
Meanwhile, Rebecca has learned that Randy will not be graduating high school, and she, Vicky and her ex-girlfriend Lena go to Frank’s house, where Randy had told them she would be staying the night. Rebecca threatens Frank until, panicked, he turns over Evie’s phone number. Rebecca calls, but Evie and Randy have already absconded and she is left talking to a furious Evelyn.
Evie and Randy, crying, scared and accusatory, take refuge in a motel. Randy finally calls Wendy, who comes out, pays for the room and tries to comfort the girls. Ali sees her car in the parking lot, however, and comes bursting in, eventually attracting Evelyn, Rebecca, Vicky, Lena, Frank, and Evie’s three friends, who were driving past reading aloud from Rita Mae Brown
’s Rubyfruit Jungle
(apparently still processing Evie’s news). The movie ends with Randy and Evie kissing and hugging in the open motel room doorway while everyone else argues in the background at top volume.
Asked if she was aware how close the final shot was to a classic Hollywood romantic comedy
, Maggenti said,
The film’s future associate producer Melissa Painter convinced Maggenti to shop the story around as an independent film; when two producers asked how the two very different girls got together, Maggenti improvised the story of the beginning of their relationship. The producers were delighted with this story, and Maggenti wrote a new script in eight days; surprising herself that her script was now a comedic farce
, not about gay love or coming out
, but about teenagers’ first love.
Shooting was completed in 21 days. The Horace Mann School
in Riverdale, Bronx
in New York City
filled the part of Randy and Evie’s high school.
Maria Maggenti
Maria Maggenti is a film director and screenwriter for film and television.She has been the script editor and has written many episodes of the American television series, Without a Trace , but is perhaps best known for her feature film, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love...
, of the story of two very different high school girls who fall in love. It generated good notices and publicity at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. It also launched the film careers of Laurel Holloman
Laurel Holloman
Laurel Holloman is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.-Career:Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and...
(Randy), Nicole Ari Parker
Nicole Ari Parker
Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe , also known as Nikki Kodjoe, is an American actress and a former model. She is perhaps best known for her role as attorney Teri Joseph on the Showtime television drama series Soul Food and her role as Becky Barnett in Boogie Nights.-Early life:Parker was born in...
(Evie) and Dale Dickey
Dale Dickey
Dale Dickey is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Patty on My Name is Earl and for her supporting roles in films such as Domino and Winter's Bone....
(Regina).
Plot
It is spring. Randy Dean is a high school senior with poor grades, only one school friend (Frank, a gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
), secret cigarette and marijuana habits and a cashier’s job at a gas station with Regina. She is pursuing a dead-end relationship with Wendy, a married woman who drops by the gas station when it pleases her. This often entails a follow-up visit from her jealous husband, Ali, who roughs Randy up and orders her to stay away from Wendy.
One day Evie Roy stops in a pristine Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
, unsure if her tires need air. Randy recognizes her from school and talks to her for the first time. Evie is an only child living with her well-off, cultured mother, Evelyn, who has a difficult relationship with her (re-married) husband. Randy and Evie start passing notes in school and hanging out with each other, although Evie does not reveal this to her cliquish
Clique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
friends. They hang out in meadows, trading music (opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and Mozart from Evie, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
from Randy) and talking. At the gas station, Randy rejects an angry Wendy, claiming she has a new girlfriend, Evie.
Evie breaks up with her boyfriend after he complains of her distant attitude towards him. Later, apparently on a spur of the moment, she lends Randy a copy of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
’s Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
, which Randy starts to devour.
Inviting Evie to her family’s small house for dinner, Randy reveals to her that she has lived with her lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
aunt Rebecca and her lover Vicky since Randy's mother abandoned her to devote all her time to an Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is a pro-life organization which originated in California and is now based in Kansas....
-like group. On the front steps of Rebecca's house, they kiss for the first time. Evie records it in her diary later, apparently wondering what it all means.
Randy and Evie experiment with how “out
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
” they can be as lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s, nervously holding hands at a local diner. Remembering Randy’s warning of how intolerant the town can be, Evie nevertheless breaks the news to her three closest friends. One girl is supportive (if confused), but the other two are hostile to the idea: one of them says, “God, Evie, if you were gonna turn gay you think you could at least choose someone who’s pretty.”
Randy’s grades continue to plummet and the school warns her she will not graduate; Randy hides this information from Rebecca. When Evie’s mother leaves on a business trip, the girls take the opportunity to cook a huge meal, indulging in wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and marijuana. That night, they make love, then fall asleep in Evie’s mother’s bed.
The next morning, Evelyn returns prematurely. The kitchen is a mess and used wine glasses are scattered about. Furiously searching the upstairs, she discovers the girls but does not recognize Randy as a girl until she runs past her on her way out.
Meanwhile, Rebecca has learned that Randy will not be graduating high school, and she, Vicky and her ex-girlfriend Lena go to Frank’s house, where Randy had told them she would be staying the night. Rebecca threatens Frank until, panicked, he turns over Evie’s phone number. Rebecca calls, but Evie and Randy have already absconded and she is left talking to a furious Evelyn.
Evie and Randy, crying, scared and accusatory, take refuge in a motel. Randy finally calls Wendy, who comes out, pays for the room and tries to comfort the girls. Ali sees her car in the parking lot, however, and comes bursting in, eventually attracting Evelyn, Rebecca, Vicky, Lena, Frank, and Evie’s three friends, who were driving past reading aloud from Rita Mae Brown
Rita Mae Brown
Rita Mae Brown is an American writer. She is best known for her first novel Rubyfruit Jungle. Published in 1973, it dealt with lesbian themes in an explicit manner unusual for the time...
’s Rubyfruit Jungle
Rubyfruit Jungle
Rubyfruit Jungle is the first novel by Rita Mae Brown, remarkable, in its day, for its explicit lesbianism. The novel is a bildungsroman/autobiographical account of Brown's youth and emergence as a lesbian author...
(apparently still processing Evie’s news). The movie ends with Randy and Evie kissing and hugging in the open motel room doorway while everyone else argues in the background at top volume.
Asked if she was aware how close the final shot was to a classic Hollywood romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
, Maggenti said,
Production
Maggenti started a script with an image in her head of a tomboy with love notes in her back pocket, gradually adding more characters such as her tomboy’s family and her love interest. (Later, she realized this character was based on her first girlfriend.) Between 1992 and 1994 her script, a dark look at the middle and end of this relationship, grew until Maggenti abandoned it.The film’s future associate producer Melissa Painter convinced Maggenti to shop the story around as an independent film; when two producers asked how the two very different girls got together, Maggenti improvised the story of the beginning of their relationship. The producers were delighted with this story, and Maggenti wrote a new script in eight days; surprising herself that her script was now a comedic farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
, not about gay love or coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
, but about teenagers’ first love.
Shooting was completed in 21 days. The Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...
in Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is an affluent residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.-History:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
filled the part of Randy and Evie’s high school.
Cast
- Laurel HollomanLaurel HollomanLaurel Holloman is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.-Career:Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and...
— Randy Dean - Nicole Ari ParkerNicole Ari ParkerNicole Ari Parker Kodjoe , also known as Nikki Kodjoe, is an American actress and a former model. She is perhaps best known for her role as attorney Teri Joseph on the Showtime television drama series Soul Food and her role as Becky Barnett in Boogie Nights.-Early life:Parker was born in...
— Evie Roy - Maggie Moore — Wendy
- Kate Stafford — Rebecca Dean
- Sabrina Artel — Vicky
- Toby Poser — Lena
- Nelson Rodríguez — Frank
- Dale DickeyDale DickeyDale Dickey is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Patty on My Name is Earl and for her supporting roles in films such as Domino and Winter's Bone....
— Regina - Andrew Wright III — Hayjay
- Katlin Tyler — Girl #1
- Anna Padgett — Girl #2
- Chelsea Catthouse — Girl #3
- Stephanie Berry — Evelyn Roy