Outrageous!

Outrageous!

Year: 1977

Runtime: 96 mins

Language: English

Director: Richard Benner

Comedy

Robin Turner, a gay hair stylist who supplies drag queens, longs to summon the courage to perform in drag himself. His schizophrenic friend Liza shows up needing a place to stay; the two quickly become close. Robin supports Liza through an unexpected pregnancy, while Liza encourages him to launch a nightclub act, propelling both toward their dreams.

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Timeline & Setting – Outrageous! (1977)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Outrageous! (1977). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Canada (Toronto), United States (New York City), The Other Place

Set across Toronto's hair-salon culture and New York City's nightlife, the film anchors its story in real-world venues and the dreamlike spaces of its characters. The Toronto salon scene grounds Robin’s early ambitions, while the Jackrabbit Club in NYC stages his explosive drag performances. Liza’s escalating mental world, including the Other Place, bleeds into the everyday settings, giving the film its surreal edges.

🌆 Urban centers 🇨🇦 Canada 🇺🇸 United States 🎭 Drag culture

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:38

Main Characters – Outrageous! (1977)

Meet the key characters of Outrageous! (1977), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Robin Turner (Craig Russell)

An inept hairdresser with big-city dreams, Robin uses fashion and humor to navigate rejection and pursuit of stardom. He becomes a dynamic drag performer, touring through a sequence of personas on stage. His loyalty to Liza and relentless optimism propel both characters through professional hurdles and personal doubts. He embodies the belief that art can be salvation and rebellion alike.

🎭 Drag artist 🧵 Costume designer 🎯 Ambition

Liza Connors (Hollis McLaren)

Robin's roommate and friend who grapples with schizophrenia and reality shifts. Her delusions—The Bonecrusher, The Other Place, and Zara—shape her perception of danger and belonging. The ongoing therapy and medical cautions clash with her desire for independence and motherhood. Her relationship with Robin deepens as she confronts depression and meaning.

🧠 Mental health 👭 Friendship 🌈 Identity

Perry (Richert Easley)

Robin's friend who instrumental in planning costumes for performances and parties. He brings practical insight and a supportive presence as the duo chase bigger stages. Perry's optimism and street-smart mindset help navigate the precarious world of nightlife and show business. He anchors the sense of chosen family within the circle.

🧵 Costume ideas 🎭 Friend 💬 Conversation

Martin (Allan Moyle)

Liza's friend from the institution whose paranoid delusions reveal the fragility of sanity in a stigmatized system. His visions—eyes turning Chinese, Mao references—blend pathos with dark humor. He provides a reminder of the real-world consequences of mental illness while highlighting moments of loyalty and camaraderie. His presence shows the complexity of support networks beyond medical care.

🌀 Delusion 🧠 Mental health 🤝 Friendship

Bob (David McIlwraith)

A taxi driver and former talent agent who becomes Robin's manager in New York. He brings a blend of cynicism and pragmatism, guiding auditions, gigs, and career decisions. Bob's tough-love approach contrasts with the dreamlike stage world, grounding the pursuit of fame in real-world hustle. He helps translate talent into opportunity while keeping expectations in check.

💼 Agent 🧭 Guidance

Anne (Andrée Pelletier)

Liza's lesbian editor friend who reads her journal and recognizes storytelling potential. She serves as an ally who supports queer voices and creative risk, offering a path to publication or broader recognition. Anne's perspective provides a counterbalance to clinical cautions about pregnancy and treatment, linking personal pain to artistic possibility.

📝 Writer 👭 Ally

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:38

Major Themes – Outrageous! (1977)

Explore the central themes of Outrageous! (1977), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Identity

The film explores identity through Robin's evolving stage personas and Liza's struggle to present herself amid mental illness. Drag becomes both art and armor, guiding characters through rejection and longing. The performances and personal revelations drive the narrative, showing how self-expression can forge belonging.

💔 Mental Health

Liza's schizophrenia, hospital visits, and medication notes illuminate the fragility of mental health within a stigmatizing world. Therapy and care clash with impulsive dreams and desire, highlighting the tension between safety and autonomy. The stillbirth adds a heavy emotional weight, shaping how the characters cope with grief and hope.

🌈 Drag Community

Club scenes reveal a supportive, vibrant community that embraces diverse identities and talents. Robin's rapid persona shifts—from Carol Channing to Judy Garland—showcase the artistry, humor, and resilience of drag culture. The film uses this world to explore friendship, competition, and collective empowerment.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:38

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Movies about found family like Outrageous!

Stories of misfits building resilient bonds against the odds.If you liked the supportive bond between Robin and Liza in Outrageous!, you'll appreciate these movies about found family. Discover similar stories where misfits and outsiders create their own resilient support systems and chosen families in the face of adversity.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows characters who are isolated or ostracized, often due to their identity, lifestyle, or circumstances. They forge deep, non-traditional family bonds with other outsiders, and the story explores how this found family provides the strength and support needed to face personal challenges and pursue dreams.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared focus on the power of chosen connections. They all feature a bittersweet but hopeful tone, balancing the struggles of being an outsider with the profound joy and resilience found in building a community that accepts you unconditionally.

Movies about creative ambition and personal chaos like Outrageous!

Where personal turmoil and artistic ambition fiercely collide.Looking for more movies like Outrageous! that blend creative ambition with personal struggle? These films capture the vibrant, chaotic energy of artists and performers striving for their dreams while dealing with significant real-life challenges and complex relationships.

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Narrative Summary

The plot juxtaposes a character's journey in a creative or performative field—such as drag, music, or art—with significant personal obstacles like mental health issues, grief, or unstable relationships. The narrative interweaves moments of glittering artistic breakthrough with scenes of raw, intimate struggle, creating a deeply human portrait of resilience.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific emotional mix: the exhilaration of creative expression contrasted with the weight of personal hardship. They have a steady, observational pacing that allows for both theatrical spectacle and quiet, intimate drama, resulting in a consistently bittersweet and defiant vibe.

Unlock the Full Story of Outrageous!

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Outrageous! Summary

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Outrageous! Summary

Outrageous! Timeline

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Outrageous! Timeline

Outrageous! Spoiler-Free Summary

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Outrageous! Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Outrageous!

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