Lady Like
(UK/USA, 88 min.)
Dir. Luke Willis
“It might not be in the opera house, but it feels like that,” says drag queen Lady Camden while taking the stage at a pub in Lady Like. Lady Camden, né Rex Wheeler, loves the stage and the camera, and they both adore her. Her story tells of dreaming to dance the ballet on the world’s stage. And, in a way, she lived it—by donning a tutu and skipping in stilettos on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Or, more notably, by donning chaps and a Freddie Mercury ’stache in one of the franchise’s most memorable runways.
This vivacious portrait of the runner-up of season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race offers a playful and intimate look at a fan favourite. (And one who, in full disclosure, this reviewer thinks was totally robbed of the crown.) Lady Like is the latest doc portrait of a Ru Girl after the awkwardly self-serving Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts, about the All Stars winner who seemingly hates all her fans; the fun if forgettable Becoming BeBe about inaugural winner BeBe Zahara Benet; and the surprisingly touching Workhorse Queen about Mrs. Kasha Davis’s struggles following her stint on season seven.
Lady Like also comes on the heels of a seemingly endless parade of straight-to-TUBI docs and Drag Race-adjacent films like Fashion Babylon with season seven winner Violet Chachki, among others. The DPDR cinematic universe is quickly becoming as expansive as the hit series itself. Which queen doesn’t have a doc?
But Lady Like arguably offers the best Drag Race competitor portrait so far. It’s a polished and personable look at a queen who proved the slow burn of her season. It’s a shrewd bit of branding for a performer who often struggled to define herself in the competition. Lady Like lets Lady Camden acknowledge the shortcomings that allowed a comparatively weaker performer with a distinct personality win the competition. It seems Lady Camden needed to lose Drag Race to find herself.
The documentary follows Lady Camden as her season gets ready to air. Director Luke Willis observes the queen as she makes sense of her performance on the series, prepares for the finale, and braces for a potential win. She knows she really needs to define herself in the finale to win the crown. The documentary sees her finally answer the question of who Lady Camden is: she’s a pop star ballerina.
The film weaves Wheeler’s journey to becoming Lady Camden throughout the doc as Willis chronicles the adventure from London, England to Sacramento, California and eventually San Francisco. Wheeler shows layers of vulnerability for a performer who had a guarded appearance on the show. Reflections about losing an older brother in a suicide are especially touching, and illustrative of the need to find community when feeling like an outsider. He dives further into his love for ballet—something that fans got a taste of on Drag Race—and shares how dance offered an outlet for self-expression. But while ballet offered a chance for a young gay dancer to thrive, Wheeler admits that it didn’t fully satisfy him creatively as his career advanced.
And then, one day, Wheeler recalls playing with some make-up before a mirror and feeling like a pop star. He shows how that spark let Lady Camden come to life. She takes the finesse and artistry of ballet and gives it a contemporary pop star twist. Wheeler admits that his parents struggled to understand why he’d walk away from ballet seemingly on the cusp of realising a career. However, his mom proved supportive—and, ultimately, a fan as Lady Camden took the spotlight.
As Lady Camden enjoys the shot of fame, Lady Like echoes other Drag Race docs, notably Workhorse Queen, by illustrating the high stakes of the competition. Unlike other reality/competition, Drag Race sees contestants compete using tricks of their trade. The queens’ livelihoods are essentially on the line here as a season of Drag Race doubles as an audition for a thriving career. Even if she doesn’t win, Lady Camden knows that this season is a breakthrough moment to connect with fans.
She’s particularly concerned with the edit and that self-consciousness occasionally filters into Lady Like. The queen’s so concerned about what she said on Drag Race that she sometimes comes across as offering a corrective to her testimonials with the documentary—or offering the version of herself she wished had made the cut. Ultimately, that’s one element that distinguishes reality television from portraiture. One form lets producers tinker with story beats to develop a character. The other immerses itself in the character to find the story.
Willis observes this tension as Lady Camden hosts viewing parties throughout the season. Although people cheer her appearances, the first viewing parties sort of fizzle. Camden shares her frustration over having relatively little airtime in initial episodes—she’s all but reassuring promoters at the club that good stuff is coming—and it becomes clear that the slow burn of her performance is working against her. Not making an early impression on the judges, she’s also struggling to establish early fans. Queens from previous seasons dismiss her as an “early out” while sizing up the competition. But nobody underestimates Lady Camden as much as she does herself.
Going through the season and losing, yet finessing herself as a performer along the way, Lady Camden learns how to let her guard down and have fun. The film’s a lesson in going all in. Willis makes the most of his access to the performer, and the behind-the-scenes glimpse between the premiere and the finale shows the 24/7 hustle that goes into making the most of a Drag Race spot. It’s a full time job.
Willis and Camden make a stab at going all in as well by giving documentary a drag makeover. Lady Like has fun with elements of performance, including a fairy tale framing device narrated by Drag Race alum Nina West, and some animated bits that explain the show for non-fans. Best of all is a sumptuously shot ballet sequence that returns Lady Camden to her roots. She combines her talents to flex her muscles in full ballerina drag. It’s a beautiful number worthy of the main stage. Maybe we’ll get to see it in an opera house one day. Or, more likely, during a future season of All Stars.
