Elvis & Madona (unrated)

Despite the film's cartoonish nature, the central relationship feels genuine and touching.

A most unconventional love story, the bright and bouncy Elvis & Madona tells of the unlikely romance between Lady Madona (Igor Cotrim), a Rio de Janeiro transvestite who has been squirreling away her earnings as a beautician to pay for a lavish stage show, and Elvira (Simone Spoladore), a young lesbian who calls herself Elvis and delivers pizza while trying to land a job as a newspaper photographer.

Writer-director Marcello Laffitte employs a campy, colorful tone strongly reminiscent of the work of John Waters, surrounding his unusual lovebirds with a supporting cast of equally daffy characters, including a mean drug dealer (Sergio Bezerra) and an occasional porn star who steals Madona's savings. But despite the film's cartoonish nature, the central relationship of Elvis & Madona feels genuine and touching -- this odd couple really fits well together -- and scenes such as the one in which Elvis takes her new boyfriend to meet the parents display a skillful comic timing. ``I'm so colorfully happy!'' declares Sissy Bob, Madona's co-worker at the beauty salon. So is the movie.

Cast:Simone Spoladore, Igor Cotrim, Sergio Bezerra, Maite Proenca.

Writer-director:Marcello Laffitte.

Running time: 105 minutes. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Vulgar language, nudity, sexual situations, brief violence, drug use, adult themes.

Igor Cotrim and Simone Spoladore in Elvis e Madona.