★★★★

A smile radiates from ear to ear watching Egghead & Twinkie, a vibrant, smart, funny, and endearing teenage, roadtrip comedy. The first film to crowdsource through TikTok, writer/director Sarah Kambe Holland amplifies queer representation on screen in telling the story of best friends Vivian, nicknamed “Twinkie” (Sabrina Jie-Af-A) and Matthew, a/k/a “Egghead” (Louis Tomeo). Twinkie, adopted and raised by strict conservative parents, has just recently come out heading into the summer after high school graduation. Egghead is headed to Stanford, Twinkie is wanting to see B.D. (Ayden Lee), a chat and text love interest who is DJ’ing a party in Dallas that Twinkie vows to go to.

On a whim, the two head out on a road trip with Egghead convincing Twinkie she wants to visit an animation school. Egghead sees the opportunity to perhaps reveal to Twinkie how he has felt about her his whole life. Holland’s film becomes a road-trip/coming-of-age film, but is packed full of humor, snappy and sharp dialogue, and understands the complexities of being queer and not quite fitting within the lines society wants to wrap around us.

There’s quick-cuts to animation sequences, flashbacks with younger versions of Egghead and Twinkie as children, and the convenient arrival of wayward waitress Jess (Asahi Hirano), who sparks something new and exciting in Twinkie for the first time. The movie has a spirit and charm that is infectious and rather wonderful.

Others have compared the film to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the popular Netflix series, “Heartstopper.” Maybe. I found the familiarity of the road movie and coming-of-age tale cleverly adapted to fit characters not typically found in a cinematic environment. Holland’s obvious talent behind the camera and the chemistry generated by Jie-Af-A and Tomeo is simply delightful.

In the end, this is a movie you hope finds an audience. A story you hope can give comfort and agency to those who may be seeking to find more representations of themselves reflected back on screen.

Egghead & Twinkie is a small underdog of a film but a movie you want to share with people. Holland, this cast, and this film, proves to be a wonderful discovery.

Egghead & Twinkie was screened as part of the 49th Seattle International Film Festival and will be screened on May 19 and 20, 2023. The film will also be accessible on the SIFF streaming channel from May 22-28, 2023.