• Rating:
• Genre: Culture & Society
• Movie Type: Gay & Lesbian Films, Interpersonal Relationships
• Themes: Non-Traditional Families
• Director: Shari Cookson
• Release Year: 2006
• Country: US
• Run Time: 90 minutes

Plot

Entertainer Rosie O'Donnell, her wife, Kelli, and their children set sail for the Bahamas with 500 other gay, lesbian, and transgendered families in this television documentary. All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise goes behind the scenes of the 2004 inaugural voyage of R Family Vacations, a gay travel company founded by the O'Donnells. Interviews with a cross-section of passengers are interspersed with footage of on-ship entertainment (including Broadway-style musical numbers featuring O'Donnell) and on-shore demonstrations by anti-gay activists. The cruise's passengers include not only gay parents and their adopted and biological children, but also straight parents, siblings, and friends of gay passengers. O'Donnell says the goal in launching her company was to provide vacations with an atmosphere in which same-sex partners and their kids could feel welcome instead of scrutinized. Interview subjects recount tales of other, less queer-friendly vacations, while others give a peek at the realities of gay marriage and adoption. Several longtime couples celebrate weddings and commitment ceremonies, while others meet new friends and, in some cases, sperm donors and surrogate mothers. All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise premiered April 6, 2006, on HBO. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Review

Cynics may view this documentary as an extended infomercial for actress, comedian, and former talk show host Rosie O'Donnell's gay travel company. But it's hard to remain hard-hearted in the face of so much touching, feel-good footage. Though her public persona since leaving her successful talk show has often been combative, here O'Donnell comes off as a devoted family woman and a sincere, no-nonsense advocate of gay rights. Despite an aversion to the spotlight, her partner, Kelli O'Donnell, proves an even more eloquent voice for equality, despite candid footage of her interacting with her own not-completely-supportive biological family. Even more compelling are the numerous interviews with the outing's varied passengers, from straight parents setting sail with their queer children to gay dads and lesbian moms -- and their children -- sharing their common experiences. Despite the Bahamas locale, everything isn't sunshine and light. Protesters in some ports stage demonstrations against the ship's arrival, setting the stage for dialogue that's at best civil, at worst hectoring and ugly. Experienced documentarian Shari Cookson films the proceedings in a no-frills style, introducing the participants by cabin number. The point seems to be that these everymen and everywomen are but representatives of a larger population -- one whose needs and desires are met more often by open-minded businesses than by society at large. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Credit

Rosie O'Donnell - Executive Producer; Sheila Nevins - Executive Producer; Shari Cookson - Director; Shari Cookson - Producer; Kelli O'Donnell - Executive Producer

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