Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on Amazon Prime Video is a biographical coming-of-age musical comedy-drama film based on the stage musical of the same name, about a 16-year-old boy Jamie New who battles prejudice to find his identity.
The movie follows Jamie New (Max Harwood), who longs to wear high heels and a tiara. His support system consists of his mum, Margaret (Sarah Lancashire), his best friend, Pritti (Lauren Patel).
His mother is the most supportive parent any gay kid could ask for, but his father is remarried and now absent from his life. She can’t bear to break her son’s heart and covers for the neglect.
In search of his identity, he meets former drag queen, Hugo Battersby aka Loco Chanelle (Richard E. Grant). Hugo takes Jamie under his tutelage to help this insecure lad unleash his inner divinity.
Empowered, he decides to wear a dress to his school prom. Jamie’s teacher Miss Hedges (Sharon Horgan) forbids Jamie’s prom plans outright.
Will Jamie succeed in his battle for self-expression? Will he be a fearless drag queen or just a boy in a dress?
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie ending explained in detail:
Red sequined heels
Margaret has been working double shifts to give Jamie his dream 16th birthday present: a pair of red-sequinned heels.
These heels are Jamie’s gateway to a bright, transformative world. It’s the sign he has been waiting for to follow his dream of being a drag queen.
Under the guidance of Loco Chanelle, Jamie performs in drag at the ‘Legs Eleven’ event at the Social Club. His drag persona ‘Mimi Me’ really shines through. Despite the jeering from his school bully Dean Paxton (Samuel Bottomley), he delivers a fierce performance.
Jamie’s father
Even more confident from his success at the social club, Jamie goes to school wearing fake eyelashes and gets into a fight with Dean.
Dean calls Jamie ‘Disgusting,’ which takes him back to his childhood where his father made him feel horrible for wearing makeup.
He goes to see his father and finds out that he wants nothing to do with Jamie. He gets into a fight with his mom for lying to him about his dad.
In retaliation, he goes to a football match where his father would be present and gallivants around the field in a dress he fashioned. This results in a scuffle with the ushers as Jamie gets injured.
He calls out to his dad but he pays no heed. He goes back home and apologizes to his mom. He learns his lesson and realizes he doesn’t need his dad when he has his wonderful mom.
Prom night
Jamie had been forbidden to wear a dress by Miss Hedges as it would overshadow everyone else. Even Dean rudely announces that he won’t be coming to prom if Jamie is wearing a dress. Miss Hedges says Jamie’s drag persona ‘Mimi Me’ is rude, reckless and disruptive and hence, ‘Mimi Me’ is forbidden from coming to the prom.
On the night of the prom, as Jamie contemplates wearing a tuxedo, Pritti stands up to Dean at the prom for making fun of her and says how her life after school is just getting started while Dean will be nothing. Dean will no longer be the big fish in the small pond. This puts him in his place as everyone cheers for Pritti.
Dean retorts by saying Pritti can’t even get a date for the prom. At that moment Jamie shows up wearing a dress and is loved and accepted by everyone, much to Miss Hedge’s chagrin. Jamie says that this isn’t ‘Mimi Me’, rather it’s just Jamie in a dress, his true genuine self.
This moves everyone at the prom but Miss Hedges still won’t budge. Pritti exclaims this unfairness and starts chanting Jamie’s name as everyone at the prom joins in. Seeing the majority support Jamie, she agrees to let him into the prom.
Jamie also makes peace with Dean as they all come together to celebrate one last time and the movie ends with an unforgettable musical number much like the rest of the songs in this heartwarming movie.