Movie Review - Anything For Love (1993)

Country: Canada / United States

Language: English

Type of story: MtF Crossdressing

Is the protagonist Transgender? No.

Sexuality: Doesn’t change

Nudity: Yes - a whole locker room scene!

How I watched it: I found it on YouTube with poor quality.  

When I last watched it: June 22, 2025

It’s surprising that I’ve reviewed sixteen TF/TG movies and haven’t yet reviewed any MtF crossdressing movies despite having reviewed two FtM ones. So I finally sat down to review one.  Rather than review one I’ve already seen, I went to one I haven’t, Anything for Love.

Anything for Love is a direct-to-video movie that when aired in the United States was named Just One of the Girls. If you’ve seen 1985’s Just One of the Guys, you’ll already know the plot of this gender swapped comedy.

My synopsis (spoiler-free): Chris (Corey Haim), is trying to go to a new school to be in their elite music magnet program. The only problem is there are bullies making it extremely hard to attend school. After avoiding them by crossdressing as a girl, he’s suddenly having to go to class as a girl to maintain the deception. Plus, he’s got the hots for cheerleader, Marie (Nicole Eggert), and she wants to be Girl-Chris’s friend. Getting close to a straight girl by pretending to be another straight girl always ends well, right? Right? (Shameless plug for my story Suitable Crush about a boy trying to get close to a lesbian while disguised as another lesbian.)

* * Spoilers ahead * *

Chris wants to get into Clichéd Eighties High School, where bullies drive cool cars and pick on nerds, head cheerleaders are mean, and nerds can hack into school records. At least this one has a cool magnet music program. While Chris is running from the school bully, Kurt (Cameron Bancroft), he ducks into a women’s clothing store, where he quickly dons a disguise. Kurt doesn’t recognize him, so Chris gets the bright idea to do this again - but at school.  It’s a success, Chris fools Kurt. But then Chris runs into his new music teacher.  He now has to go to class as Girl-Chris. Chris is now stuck. But it’s not all bad, as he quickly befriends Marie.

However, Kurt has the hots for Girl-Chris and wants to woo him.

Oh - and Kurt - just happens to be Marie’s brother. Surprise!

The transformation: Chris initially dresses himself, but quickly gets his sister Julie’s (Johannah Newmarch) help. He just wants to be able to get by the bully, but Julie wants to make sure he “looks like a girl, not a hippy with implants”  Sadly we’re missing a classic ‘80s transformation montage here. Julie helps Chris get into an outfit and makes sure his fake books are “low and wide.” 

Does he pass? To us - Maybe not. But in-universe, Julie says it doesn’t matter. “Guys get turned on by nude mannequins. Anything that moves is date material.”

Chris does his makeup in the car, and they test the outfit in a donut shop. Coincidently, Chris’s neighbor, Mrs. Welch is in there. Then cops walk in and flirt with her. Chris is able to buy her pastry and leave without incident.

Does this Movie pass the Bechdel test? No. I should stop asking this question of 30 year old movies.

Gender and Sexuality: Chris is straight, although he does seem to not be horrified about crossdressing, so maybe he’s not so cis.  This movie does something interesting, though.  When Chris is caught by the PE teacher, Ms. Glatt (Rachel Hayward), he develops a cover story that this crossdressing has been a thing he’s been doing for a while.  That was fine and good and progressive for this movie…

But.

The next scene with Chris and Ms. Glatt, it’s implied that his dressing is bad and perverted and something he needs to stop.

Facepalm.

Repeat after me. It’s the lying that is bad. Not the exploration of gender. 

Maybe it’s a good thing Chris didn’t outright say “I’m transgender” or else I would’ve thrown something at the TV screen when this scene happened.

As for sexuality… Oof.  It’s 1993, so anything gay is bad. Ms. Glatt’s initial assumption is that Chris needs therapy for being a lesbian. Chris getting flowers from Kurt is played for laughs.  Dad asking Chris if he’s gay is played for laughs.  Marie bolting then giving Chris the cold shoulder because she was kissed by Girl-Chris. All of the characters are homeophobic.

How it ends: Like all crossdressing rom-coms, eventually the protagonist comes out to the love interest in the most awkward way possible.  At cheer camp, Chris and Marie are bunkmates and after practicing a dance routine, Chris just goes ahead and kisses Marie.   Marie storms out.  Chris’s parents, who found out from Marie’s mother that Chris is a girl, storm into cheer camp and extract Chris.  Ms. Glatt has been pushing for Chris to come clean, so he does so at the pep rally - because these things have to happen at the largest venue possible.

Chris removes his wig. Marie gets pissed. Kurt gets pissed. Then for some reason everyone forgives him for the deception and Chris has a music concert with Alanis Morrisette (uncredited) and everyone lives happily ever after.

Random Thoughts:

• Chris fights back against Kurt initially.  Sadly that only escalated the tensions.

• Chris: “I’m jailbait!" when successfully evading the police in the donut shop.  Chris, I don’t think that phrase means what you think it means.

• Mrs. Welch hands Julie Chris’s purse. “Julie, Chris dropped this in the donut shop.  Looked expensive.”  So Chris didn’t fool Mrs. Welch. Julie decides not to tell Chris. It’s nice to see that the nice old lady has zero problems with Chris’s exploration of gender.

• Chris avoids gym class by getting his friend to give him a doctor’s note.  That earns him a role cleaning the girls locker room. Cue gratuitous early-’90s nudity scene. This scene will haunt every conservative for the next 30 years ensuring no person shalt ever enter the “wrong” bathroom.

• In a more refreshing father - son relationship, Chris tells his Dad right away about being bullied.  He even gets dad to help him to defend himself.  Boy, is Dad surprised when Chris gets flowers from the bully.

• There’s this subplot involving Marie and her obviously soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.  I’ve already forgotten about it.

• Marie convinces Chris to join cheerleading. Chris could’ve said no, but he figures if he has to be at school as a girl, might as well join the cheerleading squad. At least this gets him even closer to Marie.

• Kurt gets very handsy with Chris on a drive home. Nothing like casual sexual assault in a teen comedy. Ugh.

• Chris decides to go on a B plot, trying to reform the bully as he offers dates with Kurt for him behaving.

• Ms. Glatt initially brings Chris into her office because she thinks Chris is a lesbian.  Chris thinks she knows the truth and blurts out he’s really a guy. The only reason Ms. Glatt doesn’t blow his cover is because Chris hints he’s trans. Good thing Ms. Glatt is also the school counselor.

• Despite Chris getting to know Marie, he has no game. He puts a note in her locker which she promptly rips up.  He shows up at a masquerade party and is blown off because Marie only knows Girl-Chris.

• Crossdressing must be contagious.  Kurt, in an effort to sneak into the girl-only cheer camp to see Chris, crossdresses - and is discovered by his sister Marie. I swear this movie might live rent-free in conservative politicians’ heads. 

• The fact that everyone is pushing for Chris to out himself left a bad taste in my mouth.  What if Chris was truly transgender?

• Like many of these movies, it abruptly ends after everyone forgives him.  Do Chris and Marie get together? Does Kurt stop being a bully? Does Chris catch the eye of a record label?

• I saw a review on this movie calling it “the most ‘80s ‘90s movie. It feels very ‘80s even though it was made in 1993.