Attitude is everything.

Noxeema Jackson, Vida Boheme, and Chi Chi Rodriguez are gonna show America a thing or two about being fabulous. Dressed to kill, with their Dynel tresses tossing in the breeze behind them, these three stars of New York's drag-queen beauty pageant circuit have hit the open road in a 1967 Cadillac convertible. Destination: Hollywood. But the trio is in for a detour when the car breaks down in the tiny midwestern town of Snydersville, where drag queens are about as common as August snowstorms. Up to now Snydersville has been a lot more like a graveyard than a town. That's all about to change. The local citizenry is going to get an infusion of flash and glamour the likes of which it's never seen. During the course of one incredible weekend, eyes will be opened, broken hearts healed, and hair teased within an inch of its life.

After tying for the win in New York's "Drag Queen of the Year" contest, Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) and Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) win a trip to Hollywood to take part in the even bigger, "Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant." Before they depart, Vida persuades Noxeema to take along the inexperienced "drag princess" Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) as their protégé (the duo initially refer to Chi-Chi simply as a "boy in a dress" rather than as a fully-fledged drag queen). To do this, they trade in their airplane tickets for cash and buy a stylish but old Cadillac convertible with money given to them by John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (Robin Williams). The three of them set off for Los Angeles by car, carrying with them an iconic photo of Julie Newmar (signed, "To Wong Foo, thanks for everything! Julie Newmar") that Vida purloined from a restaurant wall.
While on the road they are pulled over by the racist, homophobic Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn), who tries to force himself onto Vida. He discovers Vida is not biologically female and, in the commotion, Dollard falls backwards and is knocked unconscious. The trio think he is dead, and they hurry off and leave him behind. As they recover from the incident at a rest stop, their car breaks down. A young man, Bobby Ray (Jason London) from the nearby small town of Snydersville, happens by and gives them a ride, where they take refuge in a bed and breakfast owned by Carol Ann (Stockard Channing) and her abusive car repairman husband, Virgil (Arliss Howard).
The drag queens become stranded in the town for the weekend as they wait for the replacement part for their car to arrive. While there, they are confronted by the town's small-mindedness, though it focuses not on their Genderqueer identities, but rather on their status as females. Chi-Chi is harassed by a group of roughnecks, but is saved by Bobby Ray. While volunteering to help with the town's strawberry social, the queens decide the town's small band of women need a day with the girls. Which consists of the following steps: get your hair done, pick out a new outfit, and then just sit in a cafe and talk. While searching for the new outfits, the drag queens are ecstatic to find vintage fashions from the 1960s in the town's clothing store and give the town's female residents (and themselves) a make-over.
Following their make-over, the group is abused by the same roughnecks that attempted to attack Chi-Chi. Fed up, Noxeema handles the situation in a typically New York manner and teaches their ringleader a lesson in manners. Vida, Noxeema, and Chi-Chi do what they can to be positive, and they set out to improve the lives of the townspeople, including offering assistance in organizing the annual "Strawberry Social" event.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Dollard is ridiculed by his colleagues, who believe he was beat up by a girl. He goes in search of the drag queens.
Vida, meanwhile, becomes acutely aware of Carol Ann's abuse at the hands of her husband Virgil and, shortly thereafter, the three queens overhear Virgil giving Carol Ann another beating. Vida decides to intervene and beats up Virgil before throwing him out of the house. The next day, Virgil runs into Sheriff Dollard at a bar and the two realize that the newcomers to town are the same people Dollard has been searching for. They head back to Snydersville, and Dollard demands that the townspeople turn over the drag queens.
However, the townspeople, who now realize the biological sex of their new friends, begin to protect them. One by one they step up and confront Dollard, each one claiming to be a drag queen (in similar fashion as in the film Spartacus). Dollard is humiliated and flees. The Strawberry Social commences with everyone dressed in vibrant red outfits for the party. Shortly after, Carol Ann repairs their car and the three queens are finally able to leave Snydersville, though they are now slightly saddened to leave behind their new friends. Carol Ann reveals to Vida that she knew Vida was a drag queen all along due to her Adam's Apple, which women do not normally visibly have. In honor of their friendship, Vida gives Carol Ann the photo of Julie Newmar that has accompanied the queens on their trip.
The trio eventually makes it to Los Angeles where Chi-Chi, after having received many tips from Vida and Noxeema during their ordeal, wins the title of Drag Queen of the Year. Fittingly, the crown is presented by Julie Newmar herself.

Release Date: September 8, 1995

Distrib: Universal

Boxoffice: $36,474,193 2014: $68,336,700