Pat Riley is a chubby, whiny, and obnoxious job-hopper of indeterminate gender who is searching for a steady foundation in life. Pat encounters Chris, whose sex is also unrevealed. The two fall in love, and get engaged. Meanwhile, Pat's neighbor, Kyle Jacobsen, develops an unhealthy obsession with unveiling Pat's sex, and begins stalking Pat. Kyle sends in a tape of Pat performing karaoke to a TV show called America's Creepiest People, bringing Pat to the attention of the band Ween, who feature Pat in one of their performances; Pat plays the tuba. When Pat learns that Ween intended to only use Pat for one gig, Pat and Chris break up. Kyle steals the laptop containing Pat's diary and tries to coerce Pat into revealing the computer's password, so he can access the files. Pat's only answer is that the word is in the dictionary. Kyle then begins to type in every single word in the dictionary. Meanwhile, a gang of thugs intent on discovering Pat's sex begin harassing Pat, and Pat becomes distraught over the thugs' androgynous nature. Pat goes to complain to Kathy, a friend who is a therapist and host of a radio talk show. When Pat gives acerbic reactions to call-in listeners, the station fires Kathy and replaces her with Pat. Kyle ends up going through the entire dictionary until he reaches the last word, "zythum", which is the password. After reading through the diary, he discovers no new information in regards to Pat's sex, and finally snaps. Kyle calls into Pat's radio show, and tells Pat to meet him at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, stating that this is the only chance for Pat to retrieve the laptop. Pat arrives to find Kyle dressed exactly like Pat. Kyle demands that Pat strip naked, but Pat runs off into a Ween concert. After Kyle corners Pat on a catwalk, Pat falls, and Pat's clothes get caught on a hook. This tears off Pat's pants and lowers Pat in front of the cheering audience, though Pat's genitals are revealed neither to Kyle nor to the moviegoer. Kyle is subsequently taken away by security guards. Pat then runs to see Chris, just as Chris is leaving on an ocean liner. In an epilogue, Pat and Chris get married. During the end credits, Kathy is now hosting her radio show again and the first caller is none other than Kyle, whose obsession with Pat has driven him to cross-dressing.
The film was written by Sweeney, Jim Emerson, and Sweeney's former husband, Stephen Hibbert. While at the Groundlings, Emerson suggested that the character Pat, at the time a "character based on annoying co-workers who don't leave you alone", be made androgynous. Three months before the film's release, Sweeney commented on her initial reluctance to do a film based on Pat: Touchstone Pictures decided to produce the film, after Fox bowed out. Quentin Tarantino revealed that he was an uncredited writer on the script.
Reception
It's Pat has a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews. Variety magazine called the film "shockingly unfunny", noting that Sweeney had "perversely turned the relatively harmless TV character into a boorish, egotistical creep for the bigscreen", the film's "only really funny bit is Sexual Personae author Camille Paglia, deftly parodying herself, commenting on the significance of Pat's androgyny". Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "It's Pat offers a simple message of self-acceptance, asserting that what counts is who you are rather than what your gender may or may not be. The trouble is that its telling is truly terrible." TV Guide called it "yet another tepid film comedy based on a recurring "Saturday Night Live" sketch". They conclude "the story goes nowhere, and if the film ran longer than its 80 minutes, it would have become too tedious to tolerate". The film opened in only three cities. Its total gross was $60,822. As a result, the film was pulled from theaters after its opening weekend.
Accolades
It's Pat was a multiple 3rd place nominee at the 16th Golden Raspberry Awards, though the film's cast and crew lost in every category to Showgirls:
Worst Screenplay - Jim Emerson, Stephen Hibbert, and Julia Sweeney
At the 1995 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film was nominated for Worst Picture but lost to Showgirls. However, Julia Sweeney did win Worst Actress for this film. Later, the Stinkers released their user-constructed "100 Years, 100 Stinkers" list in which visitors determined the 100 worst movies of the 20th century. It's Pat ranked in the bottom 20 at #7.
Soundtrack
No soundtrack album was released. The songs from It's Pat are listed below as shown within the film's credits:
"It's Pat Theme" - Christina Zander, Julia Sweeney, Cheryl Hardwick
