Robin Willians in 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and Dustin Hoffman in 'Tootsie' are not as good in my opinion, but the gendre is anything but career killing.
The film you speak of is also about female impersonation, but all three of the characters were hetrosexual crossdressers. Which makes sense because I have read that most crossdressers generally are. I agree that particular film was a dog, a bad ripoff of 'Priscilla.'
I'm with you in the that ain't my bag department, but gender impersonation has been around long before all the players - including the female roles - were men in Shakespeare's time on stage at his Globe theatre.
If you want to make it in the merciless and cut throat world of acting, turning down a role as a "cock on a rock in a frock" (quote from Priscilla) is just not something it would behoove someone to do.
Now the pathetic creature wrought with mental illnes and criminality, Michael Jackson; he belongs in a prison with the criminally insane. He should be so lucky to have been a female impersonator. It is far and above a much better vocation then the role as the preditor of young boys he plays in the world today.
I am very glad they are aggressively going after this perp. And this time they better get him. Or he will hurt other young lives. Of that I have no doubt.
You must not have seen the same movie I did...the one with Julie Newmar in the title. If the Swayze and Snipes characters (there was a third guy too) were heterosexual crossdressers, then that fact did not come out until after the first 30-40 minutes...I walked out about that time.
It was no way in the same vein as Tootsie, Mrs Doubtfire or Some Like it Hot.